Category Archives: Caribbean

Our region pulsates with youthful potential yet grapples with a formidable challenge - youth unemployment and unskilled labor. As young leaders who triumphed at the World Bank Group Youth Summit in May 2023, we embark on a mission to unlock sustainable solutions that promote inclusive development and growth.

Our winning proposal aimed to address the complex web of youth unemployment and informal employment across Latin America and the Caribbean through a prism of education, empowerment, and collaboration.

The 2022 Labour Overview for Latin America and the Caribbean revealed a troubling reality. With an average youth unemployment rate of 16 percent, the Latin America and Caribbean region grapples with the insidious specter of wasted potential. This challenge is compounded by the harsh reality of informal employment, where around 60 percent of young individuals find themselves ensnared. Such staggering statistics underscore the structural barriers entrenched within the region's labor markets.

In our quest, we identified five pressing challenges in the region's landscape and propose the following:

We propose expanding access to education and training. Investing in infrastructure, scholarships, and lifelong learning initiatives ensures that education becomes a transformative tool, lifting barriers to social and economic mobility.

We propose promoting gender equality in employment. Initiatives such as High School Mentorship Programs and Networking Platforms address gender disparity at the root, enabling young women to navigate education and career paths with confidence.

We propose strengthening institutional coordination and partnerships. Collaborative partnerships between government, nonprofits, and the private sector create a resilient ecosystem that fosters innovation, amplifies resources, and propels sustainable solutions.

We propose strengthening youth skill development. By aligning education with industry needs, fostering vocational training, and introducing apprenticeships, we empower the youth with practical skills and real-world experience, aligning them with market demands.

We propose enhancing skill recognition and certification. Standardizing skill recognition through innovative methods empowers informal workers with formal certifications, unlocking doors to sustainable employment and financial stability.

Within the tapestry of empowerment, we acknowledge the hurdles that are formidable gatekeepers to sustainable development. As young leaders from the Latin America and Caribbean region, we understand that implementing our visionary plan to address youth unemployment and unskilled labor is challenging.

Our proposals are a testament to our commitment. As we embark on this transformative voyage, data-driven impact assessment, powered by indicators such as the Gini Coefficient and Gender Inequality Index, will guide our progress. We embrace a comprehensive approach that not only quantifies change but fosters an ecosystem of growth and empowerment.

Navigating challenges and forging new frontiers

In a landscape where access to resources is uneven and institutional barriers persist, the road ahead may prove arduous. However, we urge international organizations like the World Bank to collaborate in unique ways. By fostering cross-sector partnerships prioritizing localized solutions, leveraging innovative funding mechanisms, and championing policies that bolster youth inclusion, we can surmount these challenges and illuminate a path toward a prosperous and equitable future for our region. Through these nuanced approaches, we can transcend obstacles and embark on a journey of unprecedented impact.

Our roadmap to address youth unemployment and unskilled labor in Latin America and the Caribbean embodies our shared aspirations. It underscores the vital role of education, inclusivity, and collaboration in shaping a sustainable future. As we stand on the cusp of change, let us propel this momentum forward, a symphony of voices harmonizing to pave the way for a brighter, more equitable tomorrow.

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Opportunities for Latin American and Caribbean youth facing the ... - World Bank

Celebrity Cruises has a new ship headed for the Caribbean this winter.

Celebrity has officially taken delivery of the new celebrity Ascent, the fourth ship in the companys Edge Series.

The newly-built ship will be heading to Fort Lauderdale in December to begin a season of Caribbean cruising, with the inaugural voyage a seven-day vacation stopping in St Maarten, St Thomas and the Dominican Republic.

Ascent, the sister ship to Celebrity Beyond, which debuted last year, includes everything from the popular Retreat resort-within-a-resort area to a multi-level Sunset Bar to an expanded Rooftop Garden.

The ship will include Daniel Bouluds popular Le Voyage dining experience, along a new-look casino floor, a new outdoor dining terrace at Blu and a new nightlife experience on the resort deck.

