José Andrés was holding court beneath a giant white tent on Grand Cayman while his team tended two enormous pans of paella nearby.
The Caribbean Sea stretched beyond the pavilion, famous chefs sat among the audience, and Andrés moved easily between personal stories, cooking insights, and good-natured jabs at his culinary friends.
Technically, I didn’t prepare a single grain of rice. I didn’t stand over a burner or leave with a neatly printed recipe to recreate at home.
But I did learn about the art of paella from one of the world’s best-known Spanish chefs, with my toes in the sand on Grand Cayman’s Seven Mile Beach. Frankly, I’ve had far less enjoyable educational mornings.
Andrés’ cooking demonstration is one of the signature experiences at Cayman Cookout, an annual culinary festival held at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman. Registration recently opened for the 2027 event, and his upcoming session, “Spain, His Way,” appears to nod to his new cookbook, Spain My Way: Eat, Drink, and Cook Like a Spaniard.
Just don’t arrive expecting a traditional hands-on class. It’s part cooking demonstration, part storytelling session, and part comedy show, with a hearty serving of paella as the very welcome finale.
José Andrés seasons one of the enormous paella pans as his culinary team prepares lunch for the crowd.
(Adrienne Barile)This wasn’t a typical cooking class
At a traditional cooking class, everyone gets an apron, a workstation, and at least one moment of panic involving a knife.
This event worked differently.
Guests gathered beneath the Bon Vivant Beach Pavilion on Seven Mile Beach while Andrés’ culinary team handled most of the cooking. As the two massive pans simmered, Andrés told stories, moved through the pavilion, teased the other chefs in attendance, and let his energy drive the demonstration.
It felt almost like a stand-up routine led by someone who knows an extraordinary amount about Spanish cuisine and can keep an entire audience hanging on every word.
I didn’t leave prepared to make paella for 100 people, which may be best for everyone in my neighborhood. But I came away understanding that paella isn’t simply rice with an impressive list of toppings. It’s built around timing, patience, attention, and feeding people together.
For Andrés, food doesn’t seem separate from culture, community, or the people gathered around it. That idea might have sounded overly serious in a formal lecture. On a Caribbean beach, surrounded by jokes, fellow food lovers, and the smell of paella, it made perfect sense.
The other chefs became part of the show
Cayman Cookout brings together acclaimed chefs, bartenders, sommeliers, and other culinary talent, but the people leading events don’t disappear backstage when their allotted hour ends.
During Andrés’ demonstration, several fellow chefs sat in the audience, including Ming Tsai, Andrew Zimmern, and Cayman Cookout founder Eric Ripert. That gave Andrés a ready supply of material.
He traded good-natured barbs with them and brought them into his stories. Even when his team was doing the technical work, there was always something happening in front of the crowd.
Andrés is a natural performer, but the humor never overshadowed the cooking. His team kept the pans moving toward completion while he gave the audience a sense of the tradition and generosity behind the meal.
José Andrés and Cayman Cookout founder Eric Ripert pose with cigars after the Paella Showcase.
(Adrienne Barile)Yes, we got to eat the paella
Eventually, it was time to sample the paella. As his team served portions, Andrés and Ripert lit cigars and posed for photos with guests.
Eating the finished dish on the beach completed the experience. A video can show the technique, but it can’t capture the aromas, the chefs’ banter, or the satisfaction of finally tasting what everyone had watched come together.
The chefs, bartenders, and culinary talent featured at the 2026 Cayman Cookout gather for a group photo.
(The Ritz-Carlton, Cayman Cookout)How to attend José Andrés’ event in 2027
The 2027 Cayman Cookout runs January 14 through 17 at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman. Andrés’ “Spain, His Way” demonstration is scheduled for 10 to 11 a.m. on Friday, January 15, with tickets priced at $250.
The title appears to reference Andrés’ new cookbook, Spain My Way: Eat, Drink, and Cook Like a Spaniard, which blends Spanish recipes with stories about the people, places, and culture behind them. The event listing similarly promises Spanish flavors, storytelling, and “every grain of rice.”
It isn’t specifically billed as another Paella Showcase, so travelers shouldn’t expect an exact repeat of the event I attended. Most events are individually ticketed, and staying at the resort isn’t required.
Is a $250 cooking demonstration worth it?
There’s no getting around it: $250 is expensive for a one-hour event. Travelers looking only for lunch can eat very well elsewhere on Grand Cayman for less, and this isn’t a hands-on workshop that sends guests home with new kitchen skills.
The ticket buys access to José Andrés in a relatively intimate setting, the chance to watch his team work at an unusual scale, and one of Cayman Cookout’s signature experiences. For travelers who follow chefs the way others follow musicians and celebrities, it may be worth the splurge.
To stay in the middle of the festivities, travelers can also book a Cayman Cookout package with a minimum three-night stay through The Ritz-Carlton’s official Marriott page. Note, though, that José Andrés’ “Spain, His Way” demonstration isn’t included in the resort packages and must be purchased separately.
While I’m not ready to recreate a beachside paella for a crowd, I left understanding that the dish is about more than rice, seafood, and heat. It’s about gathering people around one pan and giving them a reason to linger. Learning that from José Andrés on a Caribbean beach didn’t hurt, either.
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Dining and Cooking