New York, NY—Best Dressed Plate (BDP) proudly announces the honourees for the 2025 Caribbean Culinary Impact Awards.

Now in its second year, the awards recognise regional excellence across four regions—the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Caribbean—across six categories. Best Dressed Plate also introduced two special awards, the Sylvia Hunt Lifetime Achievement Award and the Best Culinary Destination Award.

Nneka Nurse, Founder of Best Dressed Plate and Academy Chair for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, said the expansion of the awards was strategic.

“The introduction of regional honourees acknowledges the sheer volume and influence of the Caribbean diaspora in these key markets, demonstrating the strength in numbers and the undeniable global reach of the cuisine,” she said, “With the two special awards, the aim is to honour legacy and destination, putting our culinary history into the spotlight while simultaneously promoting gastronomic tourism in our islands.”

Jamaican nationals dominated this year’s list of honourees with 12 recognitions across all regions, underscoring the island’s powerful culinary export. Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados also had a strong showing, cementing their status as culinary leaders in the region and diaspora.

“Best Dressed Plate is committed to elevating Caribbean cuisine and the men and women who are not just keeping history, legacy, and identity alive through their craft but also pushing the envelope every day to position our cuisine at a global level,’ said Nurse. “These awards honour our hardworking, innovative and creative chefs and those who toil in kitchens across the Caribbean and diaspora. The time is now for Caribbean cuisine, and with these awards, we aim to inspire our people and guide the rest of the world when it comes to our cuisine.”

The honorees for the 2025 Caribbean Culinary Impact Awards are as follows:

Special Awards

• The Sylvia Hunt Lifetime Achievement Award: This inaugural honour is presented to Chris DeLarosa of Caribbean Pot. A Trinidadian-born pioneer based in Canada, DeLarosa has spent over a decade democratising Caribbean cooking for a global digital audience. This award is named for the legendary Sylvia Hunt, to ensure her foundational contributions to Caribbean culinary identity are never forgotten, by honouring a present-day leader who embodies her spirit of cultural preservation and education.
• Best Caribbean Culinary Destination: Awarded to the Grenada Tourism Authority, recognising the “Spice Isle” for its strategic and successful commitment to positioning culinary tourism at the forefront of its national identity, attracting global eyes to the region’s diverse flavours.

Regional Awards

UNITED STATES REGIONAL HONOREES

• Trailblazing Chef of the Year: Paul Carmichael (Barbados)
• Rising Star Chef: Max Guillaume (Haiti)
• Best Restaurant: Linden (Costa Rica & Barbuda)
• Excellence in Culinary Entrepreneurship: Caribe & Co (Jamaica)
• Outstanding Food Content Creator: Trini Cooking With Natasha (Trinidad & Tobago)
• Best Food Truck/Pop-Up Vendor: CMarty’s Jerk (Jamaica and Aruba)
  
  

CANADA REGIONAL HONOREES

• Trailblazing Chef of the Year: Lonnie Murdock (Jamaica)
• Rising Star Chef: Marc Kusitor (Haiti)
• Best Restaurant: Miss Likklemores (Jamaica)
• Excellence in Culinary Entrepreneurship: Nutmeg Spiced (Grenada)
• Outstanding Food Content Creator: Wendy Bridgemohan (Trinidad & Tobago)
• Best Food Truck/Pop-Up Vendor: Bim Streets Eats (Barbados)

CARIBBEAN REGIONAL HONOREES

• Trailblazing Chef of the Year: Brian Lumley (Jamaica)
• Rising Star Chef: Garette Bowe (Bahamas)
• Best Restaurant: Olive House (Trinidad and Tobago)
• Excellence in Culinary Entrepreneurship: Tooksie’s (Jamaica)
• Outstanding Food Content Creator: Radikal Rose Eats (Grenada)
• Best Food Truck/Pop-Up Vendor: Bulbie Soups (Jamaica)

UK REGIONAL HONOREES

• Trailblazing Chef of the Year: Kareem Roberts (Antigua/Jamaica)
• Rising Star Chef: Nathaniel Mortley (Guyana & Barbados)
• Best Restaurant: Jam Delish (Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica)
• Excellence in Culinary Entrepreneurship: Flake Bake Patties (Jamaica)
• Outstanding Food Content Creator: Black Eats London (Jamaica)
• Best Food Truck/Pop-Up Vendor: Bokit’la (Guadeloupe)

Detailed video and written profiles on each honouree, exploring their contributions to redefining and elevating Caribbean cuisine, will be featured on bestdressedplate.com at https://www.bestdressedplate.com/2025-2/ throughout the coming year.

ABOUT BEST DRESSED PLATE: Best Dressed Plate is the definitive global platform for Caribbean gastronomy. Acting as the region’s culinary authority, BDP is dedicated to curating, celebrating, and elevating the diverse food cultures of the Caribbean and its diaspora. Through high-level events, editorial content, and strategic advocacy, Best Dressed Plate serves as the bridge between Caribbean culinary talent and the global stage, ensuring the region’s history is honoured and its future is led by its own voices. A recognition from Best Dressed Plate is a seal of authentic excellence in Caribbean cuisine.

ABOUT NNEKA NURSE: Nneka Nurse is a leading global advocate for Caribbean gastronomy, Founder of Best Dressed Plate, and an Academy Chair for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. A culinary curator and strategist based in New York with deep roots in Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Barbados, she has dedicated her career to shifting the narrative around Caribbean food, moving it beyond stereotypes into a space of respected, world-class dining. Through her work, she champions chefs, connects culinary communities across the diaspora, and fights for the rightful place of Caribbean cuisine in the global culinary canon.