Celebrity Ascentis yet another example of innovation driving our mission to provide the best vacations responsibly. The ship continues Celebritys ambition to redefine premium travel and take it to new heights, said Royal Caribbean Group President and CEOJason Liberty. I want to thank and congratulate the Chantiers de lAtlantique team, our Newbuild and Celebrity Cruises teams and their partners for the vision, craftsmanship and passion that went into bringing this spectacular shipto life.

After the ships inaugural voyage, Ascent will sail across the Eastern and Western Caribbean until April.

That will include either a seven-night Bahamas, Mexico and Grand Cayman voyage or a seven-night San Juan, Tortola and St Kitts itinerary.

Ascent will hold a seven-night Holiday Cruise departing on Dec. 24, stopping in The Bahamas, Mexico and Grand Cayman, along with a New Years cruise departing on Dec. 31.

Celebrity Ascentfeatures all the innovative and award-winningEdge Seriessignature experiences that launched a new era in cruise ship design, plus a few new enhancements, and I cant wait to welcome our guests aboard, said Celebrity Cruises PresidentLaura Hodges Bethge. It is a true honor to welcome this ship to our fleet and I am so grateful to everyone involved with all that goes into launching a new ship.

Originally posted here:

Celebrity Cruises Has a New Ship Heading for the Caribbean - Caribbean Journal

Deep in the forests of Haiti lives the blue-eyed La Hotte glanded frog (Eleutherodactylus glandulifer), which once went 20 years without being observed by scientists. It belongs to a diverse genus from the Caribbean that also includes the much more common coqu frog (Eleutherodactylus coqu), a cultural icon in Puerto Rico. Now, a new fossil study shows that frogs from the genus Eleutherodactylus are geologically the oldest Caribbean vertebrates to be found in Florida. They also arrived in North America much earlier than previously thought.

Although scientists knew some North American frogs had origins in the Caribbean, they lacked fossil evidence showing when and how this movement had occurred. But Mara Vallejo-Pareja, a graduate student at the University of Florida, used understudied fossil collections to connect the dots.

Florida Museum Photo by Kristen Grace

There was a gap in knowledge, but the answer was under our noses the whole time, said Vallejo-Pareja, first author of the paper. We already had the fossils, which were collected from the 1970s through the 1990s. We just hadnt worked on them.

Scientists have an incomplete record of the evolutionary history of frogs. Data analyses show that frog families underwent rapid diversification after the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction that famously killed off the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. Frogs continued to diversify for the next several million years. They first show up in Floridas fossil record during the Oligocene Epoch, which lasted from around 34 to 23 million years ago. However, records from these eras are patchy.

This is because frogs are understudied in comparison with other vertebrate groups, with frog paleontology being an especially small field.

This posed a challenge when researchers at the Florida Museum uncovered an abundance of frog fossils at paleontological sites in Florida dating back to the Oligocene, including the Brooksville 2 and Live Oak SB-1A locations. Since frogs werent a research priority when many of the fossils were collected from the 1970s through the 1990s, they were put in storage, where they sat, unstudied, until Vallejo-Parejas project.

Vallejo-Pareja compared fossils found at the sites in Florida with existing collections containing specimens from both extinct and living frogs, including the Florida Museums samples of the La Hotte glanded frog. She found that most of the collected fossils belong to the genus Eleutherodactylus, commonly referred to as rain frogs or robber frogs.

Florida Museum Photo by Kristen Grace

Rain frogs have a history of moving around. They originated in the Caribbean from an ancestor that dispersed from South America as early as 47 million years ago during the Eocene Epoch. Once on the islands, the ancestral population rapidly diversified into several species through a process called adaptive radiation. The finches that Charles Darwin documented in the Galapagos Islands, where one migrant species quickly evolved into at least 13 different species as it filled new feeding niches, are a classic example of this.

Today, rain frogs are found in the Caribbean and parts of Central and North America. The oldest known fossil from the genus belongs to the coqu frog, which has been in Caribbean forests for at least 29 million years. In the 1970s and 80s, it was unintentionally imported to Florida and Hawaii on nursery plants and is now considered an invasive species in both states.

