Antigua-based hospitality collection Rocks Group has announced a high-profile leadership appointment that marks a homecoming for one of the Caribbean’s most accomplished culinary talents: native Christopher Terry has stepped into the role of Group Executive Chef, tasked with steering the overall culinary vision and daily operations across all five of the group’s restaurant concepts — Sheer Rocks, Catherine’s Café, Rokuni, Fat Urchin, and Roca.
With nearly two decades of professional experience earned at some of the world’s most exclusive luxury resorts and hospitality destinations across three continents, Terry is returning to his home island after building a decorated international career that took him from regional Caribbean properties to elite dining venues in North America, and most recently, the high-end resort landscape of the Maldives.
Terry’s culinary journey first began on Antigua, where he completed his initial training at the Antigua & Barbuda Hospitality Training Institute before moving to the United States to advance his culinary education at Florida’s prestigious Johnson & Wales University. Over the years that followed, he held senior culinary leadership roles at iconic global properties including The Nautilus Maldives, Amanyara in Turks & Caicos, Hammock Cove Antigua, Sandals Barbados, Florida’s Ocean Reef Club, and Jumby Bay Island. Through every step of his career, he has built a reputation for four core pillars of his work: delivering unforgettable, tailored guest experiences, developing creative, boundary-pushing menus, mentoring emerging culinary talent, and intentionally weaving local, seasonal Caribbean ingredients into refined, world-class dining concepts.
The appointment is a meaningful full-circle moment for both Terry and Rocks Group founder Alex Grimley. The two first worked together decades earlier at Antigua’s Carlisle Bay resort, where Grimley held the role of Head Chef as Terry was just launching his professional culinary career. Their reunion comes at a key inflection point for Rocks Group, which is currently in a period of evolution and expansion of its culinary footprint across Antigua.
“Chris embodies every core value our hospitality group was built on,” shared Rocks Group Chief Operating Officer Carl Habel in a statement announcing the appointment. “He is extraordinarily talented, deeply passionate about his craft, and brings unmatched experience from some of the world’s leading luxury hospitality properties. Most importantly, he is Antiguan. His career path is an incredible example of local talent reaching global success, then choosing to bring that hard-earned expertise back home to support his community.”
Habel added that the group is particularly enthusiastic about Terry’s ability to lift up the next generation of local hospitality workers, alongside his expected contributions to culinary creativity and operational leadership across the group’s venues. For Terry himself, returning to Antigua offers a unique opportunity to give back to the regional hospitality ecosystem that launched his career, and contribute to a group that has long been a trailblazer for Caribbean dining.
In his new role as Group Executive Chef, Terry will lead culinary innovation and development across all Rocks Group restaurant concepts. He will work hand-in-hand with individual restaurant teams to continuously elevate the guest experience, while upholding the group’s commitments to quality, creativity, and sustainable sourcing — with a sharp focus on celebrating Caribbean ingredients and nurturing local culinary talent. The appointment itself underscores Rocks Group’s longstanding dedication to investing in people, growing accessible hospitality careers for local workers, and supporting the ongoing expansion of Antigua’s dynamic, fast-growing culinary sector.