On Saturday, October 17, the ballroom at The Westin Beach Resort & Spa at Frenchman’s Reef filled up fast — chefs, restaurant owners, hotel teams, bar managers, and grocers from across the islands, all there for one reason: A Taste of Paradise 2026, our biggest food show yet.
The Day in Numbers
- 47 vendors from across the food industry
- 696 products in this year’s show book
- 5 hours of tasting, demos, and deal-making
- 4 locations strong — St. Thomas, St. Croix, Anguilla, and Florida
Thank You to Our Sponsors
A show like this doesn’t happen without serious backing. Our thanks to Sorrento Lactalis (Diamond Sponsor) and to Branding Iron and Smithfield (Gold Sponsors) for helping us bring A Taste of Paradise 2026 to life.
Highlights From the Floor
The produce display. Our Merchants produce table was the photo of the day — dragon fruit, papaya, pineapples, asparagus, mushrooms, and more, stacked high under the Merchants banner. If you stopped for a picture, you weren’t the only one.
A live beehive. Queen of America Honey brought the real thing — a working beehive behind glass, plus their honey (including the hot honey everyone was talking about) flowing at the booth all day.
Steel band in the ballroom. Because it’s not a Caribbean food show without one. The band kept the floor moving from doors-open to close.
Wall-to-wall tasting. From Ken’s dressings and Sweet Baby Ray’s to Mission, Badia, Paris Gourmet, Hormel, and dozens more — every aisle had something on a sample tray and someone ready to talk menu ideas.
The Show Book Is Still Working for You
Couldn’t make it, or want a second look at the specials? The Food Show Book 2026 is live on our Food Show page — every vendor, every product, and the show allowances, which stay valid through February 2027. Browse it here: merchantsmarket.com/food-show-2026/
Thank You
To every vendor who set up a booth, every customer who walked the floor, the team at the Westin Frenchman’s Reef, and our own Merchants Market crew across St. Thomas, St. Croix, Anguilla, and Florida — thank you for making October 17 a day we’re still talking about.
Planning for the next A Taste of Paradise is already underway. Watch this space — and if your rep hasn’t heard from you since the show, now’s a good time: those show allowances won’t last forever.