Photo by chziemke, CC-BY-NC 4.0

DNA analysis led scientists to believe that Caribbean frogs in the genus Eleutherodactylus first arrived in Central America during the middle Miocene Epoch, 16 to 11 million years ago, before dispersing to North America. The fossils from this study, however, show rain frogs were in Florida during the late Oligocene, several million years before their recorded dispersal into Central America.

Rain frogs are evidently good at getting around, but its not clear how they made it to Florida. Overwater dispersal on flotsam or other buoyant debris seems the likeliest scenario, but most of the Florida peninsula was still underwater when the frogs are estimated to have arrived. The increased distance between land would have made their journey even longer and more perilous than it would be today.

It is possible there were different dispersal events, but Vallejo-Pareja says that hypothesis would need to be tested by finding more fossils in Central America. Because frogs are small and highly mobile, however, it is easy to underestimate the presence of frogs in an area and hard to track their dispersal.

These fossils are millimeters big, Vallejo-Pareja said. The smallest fossil frog was estimated to measure only 16 millimeters from snout to rear end, smaller than a U.S. penny. So getting to work with them, without breaking or losing them, was a breathtaking moment. And I mean that literally, because if Im sitting at the microscope with my fossil and I sneeze or breathe too hard, its gone.

It is easy to underestimate the presence of frogs in an area because their fossils are so small.

Many of the fossils used in this study were initially collected from the 1970s through the 1990s. They sat unstudied for decades because frogs werent a research priority at collection time.

While rain frogs are widespread throughout North and Central America now, these findings suggest Florida was a first home, where they had interesting company. Other extinct animals from Live Oak SB-1A and Brooksville 2, the sites where rain frog fossils were found in abundance, included bear-dogs, bone-crushing dogs, a weasel-like carnivore, squirrels, beavers and rabbits.

Eleutherodactylus is by far the earliest known account of a Caribbean vertebrate spreading to Florida. Fossil evidence indicates there were rodents and salamanders that made the reverse trip, moving from North America to the Caribbean during the Oligocene and Miocene, but evidence for movement from the islands to Florida is scarce. Caribbean toads, snakes and lizards crossed over during the following epoch, the Miocene, but these records are inconclusive and require further study.

Vallejo-Pareja hopes the methodology and data created by her paper will help bolster frog paleontology research and expressed admiration for the good work that has already been done. We just need more of it, she said. She created digital 3D models of the fossil bones used in the study, generating more information for people interested in the field. Paleontologists might find a frog bone and not realize what it is, she said. Now, they have an additional reference point.

Florida Museum Photo by Kristen Grace

In the future, Vallejo-Pareja wants to use some of the methods she developed in this study to understand how frogs adapt to environmental changes. Although frogs have managed to survive a number of major extinction events, they are very responsive to changes in variables like temperature and precipitation.

What happened to the frogs during a glacial maximum? she asked. Were they smaller or bigger? Did they decrease or increase in diversity? Did they survive? It would be very nice to take a look into the past and see how frogs responded.

The work was funded in part by the National Science Foundation (DBI-1701714), the Southwest Florida Fossil Society and COLCIENCIAS (Colombia).

The Florida Museums Edward Stanley, Jonathan Bloch and David C Blackburn also co-authored the study.

Source: Mara Vallejo-Pareja, maria.vallejo@ufl.edu

Writer: Jiayu Liang, jiayu.liang@floridamuseum.ufl.edu, 352-294-0452

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Frogs were Florida's first-known vertebrates from the Caribbean - University of Florida

SANTIAGO, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Latin America and the Caribbean have made progress in their fight to eradicate hunger, though the region still has the highest rate of food insecurity worldwide and has yet to recover from setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report by five United Nations agencies published on Thursday.

Some 43.2 million people went hungry in the region last year, or about 6.5% of the population, the U.N. agencies said. That's down from the 7% who faced hunger in 2021.

"Progress was made in Latin America and the Caribbean in the fight against hunger and food insecurity, driven by improvements in South America," the agencies said.

