St. George – The Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA) has launched a culinary partnership with renowned Chef Alexander Smalls to raise its profile as a leading culinary destination.

The partnership will involve a Master Class with local chefs, recipe development showcasing Grenada’s spices and cocoa, a Tastemaker event featuring celebrity and influential chefs, a Fireside Chat with Grenada’s leaders in food security, agriculture and sustainability, and a Spice Replanting Program. 

Alexander Smalls, both a Grammy and Tony award-winning opera singer, is a James Beard Award-winning chef, restaurateur, author, and culinary activist. He is the visionary of the restaurants, The Cecil, which won Esquire magazine best new restaurant in America, New York City’s first Afro-Asian-American Brasserie and its sister jazz club, Minton’s. He is the founder and curator of Alkebulan, the first African Dining hall in the world, which opened in Dubai in 2021 and visited by over 24 million people.

Chef Alexander Smalls commented, “I’m excited because the Spice Island concept is near and dear to the work that I do. I look forward to bringing a congress of chefs to explore the island and to create partnerships on the ground with local vendors and restaurateurs. We’ll also be creating a series of engaging and interactive video content that will excite locals and the global community who should know and celebrate Grenada as we do.” 

“The soil of Grenada is rich and produces some of the best spices in the world. The partnership with Chef Smalls will elevate awareness of Grenada as a top culinary destination in the Caribbean with a variety of new events and experiences geared towards enticing the taste buds of visitors and locals alike,” said Hon. Lennox Andrews, Minister for Economic Development, Planning, Tourism and ICT, Creative Economy, Agriculture and Lands, Fisheries and Cooperatives. 

“We are absolutely delighted to embark on this partnership with Chef Smalls,” said Petra Roach, CEO of the Grenada Tourism Authority. “His pedigree not only speaks for itself, but his creations offer delicious memories that are unforgettable. We know culinary experiences are a big reason why people choose the places they travel and we intend to make it known that there are no greater bites to be had than in Grenada.”