Chef Kerry Richardson helms the kitchen at beachfront Sandbar overlooking Sandy Ground in Anguilla. There he and his team delight visitors and locals with tantalizing small plates, hand-crafted cocktails and good vibes.

Richardson began his culinary career as a dishwasher at Sandbar’s fine-dining sister restaurant, Veya. Veya’s Chef Proprietor Carrie Bogar noticed right away that he was always watching her cook, and one day asked him to help prep a few things to see how he managed. Richardson passed the covert test with flying colors and never again worked as a dishwasher.

Richardson quickly worked his way up in Veya’s kitchen, first serving on the cold app station, then breads and pastry and then hot apps. After a few years on the line, it was Bogar and Richardson working side-by-side. Richardson would sauté and roast, while Bogar expedited and managed the grill. Richardson eventually took on more and more responsibility as Veya’s chef. When the opportunity for Richardson to lead his own kitchen and staff at Sandbar arose in 2021 (Sandbar is also owned by Bogar and her husband Jerry), he excitedly accepted.

When Richardson is not at Sandbar, you can find him sharing his talents as Breakfast Chef at Straw Hat on Meads Bay. His specialty is Lobster Eggs Benedict with Jerk Hollandaise.

In 2020, Richardson was selected to attend a rigorous culinary boot camp at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America where he learned new techniques and honed his skills. In addition to his focus on creating delicious food, he takes great pride in the organization that being a chef requires and finds the business side of running of restaurants rewarding – whether it’s leading his staff, managing inventory and food cost, placing orders, prepping ingredients or finding new ways to minimize waste. Richardson’s loves to prepare Asian-influenced dishes, and also enjoys creating specials and working with groups to develop menus for special celebrations, wine tasting dinners and corporate events.

For Richardson consistency is critical, “I want consistency in my dishes and that is always my goal. I accomplish this by training, developing recipes and using my skills. If a guest enjoys a dish and comes back to us for that dish, it must taste the same every time.”