South America saw hunger drop due to improvements in the labor market and fresh social protection policies, with increased energy input prices boosting the region's exporting nations.

Despite the progress, the rate of hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean is still nearly a full percentage point above the 2019 level, before the COVID-19 pandemic, which aggravated structural issues such as inequality, labor informality, poverty and lack of social benefits.

Meanwhile, moderate or severe food insecurity "was higher in the region compared to the world estimate," the agencies said, with 37.5% of the region affected versus 29.6% globally.

Food insecurity is calculated by estimating the proportion of the population which faces limitations in obtaining sufficient food throughout the year.

"Persistent inequalities in the region have a significant impact on the food security of the most vulnerable," the report said, highlighting discrepancies in access between men and women and between rural and urban communities, with women and people living in rural areas worse off.

The gender gap widened considerably during the pandemic, the U.N. said, though it narrowed in 2022 to 9.1 percentage points. In rural versus urban communities, the gap in food insecurity was 8.3 percentage points.

Reporting by Juana Casas; Writing by Kylie Madry; Editing by Andrea Ricci

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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LatAm, Caribbean progress in fighting hunger, though COVID-19 ... - Reuters

Maritime royalty has docked in Galveston: Regal Princess, the largest Princess cruise ship ever based in Texas, has dropped anchor in Houston's coastal neighbor, ready for its inaugural season of voyages to the Western Caribbean.

The massive, 142,229-ton "Love Boat" ship can host 3,560 guests across its 19 decks and over 1,400 stateroom balconies. Among its most distinctive features is glass-floor walkway called SeaWalk, which extends 28 feet beyond the edge of the ship and affords stunning views of the sea below (for those who dare).

During its first travel season from Galveston, now through March 2024, the Regal Princess will take 21 voyages to the Western Caribbean, with an estimated 75,000 passengers onboard.

The cruises begin at seven-day treks, but can extend up to 12 days. Popular stops on the journeys include Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico, and Roatn, Honduras. A quick search of the Princess website shows fares for a seven-day cruise aboard the Regal Princess in mid-December start at $499 for an interior room.

"Princess loves Texas and we know Texans enjoy the convenience of having the Love Boat so close by offering a hassle-free drive or convenient fly option to enjoy the beautiful destinations in the Western Caribbean," touts Princess Cruises CCO Terry Thornton in a release. "As we celebrate the arrival of Regal Princess, we extend our deep appreciation to the Port of Galveston for their ongoing partnership, and were excited to welcome aboard the only premium cruise experience from Galveston."

Cruise enthusiasts who'd like to spend their 2023 holidays at sea can check out Regal Princess' trips planned for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's.

Additionally, a "Love and Romance Celebration"-themed cruise with TV presenter and fashion designer Randy Fenoli is scheduled to depart from Galveston on Sunday, December 3. It will feature special romantic events, wedding advice talks, and a unique "Randy" cocktail for passengers.

The Regal Princess is a 10-years-young ship that was christened by the Crew of the TV show The Love Boat in November 2014.

To mark Princess' 20th year of cruising from Galveston, Regal Princess will return to the port for more cruises to the Western Caribbean in the 2024-2025 travel season, according to the release. More information is at princess.com.

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Largest Princess ship ever ported in Texas launches first Caribbean ... - CultureMap Dallas

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Its easier than ever to visit this underrated Caribbean island. Heres why right now is the perfect time to travel to St. Kitts.

When it comes to Caribbean destinations, St. Kitts flies under the radar compared to more popular destinations like Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, which draw millions of tourists each year.

However, this island, which is the larger of the two making up the country of St. Kitts and Nevis, is actually one of the best destinations to visit in the Caribbean.

Heres why you should add this off-path island to your travel bucket list:

One of the reasons that St. Kitts remains an underrated tourist destination for Americans is because there are not many nonstop flights available from the United States.

However, JetBlue launched a brand-new route this week from New Yorks John F. Kennedy International Airport to Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport in Basseterre, St. Kitts.

The flights will be thrice weekly on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.

