During the sixth Festival de la Gastronomie, ABC Mundial spoke with Valérie Damaseau, President of the Saint-Martin Tourist Office, about the island’s culinary diversity and the role of gastronomy in promoting the destination to international visitors.

For Damaseau, the festival is an opportunity to showcase a defining feature of Saint-Martin. “This is a chance for us to promote the culinary diversity that we have in Saint-Martin and to showcase why we are the culinary capital of the Caribbean,” she said.

When asked about the island’s most representative dishes, she mentioned conch, fish, rice and peas, and plantain. However, she emphasized that the local food scene cannot be reduced to a single specialty. “There is food for everyone,” she explained, pointing to the presence of French, Italian and many other culinary traditions.

The Village de la Gastronomie reflects that variety. According to Damaseau, more than 30 restaurants are taking part in this year’s event, alongside more than 15 chefs, including invited professionals from Canada, Italy and the United States.

The participation of international chefs is also part of the effort to connect with key visitor markets. Damaseau acknowledged the importance of North America as the island’s primary tourism market, while highlighting the value of welcoming culinary talent from different countries.

“Saint-Martin, of course, everywhere in the Caribbean, we talk about sea, sun and sand. But the warmness of our people, the hospitality that we provide and the food” are also essential parts of the visitor experience, she said.

Her message was clear: gastronomy is not an accessory to the destination, but one of its central attractions. “You can't say you came to Saint-Martin and you never ate good food. Because we have great food here in Saint-Martin,” she added.

Through the festival, the island is presenting its restaurants, chefs and culinary traditions to visitors while strengthening its profile as one of the Caribbean’s leading food destinations.