Chef and James Beard Award-winner Zachary Engel, co-owner and Executive Chef at Michelin-starred Galit in Chicago, Illinois shared his career story and industry insights with students from Albena Lake Hodge Comprehensive School and select culinary staff from local resorts and restaurants on Friday, May 24th at Breezes at Aurora Anguilla Resort & Golf Club. Chef Engel was in Anguilla to participate as a guest chef for the Third Annual Anguilla Culinary Experience festival (ACE) held May 23rd to 26th.
Moderated by ACE festival co-host Janine Edwards of Sunset Homes Anguilla and JanineConnects.com, the session offered students the chance to hear how Chef Engel got started in the business and his advice for students and rising chefs pursuing a career in hospitality or the culinary arts. During his talk, Chef Engel encouraged students to find a mentor who is willing to teach them and reinforced the importance of using locally sourced ingredients in a sustainable manner. He also explained how chefs can apply their creativity and known cooking techniques to turn unknown or leftover items into a menu-worthy dish. Following his talk, Chef Engel fielded questions from the audience.
“Mentorship and teaching are what I love most about being a chef. Illuminating a pathway for the next generation of hospitality professionals is so important. I saw many of the students who attended the lecture working at ACE events later in the week, and it made me feel so happy to connect with them again and hear how much they appreciated hearing my story,” said Chef Engel. “Even if I made a small impact on some of them, I feel like I accomplished a lot.”
Ms. Kendisha Hall-Prentice, Head of the Hospitality Department at the Albena Lake Hodge Comprehensive School, escorted the following Culinary Arts and Hospitality & Tourism Management students (alphabetical order): Aulea Connor, Lenori Greaves, Andia Fleming, Makayla Hughes, Christianne Jones, Geddaisha Joseph, Tarika Joseph, Shajera Lowe, Rashid Philips, Oldesha Polson, Fedelsha Thomas, Rajon Thompson, Salasia Richardson and Melvisha Zakers.
Anguilla’s only destination-wide food and wine festival, each year ACE brings together culinary talent and food-loving guests from Anguilla and around the world at the island’s luxury resorts, private villas and bespoke restaurants. During the four days of music-filled parties, collaborative dinners, beach barbeques, cooking competitions and tastings, talented local and international chefs, sommeliers and mixologists draw on their diverse influences and creativity and share kitchens and showcase Anguilla’s fresh seafood and native ingredients. Local culinary and hospitality students volunteer at ACE events and a portion of ACE sponsorships and other proceeds are donated to fund educational programming for the island’s next generation of culinary and hospitality professionals.
At this year’s ACE, Chef Engel partnered with Veya Restaurant Co-Owner and Chef Carrie Bogar to present a collaborative tasting menu at Veya for Restaurant Night on Thursday, May 23rd and again at Villa Alegria on Friday, May 24th. The multi-course menu featured wine pairings from Grands Vins de France selected by Jerry Bogar. Both nights showcased the chefs’ dedication to using locally sourced ingredients and merged Chef Engel’s Middle Eastern flavors with Chef Bogar’s ‘Cuisine of the Sun’.
Located in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, Chef Engel’s restaurant, Galit, was awarded a Michelin star in 2022 and is a space for community, where hospitality professionals, guests and suppliers come together and celebrate food and drink in a respectful, friendly and caring manner. The restaurant’s menu focuses on a seasonal and localized approach to dishes of the Middle East, alongside a unique and forward-thinking beverage program. Before moving to Chicago, Chef Zach was the Chef de Cuisine at Shaya Restaurant in New Orleans, where he led a talented team to take home the 2016 James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant, a culminating triumph at the end of a year of many “Best New” accolades. In 2017, he followed with the James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year Award. His career includes time spent in the kitchens of Zahav in Philadelphia, Catit in Tel Aviv and Michelin-starred Madrona Manor in Sonoma County.
“One of the goals of ACE is to reach out to the new participants in Anguilla’s hospitality industry. We are delighted that the students were able to witness Chef Zachary’s deep passion for the food and wine business firsthand, from procuring local ingredients to the joy of creating recipes to the satisfaction of watching people enjoy his food. The students can now apply these valuable insights to their own careers as their professional lives evolve,” said ACE Co-Chair Wendy Freeman.
This year’s ACE festival was made possible by the following lead sponsors and partners, Platinum Partner: Aurora Anguilla Resort & Golf Club. Gold Partner: Grands Vins de France Anguilla. Silver Partners (alphabetical order): Altamer Luxury Villas; Anguilla Great House & Beach Resort; Anguilla Tourist Board; Cap Juluca, a Belmond Hotel; JanineConnects.com; Malliouhana; NCBA; Savi Beach Club; Sunset Homes Anguilla; Tranquility Beach Anguilla Resort; TRUE Anguilla Magazine & TRUE Anguilla TV Show; Veya Restaurant Anguilla; and Villa Alegria Anguilla. Bronze Partners: Cabarita Agency, Cape Air, Four Seasons Resort & Residences Anguilla, Jacala, JetSetting Families, KidzKare, Quest Experiences, Richardson’s Car Rental Agency, Tasty’s, The Duckhorn Portfolio, Trophy Properties and Zemi Beach House – LXR Hotels & Resorts. Friends of ACE: Anguilla-Beaches.com; Best Buy Supermarket; Caribbean Microgreens; Confetti Dust; DJ Hammer; Ferryboat Inn; Heart & Soul Takeout, Catering & Confectionary; Global Purchasing, Honey Butter & Cream; Island Chill; Island Rum; Klass FM; KSharp Media; Lloyd’s Live; Merchants Market Group, Milestones Wedding & Event Planning; Ocean Echo; Paper’s BBQ; Pink Mako; Photos by Ty; Quality Farms; Rich Experiences; Roy’s Bayside Grill; R&R Tackling Enterprises Ltd.; Sandbar; Sharky’s; Tasty’s POV; The Juice Bar; Tropical Sunset; Vinty’s Veggies; and Zuri Wilkes Photography. Organizations ACE Supports: Anguilla Community College, Albena Lake Comprehensive School, Anguilla National Culinary Team, and Future Hospitality & Tourism Leaders of Anguilla.
Learn more about Chef Zachary Engel and Galit in Chicago, IL. Inquire about being an Anguilla Culinary Experience 2025 sponsor or guest chef.