This makes getting to St. Kitts easier than ever before, as its the first city in the Northeast to get a direct flight to St. Kitts. Nonstop flights are also available from Charlotte and Miami on American Airlines and Atlanta on Delta Air Lines.

If you dont want to commit to flying to St. Kitts and staying on the island, its also now easier than ever to visit the island on a Caribbean cruise and get a taste of what St. Kitts has to offer.

According to the Caribbean Journal, St. Kitts is set to have its biggest cruise season yet this winter.

Port Zante in St. Kitts is the fastest-growing cruise port in the region, set to receive 342 cruise ships in the upcoming season, including Royal Caribbeans brand-new Icon of the Seas, which is currently the largest cruise ship in the world.

Cruise tourism has its pros and cons, but it will certainly make St. Kitts a hotspot in the Caribbean. It also makes it easier to visit this island destination.

If youre looking for a Caribbean experience away from the crowds and the effects of mass tourism, St. Kitts is a great choice for now.

Although this island paradise still remains underrated, its only a matter of time before it becomes a major tourism hotspot, making right now the perfect time to visit.

In St. Kitts, you can enjoy pristine beaches with fewer crowds and experience an authentic slice of local life in a destination that doesnt just cater to tourists.

If youre looking for a destination in the Caribbean thats still off the beaten path, St. Kitts is the perfect place to find a slice of island paradise.

St. Kitts is a unique destination in the Caribbean that offers something for every type of traveler. Obviously, there are beaches that are as beautiful as any beach in the Caribbean.

The best beaches on St. Kitts are located on the southern side of the island and include Cockleshell Beach, South Frigate Beach, and South Friars Beach.

But the island is also covered in lush rainforest, with hiking trails cut through the jungle and ziplines whizzing over the canopy. Or you can take a ride on the St. Kitts Scenic Railway, a train that covers tracks once used for transporting sugar and the last rail line in the Caribbean.

If youre up for an adventure, you can hike to the top of Mount Liamuiga, St. Kitts dormant volcano, for some truly stunning views.

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Why You Should Visit This Underrated Caribbean Destination Right Now - Travel Off Path

A disturbance in the western Caribbean is no longer expected to develop into a tropical depression or storm as it moves toward Central America.

The system is not expected to develop further before it reaches land by Saturday, though it is still likely to bring heavy rain to Central America, including Nicaragua and Honduras, throughout the weekend, with the possibility for flash flooding and mudslides, according to the National Hurricane Center.

As of 8 p.m. Friday, it has a 10% chance of developing in the next two to seven days, and the systems showers and thunderstorms remained disorganized.

So far this season in the Atlantic, there have been 19 named storms, seven of which were hurricanes. Of those, three were major hurricanes, meaning Category 3 or above.

Those were Hurricane Lee, a rare Category 5; Hurricane Franklin, a Category 4; and Hurricane Idalia, which made landfall on Floridas Big Bend region at Category 3 strength on Aug. 30.

The remaining storm names for 2023 are Vince and Whitney. If all those names end up being used this season, the National Hurricane Center would turn to the supplemental list of names from the World Meteorological Association. In previous years, the Greek alphabet was used for additional storm names which had only happened twice before during the record-shattering hurricane seasons in 2005 and 2020.

Hurricane season officially runs through Nov. 30.

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System in Caribbean to move inland over Central America - South Florida Sun Sentinel

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Webinar: Launch, Grow, and Accelerate Your Sales in the ... - news.delaware.gov

Climate projections for the Caribbean region foresee an upsurge in both the frequency and severity of weather events by 2050. Rising sea levels are anticipated to exacerbate vulnerabilities for coastal properties, intensifying the risks of flooding and erosion.

A new climate report from Moodys RMS examines how the perpetual threat of hurricanes could potentially amplify in strength, posing substantial risks to infrastructure and communities. Predicted changes in rainfall patterns may lead to increased flood risks during precipitation, as well as prolonged dry spells and droughts.

