From some of the Virgin Islands favorite restaurants, seven leading chefs will compete for the 2009 title of Virgin Islands Ultimate Chef. Each of our guest chefs represent the best of resort dining, gourmet catering, local island cuisine and casual dining — all forces in our extraordinary culinary melting pot.
Click to see Chef Bio's
David Benjamin - St. Thomas
Sous Chef
The Ritz-Carlton, Bleuwater Seafood Restaurant
Chef David Benjamin, well known as Benji, began his cooking career in 1998 while he was still in high school at Charlotte Amalie High School in St. Thomas. He followed his dream of becoming a highly-skilled chef with a diverse background in many culinary techniques and styles, ranging from Pâtissier to Tournant.
Under the guidance and leadership of Executive Chef Vincent Russo, Benji has become the Restaurant Chef for Bleuwater, the fine dining restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas. At this venue he has already created new innovative dishes that incorporate many Caribbean flavors with seafood from all over the world.
His future goal is to successfully lead his restaurant to Five Diamond status and insure that all guests experience a comfortable, refined ambience while enjoying unforgettable local flavors.
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Heidi Erwig — Water Island
Chef/Owner
Heidi’s Honeymoon Grill
Heidi brought a new and welcome level of dining to Water Island with her Gourmet Dinners under the Stars on Honeymoon Beach. Every Saturday night since 1998 Heidi has delighted loyal Water Island residents and guests from St. Thomas via the inter-island ferry with full course dinners at the water’s edge. Heidi, a resident of Water Island for 24 years, also serves hearty grilled lunches seven days a week. The Honeymoon Grill was awarded Best Burger in the Caribbean by All at Sea magazine. She honed her culinary skills while working as a chef on several yachts throughout the Caribbean. Heidi also caters for events on Water Island and is an award-winning Chili Cook-off Chef.
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Jennifer Litwin - St. Thomas
Chef de Cuisine
Oceana Restaurant and Wine bar
Jennifer is a culinary graduate of Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. After graduation, she cooked in Arizona at the Scottsdale Princess, the Marriott in Vale, Colorado and worked at Glacier National Park for 2 summers. She has been written up in Condé Nast Travel, Passport and recently was featured in Gourmet Girl magazine. She's been cooking in the Caribbean for six years to rave reviews.
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Davide Pugliese - Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Owner and Executive Chef
Brandywine Bay Restaurant and Capriccio Di Mare
Owner and Executive Chef of Brandywine Bay Restaurant and Capriccio Di Mare in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, Davide Pugliese is an Italian raised in Firenze, who learned the secret to fragrant and flavoursome dishes from his mother’s kitchen. He brags that it was the best culinary school in the world.
Davide studied art and photography in Firenze and settled in New York City as a fashion photographer. It was there that he realized his true vocation and launched his epicurean career, learning the trade from the City’s finest chefs. Davide returned to the BVI in 1986 after an earlier vacation in the islands when he met his future wife-to-be, Cele.
In 1988, Davide and Cele bought Brandywine Bay Restaurant in Tortola, British Virgin Islands. The restaurant’s reputation now is legendary for its tantalizing and varying selection from homemade mozzarella, to Livorno-style stuffed rabbit, to calf’s liver in crème de cassis. Everything is fresh and cooked to order and Davide never stops experimenting. An enthusiastic journeyman, he returns to his kitchen inspired by intriguing ingredients sampled during his travels in the Caribbean and beyond; he will add a dash of this, a pinch of that and a big splash of Italian flair to create something sensational.
Capriccio di Mare is a popular terrace cafe Italiano serving freshly made pasta, pizza, and foccacia sandwiches. Davide participated in the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival 2009 and recently returned from showcasing at the charitable Celebrity Chef’s Brunch in Wilmington, DE.
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WINNER
Mathayom (Mat) Vacharat - St. John
St. John Catering
Chef Mathayom (Mat) Vacharat has been professionally working with food since 1993. He has been Executive Chef at several of St. John’s premier restaurants, including Asolare on Caneel Hill, Paradiso at Mongoose Junction, Chateau Bordeaux, and Chloe and Bernard’s at the Westin. He has been a personal chef for 7 years, now working with St. John Catering. Although his culinary forte is Asian Fusion, he is also experienced in Caribbean Flair, Progressive American, and Italian Comfort cuisines. Chef Mat uses only the freshest available products and tends to create custom menu items based on seasonal accessibility, be it seafood, local fruit and produce, or organic greens.
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Dennis Vanterpool - St. Thomas
Assistant Specialty Chef, Assistant Sous Chef
Windows on the Harbor
A lifelong resident of St. Thomas, Dennis’s interest in cooking began at the age of 12. After graduating from Charlotte Amalie High School, he decided to take cooking seriously and enrolled at Johnson & Wales University where he earned an Associate degree in Applied Science/Culinary Arts. Although a young chef, he has been with Marriott Frenchman's Reef for five years steadily moving up the ranks to his current position as Assistant Sous Chef. Chef Vanterpool attributes his success to hard work, determination and a love of cooking.
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Brian Wisbauer - St. Croix
Executive Chef
Zebo's Wine Bar & Restaurant
Brian Wisbauer was born in Northern New Jersey, working in Mom & Pop Italian restaurants in the early 90's. After finding work in 2 of New Jersey's Top 5 Restaurants (NJ Monthly), he hit the big city of New York, where he linked up with world renowned Chef/Restaurateur David Burke at Park Avenue Cafe & One CPS. After several good years in the City, he migrated down to St. Croix, attracted to new culture, cuisine & ingredients. Chef Wisbauer has won or placed 5 different awards at the exclusive Taste of St. Croix in the last 3 years, & won the Best of the Best cook-off, gaining him a spot on the Virgin Islands Culinary Olympic Team. The team accomplished a Silver Medal at the 2007 Taste of the Caribbean, the International inter-island cook-off. "Respect to food, ingredients, history, staff and of course, the customer is everything," he states. "I cook with a big heart. I try to be very conscious that a once-living creature lies before me. I gotta make it beautiful, just for that reason alone."
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