You could say Chef Digby Stridiron was born into food. A native of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Chef Digby grew up around what many today call the “slow food” movement—fresh, locally harvested ingredients and proteins gathered from the sea just steps away. Add to that a West Indian culinary tradition influenced by the African diaspora. With a deep focus on food equality, Digby is ultimately inspired by seasonal ingredient, regional recipes but allowing history to guide him.

The St. Croix native was the chef/ co-owner of the award winning restaurant “balter” in St. Croix, a recipient of high marks from the New York Times, Food & Wine, The Wall St. Journal, Bon Appetit, Plate, Travel & Leisure and Coastal Living. His cuisine earned balter a USA Today’s 10 Best restaurants in the Caribbean as well as a top spot and honorable mention in Carib Journal’s Top 50 Best restaurant in the Caribbean in 2016-2019.

A community leader, Stridiron served as a culinary ambassador for the U.S. Virgin Islands, and received the 2014 Chef of the Year award from the Caribbean Tourism Association. In conjunction with the James Beard Foundation, he attended one of the organizations’ boot camps and hosted the first James Beard chef dinner ever held in the U.S. Virgin Islands. In 2014, he also founded WICA (West Indian Chefs Alliance).

Braata opened in Nov 2018 and has been named as one of the 50 best restaurants by Carib Journal as well as named “the heart of Caribbean food” by Food and Wine magazine. Carib Journal has also named Chef Digby as their “2018 Chef of the Year” at the World Travel Awards. In 2019, Digby opened Ama at Cane Bay, a sustainable seafood restaurant on the North Shore of St. Croix as well as Breakers Roar in downtown Christiansted.