In assessing the potential impact, Caribbean nations facing higher risks are expected to experience a uniform increase in loss costs above 10%. For the most vulnerable areas, such as the US Virgin Islands, this increase may reach as high as 17%. Such models demonstrate that investing in building upgrades alone could significantly lower loss costs compared to existing risk values, underscoring the impact of investing in risk reduction and resilience-building measures.

Looking ahead to the end of the century, protective measures geared towards mitigating risk in the built environment have the potential to mitigate the most severe increases in loss costs, resulting in only marginal rises from present-day values. In contrast, the absence of action could lead to substantial escalation in potential loss costs, reaching as much as 27% in specific scenarios, including a 19% increase for the British Virgin Islands.

The anticipated rise in future loss costs might motivate Caribbean nations to prioritize measures and innovative strategies that reduce risk and fortify resilience. Such modeling studies aid governments, businesses, property owners, and communities in evaluating and prioritizing risk reduction strategies. They demonstrate, in financial terms, the advantages of investing in measures to prevent future losses and enhance insurability.

Amidst the evolving impacts of climate change in the Caribbean, the concept of an insurability threshold becomes increasingly relevant. This threshold refers to the point at which insurance becomes either unavailable or excessively expensive due to heightened risks linked with specific events or conditions. The significance of insurability becomes more pronounced as the region faces potential loss cost increases ranging from 10% to 17%, particularly toward 2050.

The report also noted that various factors influence the availability and cost of insurance. Premiums not only reflect the anticipated frequency and severity of risks but also encompass other elements, including the expenses associated with underwriting and claims. Factors like the current global inflationary environment, leading to increased costs for repairs, materials, and labor, contribute to the rising costs of claims. Moreover, the supply of reinsurance capital is becoming more expensive.

Sustaining private insurance depends on insurers' ability to collect adequate funds for their claims. Looking ahead, mapping out actions that aid in risk reduction can compensate for the anticipated rise in hazards due to climate change. Whether through increased risk-sharing or stricter building codes, employing risk modeling can assist in devising plans for Caribbean risk trajectories, ensuring insurance sustainability for the 21st century.

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Insurance in the Caribbean islands what's in the sector's future? - Insurance Business

Many Caribbean islands boast about their culinary scene, but events like the Cayman Cookout demonstrate why the Cayman Islands is a cut above the rest. Hosted by celebrity chef Eric Ripert, this annual food festival staged at the Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman attracts top chefs like Jose Andreas, Andrew Zimmern, and Emeril Lagasse as well as showcasing local talent from the top restaurants and hotels in the Caymans.

Ripert has a long love affair with Cayman and his Blue by Eric Ripert restaurant at the Ritz Carlton is one of the islands top dining experiences, lending legitimacy to the Cayman Islands claim to be a culinary capital of the Caribbean.

Whether you want to pay attend the Cayman Cookout in January, sample the Taste of Cayman in April, come in October for restaurant week and cocktail week, or visit Grand Cayman another time of year, here are some of the islands hottest places to eat for food-focused travelers.

Blue by Eric Ripert

Grand Caymans premier culinary experience is a celebration of the bounty of the blue Caribbean Sea, with local seafood and a world-class wine list complimented by an elegant waterfront location at the Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman resort.

Grand Old House

Located on a former plantation estate dating to 1908, the Grand Old House takes a modern approach to dining on its oceanside verandah with farm-to-table offerings that highlight both Caribbean and international cuisine.

The Brasserie

Widely credited with launching Grand Caymans locally sourced dining movement, The Brasseries menu is driven by whats available but typically emphasizes the catch of the day, lobster and conch in season, and treats like ice cream flavored with local fruits.

Luca

The Caribbean Club on Seven Mile Beach is home to this beachfront restaurant that features contemporary Italian cuisine, a wine cellar with more that 5,500 bottles, and unexpected options like sushi along with vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free menus.

Cimboco

Bright, cheerful, and unpretentious, locally owned Cimboco serves scratch-made Caymanian food with a modern twist and sometimes the other way around. Youll find hints of citrus in the bruschetta, fresh snapper wrapped in a banana leaf, and pizzas topped with sauce made from local tomatoes and jerk chicken.

