AuthenticEat was started by Alex Barrymore with a simple idea: travelers should eat where the locals actually do. Every meal supports a local household and a sustainable way to travel.
We started AuthenticEat so travelers could skip resort lines and sit down with local families instead. It began with one simple question: why travel the Caribbean and never taste a real home-cooked meal?
Meet the local home cooks and the small team in Charlotte who vet, coordinate, and care for every AuthenticEat booking from first hello to safe return.
Lead Home Cook, Barbados
Maya has cooked for family and friends her whole life. Her table is small, her portions are generous, and her welcome makes guests feel like old friends.
Hospitality Coordinator, Charlotte
Danielle makes sure every booking runs smoothly from Charlotte, NC. She confirms your ride, checks the details, and keeps your return-to-port time on track.
Every AuthenticEat booking puts most of the revenue directly into a local host's household. Your meal supports the family that cooks it, not a big resort.
90%
To local households
The bulk of each booking goes directly to the host family.
1
Family per table
One host household opens its doors for your small group.
100%
Home-cooked meals
Every dish is prepared in a private home, never a resort kitchen.
0
Middlemen taking cuts
No big platforms skim the earnings that should reach local cooks.
We're just getting started in Charlotte, but our hosts already see what 90% to their household means for their family and their kitchen.
What I love is that guests leave my table knowing the real story of our food, not just the postcard version. It's a conversation, not a performance.
Marisol
Host in San Juan
The door-to-door ride and the guaranteed return timer meant I could relax completely. I wasn't watching the clock, I was just enjoying the meal.
Daniel
Cruise passenger
That extra income went straight into fixing up my kitchen counter, and then directly into buying better ingredients for the next dinner. You can taste the difference.
Celeste
Host in Bridgetown
I've done the buffet. This is the opposite of the buffet. Small group, real family stories, and the food was still the best part of my whole trip.
Hannah
Traveler from the Midwest
Be part of something bigger. Share your cooking and your home with travelers who appreciate the real thing. 90% of every booking goes straight to your household.