Afro-Caribbean Cuisine Steps Into The Spotlight At South Beach Wine & Food Festival

News Americas, MIAMI BEACH, FL, Thurs. Jan. 22, 2026: Afro-Caribbean cuisine is stepping into the global spotlight, and Miami will be center stage on Friday, Feb. 20th as the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, (SOBEWFF®), hosts Las’ Lap Link Up: A Celebration of Afro-Caribbean Cuisine, a late-night cultural showcase spotlighting one of the most influential food movements shaping today’s culinary landscape.

Former Top Chef contestant, Chef Nina Compton of St. Lucia will co-host Las’ Lap Link Up: A Celebration of Afro-Caribbean Cuisine.

The event, hosted by acclaimed chefs Kwame Onwuachi and Nina Compton, will take place from 10:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. at the Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel in Miami Beach as part of SOBEWFF®’s 25th anniversary celebrations.

Once viewed largely through the lens of community cookouts and regional traditions, Afro-Caribbean food has increasingly moved into mainstream culinary spaces – redefining menus, inspiring global chefs, and fueling new food economies. Its rise reflects a broader cultural shift, where Caribbean flavors are no longer treated as “ethnic” or “exotic,” but as essential to the future of food.

“One of the things that makes SOBEWFF® special is our ability to celebrate culture through food,” said festival founder and director Lee Schrager. “Afro-Caribbean cuisine is bold, joyful, and deeply rooted in history – and this event captures that energy in a way only Miami can.”

At the heart of the celebration is chef Kwame Onwuachi, whose culinary vision has helped propel Afro-Caribbean flavors into the highest ranks of global dining. His Miami Beach restaurant Las’ Lap recently opened to widespread acclaim, bringing island-inspired cuisine, inventive cocktails, and cultural storytelling to South Beach. His New York City restaurant Tatiana has earned top honors, including recognition as North America’s Best New Restaurant and consistent praise as one of the city’s premier dining destinations.

Co-host Nina Compton, a James Beard Award–winning chef and the force behind Compère Lapin in New Orleans, brings her own deeply personal interpretation of Caribbean cuisine. Raised in Saint Lucia, Compton is celebrated for blending island flavors with refined technique and narrative-driven cooking that reflects migration, memory, and identity.

Together, the two chefs represent a new generation of Afro-Caribbean culinary leaders reclaiming narrative power—elevating traditional dishes without stripping them of their cultural soul.

The evening will also feature music by DJ GQ, whose reggae and dancehall sets will provide a soundtrack rooted in Caribbean rhythm and diaspora culture, reinforcing the event’s immersive atmosphere.

At Las’ Lap Link Up, food becomes more than sustenance – it becomes storytelling. Guests will experience how Afro-Caribbean cuisine continues to shape global tastes while honoring the histories and communities that gave rise to it.

As Afro-Caribbean food continues its ascent from the margins to the mainstream, events like this signal not just a culinary trend, but a cultural reckoning – one where flavor, identity, and heritage take their rightful place at the center of the global table.