Marcus Samuelsson has spent the past five years building a case at Baha Mar that resorts don’t need to pick a single culinary lane. He’s built Streetbird, a beachfront fast-casual stand; Marcus Fish + Chop House for elevated sit-down dining; and now VIBE BBQ — the barbecue concept making its Caribbean debut at Baha Mar after successful locations in New Jersey and Addis Ababa.
At the center of VIBE BBQ’s menu are the slow-smoking traditions of Southern and Caribbean cuisine: smoked meats, backyard-style sides, and shareable plates that turn a simple meal into a communal affair. But its arrival at Baha Mar carries a different meaning than it would anywhere else. Samuelsson has watched resorts across the Caribbean focus on elevated dining while treating casual dining as an afterthought. VIBE BBQ, with its street-food instincts, is his answer to that gap.
A New Addition To Samuelsson’s Culinary Portfolio
Samuelsson’s restaurant count has climbed past 15 in recent years, serving guests across major destinations like Harlem, Atlanta, Montreal, and Addis Ababa. But Baha Mar is where he’s concentrated the most attention on a single property, opening three restaurants inside a five-year stretch.
With Marcus Fish + Chop House’s fifth anniversary approaching, VIBE’s well-timed opening gave guests a reason to try something new alongside a familiar experience. Both restaurants sit at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, and both are staffed entirely by Bahamians, from the kitchen line through leadership — executive chef Garrett Bowe and general manager Nikia Hield among them.
That local-first approach also extends to the menu. VIBE isn’t a copy-and-paste concept across its three locations, and though the menus share some DNA, each represents the destination it calls home. The Bahamas has shaped this menu into something guests won’t find at the other two locations.
Each of Samuelsson’s restaurants covers different ground rather than presenting the same experience at different tiers. Streetbird gives guests a quick afternoon spot for casual fare, while Chop House delivers a chance to dine slowly over strong cocktails during a sunset dinner. VIBE presents a third option: a smoke-forward menu that’s neither traditionally casual nor formal.
“Dining, for me, should be enjoyed at every level,” Samuelsson said.
What To Eat At VIBE BBQ
VIBE’s edited menu is an early sign that the kitchen doesn’t need 40 options to make its point.
Starters set the tone before the smoker enters the picture: M’s Cornbread, Crispy Whole Snapper, and Coconut Chicken Skewers — three ways to knock the edge off before choosing a main. Texas Smoked Brisket, Junkanoo Jerk Chicken, K-Town Pork Ribs, and Wagyu Smoked Sausage are the smoker’s headliners. Sandwiches and salads offer lighter options that carry the same smoky flavors, and the combination plates, a staple at Black-owned restaurants and cookouts, mean you don’t have to choose between the proteins calling your name.
Smoke carries through at the bar, too: Smoke & Spice pairs mezcal with muddled jalapeño and ginger beer, and Golden Ash brings paprika into a tequila-forward pour. Southern-style Skillet Mac & Cheese, Coconut Rice & Peas, Street Corn, and Fried Plantains round out the table.
A Taste Of The Culinary Community Behind The Opening
VIBE BBQ’s opening wasn’t the only celebration happening that week. It shared the calendar with an immersive cooking class for local high school students — and with special guests Chef Paul Carmichael and Chef Tristan Epps, because Samuelsson asked them to be part of it.
“Marcus is one of the few people on earth that I can’t say no to,” Carmichael said. He’d know — Samuelsson gave him his first kitchen job in New York nearly 30 years ago, before Carmichael went on to open Kabawa, his own Caribbean-rooted restaurant. Epps has a similar history: he met Samuelsson on the set of “The Taste,” and the two have stayed close as Epps builds toward opening Buboy, his own Houston restaurant, in 2027.
Samuelsson doesn’t exactly describe either relationship as mentorship. He talks about it more like watching something confirm itself. “There was never a doubt for me,” he said of Carmichael. Of Epps: “He could have done it in New York, but Houston, Texas, was really the place.” What comes through is less a chef handing down instruction and more someone who’s stayed close enough, long enough, to watch two careers take shape in their own time.
Samuelsson has said before that food carries more weight than what’s on the plate. “Rooster taught me that food can be part of something greater than yourself,” he said, describing a Sunday morning on Lenox Avenue — the culture of a Harlem block, carried through what’s cooking. VIBE BBQ does the same at Baha Mar: brisket, jerk chicken, and mac and cheese, treated with the same care guests return to Chop House for. Carmichael and Epps spent the week cooking alongside teenagers who might be the next names on a Baha Mar menu — kids Samuelsson is betting on the same way people once bet on him.
