The Cayman Islands’ most celebrated culinary festival is making its triumphant return this week in Grand Cayman.

Cayman Cookout, the Eric Ripert-hosted gastronomic experience at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, ends today January 15.

It was the first time it was back since the onset of the pandemic.

This year’s lineup included Cayman Cookout veterans like Ripert and Jose Andres, along with star chefs like Adrienne Cheatham, Antonio Bachour, Emeril Lagasse and Daniel Boulud, among others.

TV food personality, Andrew Zimmern was among the welcomed lineup. The schedule includes a full-fledged fantasy for foodies from a bourbon dinner with the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection to a “taste of Little Spain” with Jose Andres right on the beach.

The biggest change this year is a deeper focus on beverage programming, with more events and menus designed by master mixologists and other spirits experts.

Caribbean Journal reports that this year’s staging represents a unique, intimate festival, one where attendees can meet and mingle up close with some of the biggest stars in the culinary world.

Cayman Cookout is also letting visitors “curate” their experience, with customized schedules for different kinds of visitors, whether foodie fans, beverage enthusiasts or “chef devotees,” among others.

This includes what organisers call an “extensive list” of rare wines.