Wine in the Warehouse is one of St. Croix Foundation for Community Development’s most popular events. This year, it kicked off with award-winning Chef Digby Stridiron as guest chef. The Friday evening event boasted a huge crowd of guests at Bohlke Aviation that started at 6 p.m. and went past 9 p.m. It was a St. Croix jam with folks dressed up and dressed down enjoying wine, food, music and camaraderie.
Since its founding in 1990 following the devastation of Hurricane Hugo, the St. Croix Foundation has been a visionary of social change and holistic community development, according to its website.
For three decades, the foundation has been working with community partners to challenge the status quo and directing strategic investments toward its key priority areas, including community and economic development, education reform, public safety, and nonprofit development, the website continued.
In celebration of 34 years of leadership, service, and impact in the U.S. Virgin Islands, the St. Croix Foundation brought back a spectacular night of food, fun, and philanthropy with the return of Wine in the Warehouse and Digby Stridiron, celebrity guest chef.
Wine in the Warehouse is in its 17th year and is highlighting St. Croix’s vibrant culinary culture. It is a signature fundraising event for the foundation.
The 2024 theme, “Philanthropy Rooted in Place,” embodies the foundation’s deep commitment to empowering the community through collective action and investment, according to its press release.
St. Croix Foundation President Deanna James said, “As we celebrate our 34th year of service, the foundation is immensely grateful for the unwavering support we’ve received from our partners and donors over the past 20 years of the St. Croix Food & Wine Experience for this historically sold out event. Their commitment has allowed us to confront some of the most entrenched systematic challenges and create lasting change in the Virgin Islands. Wine in the Warehouse is not just about food and wine; it’s about mobilizing resources to further our mission of philanthropy and holistic community development. As we spearhead some of the most comprehensive initiatives in our history, including the revitalization of Sunday Market Square, our Kids Count Initiative, and our Nonprofit Consortium, this event enables St. Croix Foundation to raise the funds necessary to focus on the work ahead.”
This year’s celebrity chef, Stridiron, is a native of St. Croix who grew up around the “slow food” movement with fresh, locally harvested ingredients and proteins gathered from the sea just steps away. Stridiron blends West Indian culinary traditions influenced by the African diaspora with a deep focus on food equality. Although inspired by seasonal ingredients, Stridiron allows history and culture to guide him.
Stridiron will be home on St. Croix until Sunday.
“It feels amazing to be here – energizing – it’s a whole lot of feeling – words I can’t come up with at one time,” he said.
This is Stridiron’s first time cooking at Wine in the Warehouse, yet he’s done the St. Croix Food & Wine Experience several times, he said.
“To me, this is amazing. It’s a community. It’s energy. It’s cousins. It’s love. You know, you have the children here, from the school. They’re presenting their food with me [especially the oxtail dish]. You have the local vendors here. You have the community support of everybody. I mean, this is just what a community is about. It’s love. And to me, that’s what separates St. Croix from a lot of places in the world. It’s that – the sense of community we have here – you don’t find it like that.”
“So many hugs and faces. And so many people – that when you see them, you know you love them and you care for them. So, it’s not like another event where you say hi and hug. It’s like you say, ‘Hey cousin, I haven’t seen you in a while.’ To me, it’s not like doing an event. To me, this is coming home.”
St. Croix Foundation would like to extend its deepest appreciation to sponsor Bohlke International Aviation, CC1, Crucian Point, FirstBank, The Buccaneer Resort, Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, Bank of St. Croix, Marshall & Sterling, the V.I. Casino Control Commission, V.I. Lottery, and International Private Bank. St. Croix Foundation also invites additional corporate and individual citizens to become partners and sponsors.
For more information and how to become a sponsor, please contact 340-773-9898 or email lcox@stxfoundation.org.
