Baha Mar hosted the First Annual Culinary and Arts Festival of the Bahamas with some amazing chefs

When it comes to food festivals, what comes to mind? At Baha Mar it was all about bringing the story of food and art to life. And following the First Annual Culinary and Arts Festival of the Bahamas, we can’t help but want to go back and experience the food and friendliness all over again.

While food and art was the true star of the show here, it is hard to deny that for many the draw of a festival like this might just be the chefs themselves. And since Baha Mar is already the home of restaurants from Marcus Samuelsson, Daniel Boulud, and Dario Cecchini, it absolutely makes sense that they would be a part of this inaugural celebration of food and art. But they were not alone in bringing the magic of food to life. Other chefs who helped to make this an experience we will never forget were Carla Hall, Amanda Freitag, Ming Tsai, Margarita Carillo, and Simeon Hall Jr. (and this doesn’t even take into account all of the amazing local chefs).

Considering how beautiful the Bahamas is, it should come as no surprise that Baha Mar was the perfect backdrop for this event, helping to shine a spotlight on what makes the islands so special – the people and the food.

Baha Mar makes magic happen during First Annual Culinary and Arts Festival of the Bahamas

One of the best parts of this festival was the overwhelming happiness and friendliness that permeated the event. The chefs all seemed to be happy to be there, they never seemed to be upset about people coming up to them and chatting or asking for pictures. And depending on the event, they were clearly having fun. From dancing with their fans to cracking jokes, they may be culinary rockstars, but all of the headlining chefs made it feel like their fans were a welcome part of the experience.

Of course, the star of the show had to be the food. Not only were there dishes from all of the chefs, but we actually got to see some of the chefs at work.

One of the highlights of the cooking demonstrations (for me) was watching Iron Chef Ming Tsai whip up not only a cocktail, but also a fried rice dish. He was funny, friendly, and so personable, all while giving people watching some amazing insights into how to make delicious fried rice at home. Honestly, it made me like him even more than I did before seeing him in person.

But we can’t talk about cooking demos without mentioning Marcus Samuelsson, the face of the Culinary portion of the Festival. And the reason for that is because while he didn’t actually do the cooking during his time on stage, it was all about showcasing the young chefs of the Bahamas! It was a beautiful way to end the event and do it in a way that reminded everyone of exactly why we were all there.

Obviously there was so much more to this event at Baha Mar, and we have so much more to say, but for now we think it is important to spotlight the fact that this was a stunning event with experiences that foodies everywhere would have loved. We can’t wait for the Second Annual Culinary and Arts Festival of the Bahamas at Baha Mar (because yes, it’s already been confirmed that there will be more of this magic in our futures).