Atlantis Paradise Island Will Host Its Inaugural Wine & Food Festival This March

The moment you touch ground in Nassau, you’re bound to see Atlantis Paradise Island in the distance with its distinct pink towers. One of the Caribbean’s most iconic destinations, this resort in the Bahamas has announced it will be hosting the inaugural Nassau Paradise Island Wine & Food Festival (NPIWFF). This brand new food and wine-filled festival will take place over five days from Wednesday, March 15 to Sunday, March 19, 2023.

Showcasing world-renowned top chefs, master sommeliers, mixologists, and notable TV personalities, the line up will include Tony Abou-Ganim, Alex Guarnaschelli, JJ Johnson, Duff Goldman, Aarón Sánchez, Alon Shaya, Michael White, and Andrew Zimmern, plus a performance by Grammy® Award-winning and Golden Globe-nominated rapper Wyclef Jean at the festival’s Jerk Jam event taking place on March 18.

The festival’s aim is to highlight the Bahamas as a growing culinary and entertainment hub. Previously, Atlantis successfully hosted the Taste of Paradise Food & Wine Festival, but opted to expand by including local and regional chefs and restaurants, music performances, exclusive dinners, beachside parties, culinary demos, and family-friendly activities hosted throughout the resort, which lead to the creation of this year’s first-ever Nassau Paradise Island Wine & Food Festival.

The festival’s programming will allow ticket holders to dine like locals while enjoying the island’s long-standing dining favorites, including Sip Sip, McKenzie’s Conch Shack, Bimini Road, Sun & Ice gelato and ice cream by Bahamian chef Wayne Moncur, locally produced beers, and Paradise Rum, Atlantis’ signature rum produced by John Watling’s Nassau distillery. They will also have the chance to check out a few of the resort’s highly anticipated new restaurants and bars, including Paranza from well-known chef Michael White, Café Martinique helmed by globally acclaimed chef Adrian Delcourt and The Dilly Club, the new offshoot of locally loved Bon Vivants Bar & Café.

With plenty of great food, wine, and entertainment, NPIWFF has committed to generating awareness for Atlantis Blue Project Foundation, a nonprofit, 501(c)(3), founded in 2005 with the mission to protect and preserve marine wildlife and its endangered habitats throughout the Bahamas and Caribbean seas.

The festival’s programming includes an array of events for those who love the flavors of the Caribbean. Some events in the line up are:

• Taste of Paradise – The festival’s key tasting event with JJ Johnson, Alon Shaya, Andrew Zimmern and other celebrity chefs.
• Celebrity Chef Wine Lunches and Dinners – Alex Guarnaschelli, Aarón Sánchez, Michael White and Andrew Zimmern will each host a memorable in-restaurant dining experience featuring their recipes paired with signature wines.
• Ice Cream Social – A family-friendly, sweets-filled afternoon with Duff Goldman and the resort’s resident pastry and dessert chefs.
• Jerk Jam – A signature event celebrating Jerk, the iconic Caribbean flavor, hosted by Alex Guarnaschelli and JJ Johnson with a special performance by Grammy® Award-winning and Golden Globe-nominated rapper Wyclef Jean.
• Sparkles At Sunset – An elegant Champagne tasting in the famous Bridge Suite of The Royal Tower.
• Sugar & Spice – A late-night event at The Cove Pool hosted by pastry chef Duff Goldman with over-the-top desserts and music from DJ Kim Lee (from Netflix’s Bling Empire).
• Tacos and Cocktails – A taco and tequila fiesta with Aarón Sánchez and festival mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim.

I got the chance to chat with Audrey Oswell, President and Managing Director of Atlantis Paradise Island about the festival and here’s what she had to say.

Amber Love Bond: What inspired the change from Taste of Paradise Food & Wine Festival to Nassau Paradise Island Wine & Food Festival and how will they differ?

Audrey Oswell: Atlantis has a long history in producing food and wine festivals. In the past, the festival was called Taste of Paradise and held in the fall. It was always a highly anticipated and well attended event, with both our guests and members of the local community participating in a wide range of dining activities.

Over the past few years, Taste of Paradise has grown and we have seen demand from the consumer and business sides of the event. As it has evolved into a much larger event with broader representation from the Bahamas and the U.S., we thought it appropriate to have a name that better represents the event. The Nassau Paradise Island Wine & Food Festival or NPIWFF, is modeled after popular events in the U.S. such as the South Beach and New York Wine & Food Festivals. In fact, Lee Schrager, the founder of these events, is directly involved in the planning of NPIWFF. The expanded festival includes a variety of family friendly programming, live performances, sunset, and after-hours parties, and more.

The festival is inclusive of both local acclaimed Bahamian chefs and restaurateurs, as well as celebrity chefs from throughout the world, plus Atlantis’ chefs José Andrés and Michael White.

One thing that won’t differ is Atlantis’ commitment to giving back. A portion of the festival proceeds will support Atlantis Blue Project Foundation, dedicated to saving marine life and its habitats throughout the Bahamas and Caribbean seas.

ALB: What do you think people will be most excited to attend or experience at this festival?

AO: We have an incredibly talented team at Atlantis, and they’re planning an array of new experiences for our community and guests to experience. Wyclef Jean will perform at Jerk Jam, where chefs JJ Johnson and Alex Guarnschelli are celebrating the iconic, regional “Jerk” flavor. Bling Empire’s Kim Lee will DJ a special set at The Cove pool, where guests can experience a fantasy of over-the-top desserts by Duff Goldman.

Families can learn how to make gourmet pizzas with chef Michael White, who will open Paranza this spring at The Cove, or parents can experience a special date night at the late-night Tacos & Tequila event with Aarón Sánchez, and festival mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim.

For the curious gourmets and the superfans, there will be several limited capacity celebrity chef wine lunches and dinners helmed by chefs Alex Guarnaschelli, Aarón Sánchez, Michael White, Andrew Zimmern, and Alon Shaya respectively. For the early risers, chefs José Andrés and Andrew Zimmern will offer a complimentary morning coffee talk in our theater to share what they love about the Bahamas (besides the food!).

There will be many of the Bahamas’ best in class chefs and restaurateurs at our ‘Taste of Paradise’ tasting village on our Royal Deck, including Shake Shack. The first Shake Shack in the Bahamas is set to open at Atlantis this summer.

ALB: What are you hoping attendees will take away from experiencing Nassau Paradise Island Wine & Food Festival?

AO: The Bahamas is a global hub for culinary innovation and a center for leading entertainment.

We want everyone to have a great time, learn about and enjoy world class wine, food and entertainment, and to know that their participation gives back to our shared environment through our Atlantis Blue Project Foundation.

We want our chefs and team members to feel a sense of accomplishment, pride, and to have fun collaborating with their colleagues from throughout the world. Atlantis is especially proud to serve as host to the festival and offer an international focus toward Bahamian chefs and dining establishments in our community.

ALB: How many people do you expect to attend this year?

AO: In 2022, more than 2,000 guests took part in the festival. This year, we expect an even higher turnout. A few events are sold out and close to being sold out, and we are still over a month away. With a lot of unique culinary experiences spread out over five days, there will be something for everyone to take part in, whether traveling solo, with young kids or a group of friends.

ALB: The festival will no doubt be a success, so how do you see it growing in future years?

AO: People who visit the Bahamas and Atlantis once, tend to return over and over again, and we welcome everyone with open arms. It’s a special place. Our team goes above and beyond to make sure every experience is memorable and exceeds expectations.

Tickets for the Nassau Paradise Island Wine & Food Festival are on sale now at npiwff.org and you can find the complete line-up of festival events, live entertainment and appearances here.