Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival: Common, OneRepublic & Star Chefs Heat Up 5th Annual

Rapper Common, pop-rock band OneRepublic and numerous celebrity chefs headed to the Caribbean for the fifth annual Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival at Baha Mar to sample the cuisine and join the celebrations.

Culinary stars such as Marcus Samuelsson, Buddy Valastro, Maneet Chauhan and Tristen Epps — among others — stepped away from conducting master classes and serving exclusive dinners to cut loose at A Taste of Baha Mar. The VIP event showcased small plates from the resort’s many dining outlets and featured a special live set by OneRepublic on Friday.

“When I die, I want to come back as Lenny Kravitz,” quipped OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder to the energized crowd, referencing last year’s headliner, before sharing his affection for the Caribbean.

The band — joining past headliners like Sting and Rod Stewart — delivered an outdoor, hour-long performance of their biggest songs, including “Stop and Stare,” “Counting Stars,” “Apologize,” “Good Life” and others.

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<p“Tedder even altered the lyrics of ‘Good Life’ to greet local fans, singing, ‘To my friends in Nassau, I say hello,’ to appreciative cheers.

In addition to OneRepublic’s catalog, the 47-year-old Grammy winner performed a medley of hit tunes he penned for other artists, like Beyoncé’s “Halo,” Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” and Leona Lewis’ “Bleeding Love.”

Tedder had the crowd laughing when he pointed out that he and longtime bandmate and guitarist Drew Brown — a friend since their teenage days — had unintentionally matched their shoes and pants onstage.

Also taking part in the weekend’s slate of events was Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud, who the night before hosted an intimate multi-course dinner featuring alumni from his restaurants around the world.

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Chef Melissa Rodriguez of Crane Club teamed up with Andrea Calstier, Yohko Ogata and Helen Nguyen to craft a five-course tasting at Boulud’s eponymous restaurant located in the Rosewood at the resort.

Boulud arrived at the festival fresh from a surprise onstage appearance with the Metropolitan Opera in a production of La Bohème, where he played the proprietor and chef of the busy Café Momus in Paris’ Latin Quarter.

Elsewhere on the property, Oscar-winning rapper Common drew a crowd to Jon Batiste’s Jazz Club for a Thursday-night performance that helped kick off the festival.

The Culinary & Arts Festival also hosts the FUZE Art Expo, a vibrant exhibition showcasing Caribbean artists and art influenced by Caribbean culture from around the globe.