The Caribbean’s top grilling talent gathered on St. Kitts’ Frigate Bay Lawn on July 18, 2026, for the first-ever regional edition of the annual St. Kitts Grill Fest, where Team Grenada etched its name into the event’s history by taking home the top regional title.
Held as a centerpiece celebration marking the 10th anniversary of St. Kitts and Nevis’ Restaurant Week and Culinary Month, the eight-hour competition—running from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.—expanded beyond its traditional local roots to welcome elite grilling teams from four Caribbean nations: Anguilla, Barbados, Grenada, and host nation St. Kitts and Nevis. Building on the event’s popular legacy, 2026 also introduced an all-new competition category: baby back ribs, joining four longstanding divisions for pork, fish, chicken, and lobster.
Beyond the high-stakes grilling matchups, the festival offered a full day of family-friendly community entertainment. Attendees could explore offerings from local food and beverage vendors, browse handcrafted goods from regional artisans, enjoy live musical performances, participate in giveaway activities, and let children play in a dedicated kids’ zone. St. Kitts Marriott Resort and The Royal Beach Casino served as the event’s official accommodation partner, while core sponsorship from Xpress Events, Kayanjet and E-Z Axcess Graphix made the expansion to a regional competition possible.
In the individual category competitions, local grilling stars claimed top honors across all five divisions. Ricardo “Smurf” Stewart secured first place in the pork category, with Cleon “Pappy” Francis finishing as runner-up. Michael “Jangeezy” Browne took the top spot in the fish category, outperforming second-place finisher Jacqueline Rose. Kyla Huggins claimed the championship in the chicken division, with Michelle Bridgewater earning runner-up. In the lobster category, Dave “Mugsey” Martin claimed gold, followed by Cleavon Chumney in second. The newly added baby back ribs category crowned Tyrone “Granny” Browne as its first champion, with Marlene Ramsey taking runner-up.
The marquee regional competition, which pitted national teams against one another for the inaugural title, saw Team Grenada—made up of members Andre Church, Jaylill Bernard, Wyll Smith and Shackera Ackie—outperform rival squads to claim the historic first regional crown. Organizers officially congratulated all winners, runners-up, and participating teams via public posts on the event’s social media channels following the conclusion of the competition, extending particular gratitude to competition sponsors for supporting the event’s expansion into a regional Caribbean culinary showcase.