St. Lucian Chef Wins Village Cay Festival
St. Lucian chef Elijah Jules won the three-day Village Cay and Rhythm + Sands Food, Wine and Rum Festival held October 17–19 at Village Cay, Tortola, after attendees sampled dishes and voted for their favourite. The festival highlighted regional mentorship when Jules guided two junior chefs to top finishes in the junior competition.
Lucian chef Elijah Jules claimed first place at the Village Cay and Rhythm + Sands Food, Wine and Rum Festival, held October 17–19 at Village Cay, Tortola. The three-night event featured live cooking demonstrations, public tastings and mentorship sessions, with festivalgoers sampling dishes before casting votes that determined the overall winner.
Chef Rondell Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago finished second, and Chef Delven Adams of Guyana placed third after a weekend of competitive cook-offs and public judging. Organisers said the interactive format — where attendees tasted and voted — helped make the competition both accessible and community-driven.
A central feature of the festival was its mentorship component. Each visiting chef selected a junior chef to mentor; Jules, who had first pick, chose 11-year-old Alexandre Wilson of Cedar International School. Bianca Stoutt of the Virgin Islands Technical School, uniquely allowed to choose her own mentor, selected Jules as well.
Jules agreed to mentor both students through the festival’s activities. The junior chefs worked alongside their mentors on Friday and Saturday assisting with meal preparation and service. On Sunday they faced the Junior Chef Mystery Basket Challenge, creating dishes from surprise ingredients revealed moments before the contest.
Bianca Stoutt took first place in the junior category, Alexandre Wilson placed second, and Naomi Rodrigues of the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College Culinary School finished third. Jules, Executive Sous Chef at Jade Mountain Resort in St. Lucia, is known for a farm-to-table approach and a commitment to developing young culinary talent across the Caribbean.
He reflected on the event after receiving his award: "This is what the future of Caribbean cooking looks like — experience meeting new energy. It's not just about winning; it's about passing the flame." Festival organisers pointed to mentorship and cultural exchange as key outcomes, noting how visiting chefs brought diverse techniques and local ingredients to Tortola.
Chefs Thompson and Adams are recognised regionally for blending modern techniques with traditional Caribbean flavours and for championing indigenous ingredients, respectively. For BVI residents, the festival offered more than entertainment: it provided hands-on learning opportunities for young cooks, supported local hospitality and tourism at Village Cay, and reinforced the territory’s role as a hub for regional culinary exchange.
Organisers say they plan to build on this year’s emphasis on youth mentorship in future events.
Primary source: JTV