West Gyul’s Tart Wars A Delicious Success! Coconut Reigns Again!

M.A. Dworkin

St. Croix - West Gyul’s sense of what hits the public’s tastebuds was a resounding success for the organization’s 2nd installment of their wildly popular Tart Wars, as thousands attended and filled the streets of Frederiksted Town with delicious tarts, great community fun and a warm feeling that exuded the best of what St. Croix has to offer.

It was no-doubt a hard-fought, tart-baked victory as the great taste and smell of over 8,000 sales of tarts wafted its way down  Strand Street. And yet after a three-way tie and final showdown there was only one tart left to grab the Tart Crown: The winner and still champion, defending its 2024 title, was House of Coconut!

Although the competition was fierce, with Team Guava and Team Pineapple each winning a segment: Trivia went to Pineapple, Coconut won the Games, and Guava captured the best support in Community. Yet with each tart claiming one win, the interim result was a tree-way tie. 

To settle it, the West Gyul organizers initiated a sudden-death final round game, with a simple rule: if your Tart drops, your team is out. In the end, it was the taste of Coconut all the way.  

“The 2nd Annual Tart Wars is in the books, and what a beautiful day it was! From the bottom of our heart - Thank you to every single person who made this event possible,” said the West Gyul organization.   

“To the amazing volunteers, the performers, the game players, the judges, the donors (both financial and in-kind), and everyone who came out and pushed through to the very end - You are the reason this event was a success.

“Special shoutout to those who poured into Kidsville, donated, helped with setup, cleanup, and brought the vibes all day long.

“It was more than an event - it was a celebration of community, culture, and connection. I’m so proud of what we created together. Can’t wait to do it all over again next year! Much love and endless gratitude.  See you in 2026!” West Gyul summed it up.

The day also brought on a great deal of much needed local economic gain as sales from vendors touting local products and tasty favorite dishes rang up sweet sounds in the cash registers and provided a boost to the slow summer season.     

Tart Wars has indeed taken the Big Island by storm, quickly becoming one of the most popular and highly anticipated events of the year. It has touched the cultural heart and island spirit of young and old alike, in much the same way as Agri Fest, Mango Melee and Pate Festival.   

Brilliantly conceived and executed events such as West Gyul’s Tart Wars help us forge a path into our future. A future that hopefully lights a path for all the world to follow, one that is built on the love, respect and appreciation of our fellow Virgin Islanders, our fellow man. So a big, big SHOUT OUT to West Gyul for a bold statement on what life on St. Croix is really all about.