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In the summer of 2024, Charles and Shireen Kuykendoll hosted what they thought would be a small, family-friendly cookout competition at their home in Los Angeles. The challenge: who makes the best oxtail?
During the pandemic, Charles had finally perfected his recipe, picking up techniques and tips from friends and Caribbean chefs along the way. Confident in his skills, he posted about an oxtail cook-off on social media, expecting only people from his Instagram “close friends” list to show up.
Instead, word spread quickly.
Soon, chefs began reaching out asking to compete. On the day of the event, 12 cooks arrived with Nigerian, Jamaican and Dominican interpretations of the dish. More unexpectedly, so did over 200 people.
“My wife and I were a bit taken aback,” says Charles. “We invited about 120 people, and even that was probably too many for our house, but word of mouth spread. We looked up, and suddenly people were everywhere.”
Perhaps the turnout wasn’t entirely surprising. The couple runs Charles Beloved Productions, an event company behind large-scale gatherings like RNB House, which later evolved into the Blavity House Party Music Festival. Still, the overwhelming response made one thing clear.
“I looked at my wife and said, ‘We got one,’” Charles says.
In 2025, the pair officially launched The Oxtail Off, a food competition bringing together chefs across the Afro-Caribbean diaspora to answer an age-old question: who makes the best oxtail?
More than 2,000 people attended the inaugural Los Angeles event, dancing, celebrating and sampling some of the city’s most creative takes on the dish—from oxtail pizza and oxtail pot pie to Charles’ personal favorite, an oxtail Philly cheesesteak.
But centering an entire festival around oxtail wasn’t accidental.
“[Oxtail] is a dish that unites cultures, is authentically ‘us,’ and food is a mechanism and display of love and home,” Charles says.
The festival’s website describes the cut as “a symbol of resilience, creativity, and heritage”—a reflection of its roots across the Afro-Caribbean diaspora.
Now, for the first time, The Oxtail Off is taking the competition nationwide, with stops in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and, yes, New York.
The festival makes its New York debut in Brooklyn on June 7 at the 99 Scott Studio event space.
According to Charles, attendees can expect “a taste of Carnival culture,” complete with Caribbean performers, moko jumbies and a fête hour woven into the high-energy food festival.
Several New York City chefs will compete with their own takes on oxtail, including Jeffrey Morneau, chef Bing of Transformation Kitchen and chef Tayo Ola of Ebi-Ayo Supper Club.
A panel of judges—including rapper Jim Jones, podcaster Scottie Beam and singer Tosh Alexander—will decide who earns the title of best oxtail.
The winning chef will receive a $2,500 grand prize and an all-expenses-paid trip for two to Barbados.
The festival also aims to give back: organizers say the tour will donate more than $20,000 to nonprofits fighting food insecurity in participating cities.
General admission tickets start at $20 during presale and include access to the competition, live music and food offerings. VIP tickets, priced at $85, add expedited entry, a private seating area and bar, and a complimentary cocktail.
VIP guests will also gain access to the Taste of Barbados experience featuring Bajan cuisine curated with Visit Barbados, along with an exclusive chef lineup available only to VIP attendees.
Purchase your tickets here.