Afro-Caribbean delicacies will likely be entrance and heart at this yr’s South Seashore Wine & Meals Competition® with the debut of Las’ Lap Hyperlink Up: A Celebration of Afro-Caribbean Delicacies, a late-night occasion hosted by acclaimed cooks Kwame Onwuachi and Nina Compton.
The occasion takes place Friday, February 20, 2026, from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. on the Kimpton Surfcomber Lodge in Miami Seashore as a part of the Meals Community’s twenty fifth Annual SOBEWFF®, introduced by Capital One.
As soon as handled as area of interest or “ethnic,” Afro-Caribbean delicacies is now shaping international meals tradition—showing on high-profile menus, fueling pop-ups and festivals, and driving community-based financial progress. Las’ Lap Hyperlink Up faucets into that momentum, spotlighting the flavors, historical past, and cultural affect behind Caribbean meals traditions which have lengthy thrived in Black communities.
“That is about recognizing Caribbean meals not as a development, however as foundational,” SOBEWFF® founder and director Lee Schrager mentioned in an announcement. “Afro-Caribbean delicacies is daring, joyful, and deeply rooted in historical past — and this occasion captures that vitality in a manner solely Miami can.”
The evening is anchored by Kwame Onwuachi, one of the influential cooks of his era and the drive behind Miami Seashore’s newly opened Las’ Lap. Recognized for mixing Afro-Caribbean flavors with fine-dining approach, Onwuachi has earned widespread popularity of his New York Metropolis restaurant Tatiana, together with being named Finest New Restaurant in North America by The World’s 50 Finest Eating places in 2023.
Co-hosting alongside him is Nina Compton, the James Beard Award–successful chef and proprietor of Compère Lapin in New Orleans. Born and raised in Saint Lucia, Compton is widely known for weaving Caribbean flavors with private storytelling and refined approach, making her a number one voice in up to date Caribbean eating.
Las’ Lap Hyperlink Up brings collectively cooks from throughout the Caribbean and the diaspora, together with Osei “Choosy” Blackett, Finder Charles, Anson Chin, Tristan Epps-Lengthy, Andre Fowles, Kriss Kofi, Alain Lemaire, Wayne Sharpe, Hugh Sinclair, and Cleveland Smith, amongst others. Collectively, they signify a brand new era reclaiming narrative energy—elevating conventional dishes with out stripping them of their cultural soul.
The occasion can even characteristic units by DJ GQ, whose mixture of dancehall and reggae has made him a fixture on Y100 Miami and Bob Marley’s Tuff Gong Radio on SiriusXM.
Festivalgoers can anticipate a sensory-heavy expertise mixing meals, music, and storytelling, with dishes that mirror each custom and innovation—from jerk and curry to spice-forward sweets and cocktails.
Tickets and extra occasion info can be found via the South Seashore Wine & Meals Competition® web site.
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