India, March 14 -- A cherry bartender wearing a tropical Madras kerchief made a passion-fruit cocktail with Mutiny Island, a local vodka distilled from breadfruit. A couple of booths away, a chef struggled to keep his toque in place as he leaned over a steaming cauldron filled with a pork-and-pumpkin stew made with ingredients sold at the nearby farmers market. Under a white tent, another chef served a hearty birria, a stew made with the meat of Boer goats, like the ones eating hay just a few yards away.

This was Bush Cook, a three-day community fair held last October at Sejah Farm, a 15-acre livestock and agricultural centre in the jungle heart of St.Croix. Under a sweltering sun, two dozen people competed for bragging rights while offe...