For nearly two decades, January at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman has meant one thing: The Cayman Cookout. All-star chefs and food lovers flood the iconic stretch of 7-mile beach with cooking demonstrations, plated dinners, the infamous Beach Bash, food-filled visits to Rum Point and the occasional trip to Sting Ray City. The festival, hosted by Eric Ripert and featuring headlining talent such as Emeril Lagasse, Andrew Zimmern, José Andrés and Daniel Boulud has returned year after year and yet still continues to reinvent itself. The Ritz-Carlton spans 144 acres of property and went through its own massive renovation in 2021 ensuring that fan favorite events from poolside parties to the Grand Finale Dinner at Michelin starred Blue by Eric Ripert and more could continue without a hitch.
Still, 16 years in and The Cayman Cookout shows no signs of slowing. As a stage for some of the most esteemed names in the culinary world, the event hits its stride when the spotlight shines on the rising stars like Kristen Kish, Mahwah McQueen, L.P. O'Brien, E.J. Lagasse and Emma Bengtsson.
"The Ritz-Carlton, Cayman Cookout has consistently provided a warm and welcoming platform for the world's finest chefs to unite in celebration of the art, skill, and dedication inherent in the culinary arts." Chef Eric Ripert says. "Each year I host, I am continually moved and inspired by the emotion, creativity, and passion poured into every dish."
Since her Top Chef win in 2012, Kristen Kish has been seemingly everywhere. From opening a restaurant, Arlo Grey in Austin, Texas, to starring in various food and travel shows and even as the current host of Top Chef. So, how did she go from contestant to restauranteur and host? Drive and determination and plenty of food. "Food is the story of my life. The places I've traveled. The people I've met. The things I've eaten. The things that have challenged me." Says Kish. "I say this in the restaurant, I don't care how you get there just get there. We all learn differently."
The Cayman Cookout is known for up close and personal demos with José Andrés paella event being one of the most popular. In preparing to host her own demo, Kish pulled from every part of her life to see what could add to the story. She may cook on TV but her restaurant is like home. "I think about these demos and then I think about what food I have to share. What's going to add value? What's going to tell a story? What's something from my past that maybe is going to resonate with you or you're going to find interesting?"
According to Kish, it's all about the story telling. "If you've ever watched Top Chef or a quick fire live it's like watching paint dry. It is awful. I've done it. I've seen it. I've lived it. It is so boring. When you see it on TV you have drama. But, then you have the chefs. They tell you how they're feeling, what they're doing, what's going wrong. It's not about the cooking process itself. For me it's the moments in between all of the cooking."
While the process of storytelling and cooking can be open ended, the recipe Kish chooses is not. The Cookout may be in January but the planning begins months earlier with that all important first step: the invitation.
"When I see it in my email box I say yes! We've got it, we're in. Things are working. And then in October they say, 'can you send all the recipes?' The titles and order list come in November. I don't know if anyone is like me in this world but sometimes I make a plan and then that day comes and I say, 'I don't want to go.' But I can't cancel. I can't cancel the dish. I have to come up with a dish that is just as exciting in October as it is in January three or four months later."
Thus begins the lengthy and detailed process of creating and planning for a captivating and memorable cooking demonstration that is also fun. As far as Kish says, it has to be easy and it has to be adaptable. Kish breaks it down. "There are two main components to the dish. There's a little more involved and one where you dump and stir. Good news, I am still very excited about it."
Her demo class features mantou buns, or fried buns, traditionally served in Singapore with chili crab. So what is chili crab? "It's a sauteed mud crab. You cook it whole in this tomato chili and lots of spices and you throw some fresh herbs on it. So when I first went, I said, 'yeah I want chili crab.' And what comes out next to it are these fried mantou buns. I tell you when I saw those I have never seen anything more perfect, except for my wife, a day in my life. They were gorgeous and pillowy and they came six to a plate. What you're supposed to do is eat the crab and then take this fried bread and dunk it in the sauce that's left over. You can skip a step and get little buns from the grocery store and just deep fry them or you can go through this process."
The process, however, is sometimes just as unique as the dish itself. And, according to Kish, that's ok. "When we first opened, I tried to teach everyone how to do it. This is how you make a French omelet. Master it. Get it done. For some people it wasn't clicking and it's not their fault. It's my fault. You have to give people permission to mess up and then space to figure it out."
How does that transfer to her Austin restaurant, Arlo Grey where the most popular item is all thanks to Hamburger Helper?
"If you've never had hamburger helper before it's salty, umami, it's delicious. I always go back to my Midwest roots, cans and boxes and old fashioned midwestern food. Beautiful homemade pastas, a sauce that takes four days, but the heart of inspiration of that dish was hamburger helper. There's no hamburger or beef in my sauce at all but it's comfort."
Which is where the story for Kish always lies. "Top Chef was all by accident. I didn't know what was after Top Chef. If everything went away tomorrow, I'd be great because I could still cook. That's the thing that I hold onto the most."