Caribbean dinning is a particular kind of luxury that no restaurant can replicate — the kind where dinner is cooked exclusively for your table, served at the edge of the Caribbean Sea, with the last light of the sun dissolving into the water while your chef describes the provenance of every ingredient on your plate. At Paradiso Del Mar Villa in Turks and Caicos, this is not a special occasion. It is simply Tuesday night.
For guests staying at Villa PM, dining is not an afterthought — it is central to the entire experience. And at the heart of it is Chef Tomikok Knowles, an internationally trained executive private chef who serves exclusively at Paradiso Del Mar Villa — bringing restaurant-level precision and elegance to one of the most naturally beautiful settings in the Caribbean.
The Turks and Caicos Islands sit in the Atlantic, south of the Bahamas, perched above the third-largest coral reef system in the world. That geographical reality shapes everything on the plate. The seafood here — lobster, conch, grouper, snapper — is among the freshest in the Caribbean, pulled from waters so clear you can see the reef sixty feet below from the surface.
Caribbean cuisine itself is a story of confluence: Indigenous Taíno techniques, African culinary traditions, Spanish and British colonial influence, and the spice routes of the broader Caribbean basin. The result is a cuisine defined by bold seasoning, slow cooking, the brightness of citrus and scotch bonnet, and an instinctive generosity of spirit. Turks and Caicos brings a particular restraint to this tradition — the island’s personality is quieter, more refined than its neighbours — and that ethos is reflected in Chef Tomikok’s cooking.
“An experience with Chef Tomikok is more than a meal — it is a journey. From the first course to the final flourish, each dish is crafted to create moments that linger long after the table is cleared.”
What distinguishes dining at Paradiso Del Mar from any restaurant experience — even the finest ones on the island — is singular and non-negotiable: the meal exists entirely for you. Chef Tomikok crafts menus around the preferences, dietary requirements, and the mood of each group. Arriving for a week-long stay? Your menus evolve day to day. Celebrating a milestone? The entire evening is choreographed around that moment.
Guests can consult directly with Chef Tomikok on arrival, sharing everything from favourite cuisines to childhood comfort foods, and watch those details translate into something extraordinary by evening. This is not a set menu with substitution options. This is genuine, personalised culinary hospitality.
While every menu is customised, a handful of dishes have become beloved touchstones of the Villa PM dining experience — expressions of Caribbean abundance filtered through Chef Tomikok’s classical training:
Succulent local lobster finished with clarified lemon butter and fresh herbs — the defining dish of the TCI experience.
Crisp seasonal greens with bright citrus dressing and roasted nuts — a study in restraint and freshness.
Herb-crusted lamb, grilled over open flame and served alongside silky roasted garlic yogurt.
Market-driven daily. Whatever the reef has offered that morning, transformed into something memorable by evening.
Chef Tomikok’s international career gives him a range that moves far beyond any single tradition. At Villa PM, guests can request menus across a broad culinary landscape, each interpreted through a Caribbean lens:
A Caribbean evening might feature conch ceviche with scotch bonnet and coconut milk, followed by whole roasted snapper with jerk seasoning and rice cooked in coconut water — the kind of meal that tastes like the island smells at dusk. An Italian night might lean into handmade pasta with bottarga and locally caught seafood. A Mediterranean spread might mean lamb, grilled lemons, and mezze arranged across the outdoor dining table as the sky turns gold.
The flexibility is total. The execution is consistently exceptional.
Chef Tomikok Knowles is an internationally trained executive private chef serving exclusively at Paradiso Del Mar Villa. His cuisine blends Caribbean influences with a global foundation — drawing from French, Italian, Asian, Mediterranean, and modern American techniques. Known for his discretion, professionalism, and meticulous attention to detail, he crafts bespoke menus tailored to each guest: from casual family dining and wellness-focused meals to multi-course tasting menus, elevated celebration dinners, and curated wine pairings. Guests don’t simply dine at Paradiso Del Mar — they experience cuisine designed to inspire, indulge, and make every stay truly unforgettable.
One of the most quietly decadent aspects of staying at Paradiso Del Mar Villa is that dining is woven into the entire rhythm of the day — not just dinner. Each meal is its own considered event:
Breakfast arrives with the morning calm — a curated spread while the sea is still glassy and the day is unhurried. Lunch is an intimate midday affair, built around whatever is seasonal and beautifully simple. Dinner is the centerpiece: a chef-curated experience that begins at sunset and moves at whatever pace your group wants. And late night, for those who find themselves still at the table, unwilling for the evening to close — there is something for that, too.
It would be incomplete to speak of the food without speaking of where it is eaten. Paradiso Del Mar Villa is designed to dissolve the boundary between interior and exterior — and dining outdoors, with the Caribbean Sea as your backdrop and the night sky overhead, transforms even a simple dish into something transcendent.
Whether it is a private breakfast with panoramic sea views, a candlelit dinner on the terrace, or a romantic meal for two arranged at the water’s edge, the setting amplifies every flavour. Caribbean food has always been food meant to be eaten outside, at a big table, slowly. At Villa PM, that tradition is honoured fully.
Dining here isn’t just about the food. It’s about the whole evening — the salt air, the sound of the sea, the sky going dark above you while the candles come up on the table.
For guests celebrating something — an anniversary, a birthday, a proposal, or simply the miracle of being somewhere this beautiful — the villa’s concierge team and Chef Tomikok work together to design an evening around that moment. Floral arrangements, themed menus, paired wines and cocktails, personalised desserts — every detail is available to be shaped around your occasion.
This is, ultimately, the proposition of private chef dining at its purest: not just excellent food, but a complete culinary event that belongs entirely to you. No neighbouring tables to worry about. No fixed closing time. Just your people, your chef, and the Caribbean.
If you are planning a stay in Turks and Caicos and considering where to base yourself, the dining experience at Villa PM is among the strongest reasons to choose a private villa over a hotel. The combination of Chef Tomikok Knowles’ global culinary mastery, the flexibility of fully personalised menus, and the incomparable setting of Paradiso Del Mar makes for an experience that is genuinely hard to find anywhere in the Caribbean — or the world.
To explore the full dining experience, signature menus, and to arrange your reservation, visit the Villa PM dining page or speak with our concierge team.
