After 5 years bringing fresh, simple, pure to the Cayman Islands, a curtain call for Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink’s Grand Cayman outpost

GRAND CAYMAN — June 23, 2015 — A week after Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink marked its fifth year on island on June 15, The Genuine Hospitality Group and Dart Realty announce Michael Schwartz’s restaurant will be closing later this summer. The James Beard Award-winning chef says his namesake island outpost will serve its final meal in the Cayman Islands on Sunday, August 30.

“It’s never easy to close the book on a project you feel genuinely proud of, but it’s time to move on,” says Schwartz. “I’m honored by the support we have received over the years in Cayman and from our partners at Camana Bay. It feels good knowing that the legacy of slow food will continue long past the departure of Michael’s Genuine. As for The Genuine Hospitality Group, we will focus our attention on growing the core business from Miami.”

Not soon after opening the restaurant in June of 2010, Schwartz received recognition in the New York Times as one of four world-renowned chefs bringing their outposts to the Caribbean, casting the Cayman Islands into the spotlight as a growing culinary destination in its own right. Through the restaurant’s renewed commitment to sourcing from local farmers, serving seasonal ingredients, and putting the invasive lionfish on the menu, locals were drawn into the town center of Camana Bay for a new, genuine taste of the island. The neighborhood bistro became a favorite in the community, winning the Cayman Islands Tourism Association’s Cayman’s Favourite Restaurant award 4 out of 5 years, most recently this February. Its Happy Hour exposed Grand Cayman to new craft spirits and cocktails, beer, and wine and celebrated its own distillery and brewery. Michael’s Genuine co-founded Slow Food Day with Slow Food South Sound, an annual event in its fourth year forging relationships with farmers and chefs across the island that catalyzed the addition of a weekly Farmer’s Market to Camana Bay providing further stimulus to the island’s agricultural economy.

“Michael’s Genuine has been an important part of establishing Camana Bay as the place to be for food enthusiasts in the Cayman Islands, and we appreciate all that Michael and the team have done to strengthen Grand Cayman’s culinary community,” said Jackie Doak, Chief Operating Officer of Dart Realty, the developer of Camana Bay. “This fall we look forward to introducing a new family-friendly pizza and pasta restaurant which will be operated by a group of local restaurateurs, bringing a new experience to Camana Bay’s already diverse offerings from a dozen restaurants, cafés and eateries.”

The restaurant will remain active in its last summer and offers fans myriad opportunities to savor a last taste – or several! On July 4 at 7:00 p.m., the Rum & Q brings rum tasting stations, rum cocktails, desserts, BBQ and more to the Crescent Lawn at Camana Bay for $68 CI all-inclusive. The restaurant’s annual Genuine Summer promotion will run the length of August offering three-course prix fixe menus with choices for lunch and dinner at CI$23 and CI$39, respectively. Through August 30, Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink Grand Cayman will operate regular business hours, open Monday to Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Friday to Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., and Sunday 11:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m., serving its All-Day and Dessert menus, as well as its celebrated brunch on Sundays from 11:00am to 3:00 p.m. Happy Hour features drink specials

Monday to Saturday, 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. For reservations please call 345.640.6433. Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink is located at Suite 4103, 47 Forum Lane Canella Court, Camana Bay, Grand Cayman, and Cayman Islands.

ABOUT MICHAEL SCHWARTZ AND THE GENUINE HOSPITALITY GROUP:
James Beard Award-winning chef/restaurateur Michael Schwartz, founder of The Genuine Hospitality Group (TGHG,) has a passion for fresh, simple, pure food and drink. His menus change daily because they start with what’s in season from local farmers, fishermen, ranchers, and artisans. TGHG operates restaurants including Michael’s Genuine® Food & Drink Miami (Est. 2006), Michael’s Genuine® Food & Drink Grand Cayman (Est. 2010), Harry’s Pizzeria® (Design District Est. 2011 and Coconut Grove Est. 2015), 150 Central Park by Chef Michael Schwartz aboard Royal Caribbean’s Oasis Class ships (Oasis Est. 2011 & Allure Est. 2013,) The Cypress Room (Est. 2013), and Michael’s Genuine® Pub on Royal Caribbean’s Quantum Class ships (Quantum Est. 2014, Anthem Est. 2015, Ovation Est. 2016) as well as food and beverage at South Beach’s iconic Raleigh Hotel including Restaurant Michael Schwartz (Est. 2013.) ella is a new café popping up in Miami’s Design District through the fall serving breakfast, lunch and late afternoon food and drink. For more information, please visit michaelsgenuine.com/TGHG.

ABOUT CAMANA BAY:
Camana Bay is a vibrant town located in the heart of Grand Cayman. Stretching 600 acres from world-famous Seven Mile Beach to the North Sound, this mixed-use master-planned community opened in December 2007 and is one of the first examples of New Urbanism in the Caribbean. Camana Bay offers a unique mix of thoughtfully designed residential, commercial and public spaces, world-class shopping, education and sports facilities as well as family-friendly entertainment, events and attractions. With more than a dozen restaurants, cafes and gourmet markets, a weekly Farmers & Artisans Market and The Flavour Tour, a progressive tasting experience celebrating local ingredients, Camana Bay is a leading culinary destination in Grand Cayman for both residents and visitors. For more information, please visit camanabay.com/dine.

Related story:

Michael Schwartz to close Cayman Islands outpost of Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink

By Evan S. Benn From Miami.Com

The restaurant, which opened in 2010 in Grand Cayman’s Camana Bay development, will close Aug. 30.

Michael Schwartz’s The Genuine Hospitality Group today announced the Aug. 30 closure of its Cayman Islands’ outpost of Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink.

The restaurant, which opened in Grand Cayman’s Camana Bay development five years ago, will make way for a pizza-and-pasta spot operated by Cayman restaurateurs.

“Michael’s Genuine has been an important part of establishing Camana Bay as the place to be for food enthusiasts in the Cayman Islands, and we appreciate all that Michael and the team have done to strengthen Grand Cayman’s culinary community,” Jackie Doak, chief operating officer of Dart Realty, the developer of Camana Bay, says in a statement.

The announcement comes on the heels of a string of restaurant closures in Miami-Dade in recent weeks.

Schwartz says closing the restaurant was a difficult decision, but one that allows him to focus more on his Miami restaurants and upcoming projects, including a Harry’s Pizzeria in Coconut Grove and a signature restaurant at Edgewater’s Paraiso Bay development.

“It’s never easy to close the book on a project you feel genuinely proud of, but it’s time to move on,” Schwartz says. “I’m honored by the support we have received over the years in Cayman and from our partners at Camana Bay.”

Camana Bay also is home to a second location of Coral Gables-based Ortanique, the upscale Caribbean restaurant from chef-owner Cindy Hutson and partner Delius Shirley.

Michael’s Genuine at Grand Cayman will remain active in its last few weeks, including a July 4 rum tasting and barbecue. For more information, call the restaurant at 345-640-6433 or go to www.michaelsgenuine.com/TGHG. To view a photo set of the restaurant over the years, click here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/52407248@N04/sets/72157654942303071

IMAGE: Michael Schwartz photo courtesy of The Genuine Hospitality Group.
| [email protected] | @EvanBenn6/23/2015

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