700 Islands, One Soul
The Bahamas has long fed its people through food and music. Join chef Tevin Kemp and recording artist Lady E as they share the flavors, rhythms, and everyday warmth that make Nassau feel like nowhere else on earth.
Just off the coast of Florida, The Bahamas stretches across more than 700 islands and 2,400 cays, with ribbons of pink and white sand and the turquoise waters travelers dream about. But beyond the beaches, the islands radiate another kind of beauty, one shaped by history, community, and the enduring influence of the African diaspora. Many Bahamians trace their ancestry to West Africa, and those roots still echo through the nation’s music, cooking, and cultural traditions today.
Few people know that better than Tevin Kemp, a Bahamian chef with a deep love for the islands’ flavors, and Lady E, a recording artist who channels the spirit of The Bahamas into her music. Together, they guide us through Nassau and into the eats and beats that give the capital its soul.
Some call it paradise. But to us, it’s home.
Introducing “Eats & Beats” – a series that explores the sights, bites and sounds of your next destination. “Eats & Beats: Bahamas | Nassau” now streaming below.
Experience the soul of The Bahamas
In The Bahamas, music is never far away. It drifts through bars, beaches, festivals, and street corners, shaping the mood of a place just like the ocean breeze.
For a deeper listen, head to Cat Island, widely known as the birthplace of rake-n-scrape, one of the country’s most distinctive musical traditions. The sound dates back to the 1800s and is built from whatever musicians had close at hand: a goatskin drum, an accordion, and a saw scraped with a knife, nail, or even an afro pick. The result is rhythmic, joyful, and unmistakably Bahamian.
Rake-n-scrape remains a vital expression of Bahamian identity, closely tied to social dances such as the quadrille and heel-and-toe polka. On Cat Island, that spirit still feels beautifully alive. Visit around the annual Cat Island Rake & Scrape Festival, typically held over the Bahamas Labour Day weekend, and you’ll find live performances, dancing, local food, and a celebration rooted in tradition and community.
If you’re visiting in winter, Junkanoo delivers another unforgettable rush of sound and color. The biggest parades take place on Boxing Day and New Year’s Morning, when Bay Street in Nassau erupts with goatskin drums, cowbells, whistles, brass, and dazzling handmade costumes. Months of work go into the elaborate designs, and the result is a joyous, high-energy expression of Bahamian pride.
For Lady E, Junkanoo is more than a celebration. It is the heartbeat of the nation.
When you talk about The Bahamas and you talk about the culture, you’ve got to be talking about Junkanoo.
Where history hits the taste buds
Like its music, Bahamian food tells a layered story, drawing on African, British, and wider Caribbean influences while making the most of what the islands and surrounding waters provide.
Tevin traces that story at The New Duff, where guava duff takes center stage. The dessert is one of The Bahamas’ best-loved sweets: soft dough wrapped around fruit and served with a sweet sauce. Owner Kenrick Delaney is helping carry one of The Bahamas’ most beloved desserts into a new generation. For him, guava duff is more than something sweet, it is a taste of home, made with care and tradition, then shared in a way that keeps Bahamian culture alive.
Seafood sits at the heart of Bahamian cooking, and no ingredient is more iconic than conch. This sea snail appears across the islands in all kinds of forms: bright, citrusy conch salad; crisp conch fritters; cracked conch; and rich stews layered with tomatoes and onions. In Nassau, you can try it at casual spots like Dino’s Conch Salad Stand, where it’s made fresh to order with its own unique exotic twist, or sit down for a more polished meal at a fine dining eatery such as The Sapodilla Estate.
For a laid-back waterfront meal in Nassau, The Poop Deck remains a favorite for classic Bahamian seafood and marina views. Graycliff Restaurant offers something more formal, with one of the Caribbean’s most celebrated wine cellars, home to more than 250,000 bottles. Beyond Nassau, the culinary scene keeps unfolding: Cocoplum Bistro in Exuma blends Bahamian and French influences, Snappas in Abaco brings a breezy, casual energy, and La Bougainvillea in Eleuthera pairs ocean views with an elegant beachside setting.
Elsewhere on the table, longtime favorites like boiled fish, peas ’n’ rice (not rice ‘n’ peas), Johnny cake, cracked lobster, and guava duff continue to define the islands’ everyday comfort food, while mango, pineapple, and guava turn up in drinks and desserts across the archipelago.
After a day exploring Nassau, Lady E brings Tevin to Sunset Beach Club for one final taste of island life. A Goombay Smash lands on the table, often mixed with coconut rum and pineapple juice, just as the light begins to soften over the water. A band plays nearby, the sky glows pink, and for a moment, everything The Bahamas does best, music, flavor, and easy togetherness, comes into focus.
Wherever you eat in the Bahamas, high-end restaurant or someone’s home, Tevin says the spirit is the same. “Sharing a meal here is about togetherness. Sharing stories, laughter, and the warmth that is essential to the Bahamian way of life.”
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