Chef Proprietor Carrie Bogar studied at the very exclusive Culinary Institute of America in New York. She and her husband Jerry, successfully launched and ran three restaurants in Pennsylvania over the course of nearly 20 years.

They wanted a change of scenery, and after visiting a few different islands, decided Anguilla was the one. They went home, sold everything and moved here with their young kids to open fine dining restaurant, Veya. In 2022 the Bogars also took over Sandbar on Sandy Ground where they offer small plates, craft cocktails and good vibes.

At treehouse-like Veya, Chef Carrie creates “cuisine of the sun,” a fusion of exotic flavors from hot spots around the globe including Colombo spiced duck breast and Moroccan shrimp cigars. Veya has earned rave reviews from The New York Times, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine and The London Times. Frommer’s calls it, “one of the best.”

Veya runs a small hydroponic farm to supply some of their fresh herbs and vegetables, but mainly sources from local farms. Chef Carrie also has relationships with a number of local fishermen to get her supply of fresh mahi-mahi, wahoo, tuna. lobster and Anguilla’s signature crayfish. For her, having a restaurant in Anguilla brings her much closer to her suppliers. Before, all the interactions were with large companies. Today, Chef Carrie is able to deal directly with farmers and fishermen to get the freshest ingredients.

The Bogars are founding members of the Anguilla Culinary Experience. Carrie will return as a lead judge for the Basket Battle mystery basket competition.