The Wharf Restaurant & Bar

Waves lapping at the Wharfs dining dock set the mood for Executive Chef Christian Reiters seafood creations like the signature basil and pistachio encrusted sea bass, but theres also Angus beef filet mignon, escargot, foie gras and rack of lamb on the classically inspired best dinner menu in Grand Cayman.

Abacus

Indoor and outdoor spaces come alive at night at this Camana Bay restaurant, which puts the emphasis on convivial culture as well as the steaks and seafood on Chef Charith Hemans dinner menu. Live music gives the bar scene an extra charge on Saturday nights.

Blue Cilantro

Indian food has always had a strong influence on Caribbean cuisine like roti and curry goat, but Blue Cilantro executive chef Vidyadhara Shetty(coincidentally the president of the Cayman Culinary Society) goes all in with an east-west fusion menu featuring the catch of the day cooked in a clay oven, Tandoori style, and a pork ribs and belly appetizer served with a ginger apple chutney and vindaloo sauce.

Union Grill and Bar

A gastropub with leather seats and a supper club atmosphere is a little unexpected, but this being the Caribbean the Union Grill and Bar also has an outdoor waterfront terrace where you can enjoy artisan cocktails, local seafood appetizers and entrees, and Angus steaks and poultry dishes.

VIVO

Caribbean, American, Indian, Asian, Greek, French, Mexican it all goes into the pot of influences at this seaside restaurant in West Bay, where the food for your soul tour runs from cauliflower tossed in Manchurian sauce as an appetizer to Asian stir-fry and curry dishes for mains and baklava for dessert.

Cracked Conch

A tiki bar with an excellent selection of Caribbean rums and classic tiki concoctions helps elevate this West Bay restaurant into the ranks of Caymanian favorites. As for the food menu, of course youll find conch chowder, ceviche and fritters but also an assortment of salads, small plates, and entrees that include local snapper poached in coconut oil and topped with crumbled pumpkin seeds.

Ave

The signature eatery at the islands celebrated Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa is a combination Mediterranean eatery and steakhouse, with superb seafood and one of the best Sunday brunches on the whole island. The view particular at sunset is worth the trip alone.

Tillies

Tillie isnt the chef (thats Jake Tyler Brodsky); the name of this restaurant on Seven Mile Beach is short for Antilles, the region of the Caribbean that includes the Cayman Islands and the place where most of the food on the menu is sourced. Wednesday night is a great time to sample Chef Brodskys eclectic cuisine by ordering from a fixed-price Supper Club menu.

Ms. Pipers Kitchen + Garden

The familial backyard setting at Ms. Pipers is intended to make diners feel at home and at ease whole browsing through a menu of small (empanadas, cassava cheese bread), medium (Korean ribs, branzino), and large plates (mezze platter, butterflied snapper) and an indulgent dessert menu featuring a Basque style burnt cheesecake.

Silver Palm

TUKKA West

Were going to go out on a limb and guess that this is the only Australian inspired restaurant in the Caribbean. Located in the West Bay, TUKKA serves kangaroo sausage alongside more familiar West Indies food like calamari and ceviche; the conch fritters are tossed in with fried crocodile bites, and the shrimp dishes feature Australian native tiger prawns.

Bacaro

This Italian restaurant channels the spirit of a Venetian wine bar alongside the canals of a West Bay yacht harbor, pairing an extensive menu of international wines by the glass or bottle with Mediterranean-style cichetti (appetizers), small plates, charcuterie plates, and mains ranging from Cornish game hen to local grilled lobster.

Heritage Kitchen

Theres nothing fancy about Heritage Kitchen, but you really shouldnt visit the Cayman Islands without trying some authentic local food, and this is the go-to on Grand Cayman for that. Order your fried fish, coconut grouper, conch fritter and fish soup from a window in a cheerfully painted shack, take a seat on one of the waterfront picnic tables, and enjoy a true taste of the Caymans.

Excerpt from:

Why the Cayman Islands Is a Caribbean Culinary Capital - Caribbean Journal