Even if you have attended the South Beach Wine & Food Festival several times, the festival never disappoints.
With over 100 events spread out over Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, this five-day, star studded culinary extravaganza attracts an international crowd. To date, the festival has raised over $30 million to support the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Florida International University (FIU).
Photo by Michael Reiss
Although there are many seminars, intimate lunches and dinners on offer, the festival kicked into full swing at the Thursday night “Barilla’s Italian Bites on the Beach” bash. Food Network celebrity chef, Giada De Laurentis and Dario Cecchini, a world-famous butcher from Chianti, Italy, were the hosts. Thirty of the country’s most renowned chefs delivered on la bella vida one bite at a time.
Photo by Michael Reiss
We devoured several slices of Blair Anderson’s wood oven charred crust “Short Rib Pizza” from Genuine Pizza in Aventura, Florida.
Photo by Michael Reiss
We delighted in the subtle, sweet decadence of “Louisiana Blue Crab Gnocchi” from Copper Vine in New Orleans.
The curated DJ’s playlist, the Italian beverages including an “Aperol Spritz” booth and the smooth soft white sand all made for a multo bene start to the festival weekend.
Photo by Michael Reiss
If Thursday night was fantastic, Friday evening at the Fointainebleau Hotel, called “The Best of the Best,” was phenomenal. Sixty of the nation’s best chefs teamed up with over 100 wines rated 90 points or higher on Wine Spectator’s scale. This much anticipated walk around affair is always a sell out with good reason.
Photo by Michael Reiss
Each chef is presenting a gourmet bite to impress and enhance the stellar line up of wines and champagnes. They succeed in spades and the attendees are the fortunate recipients of their tasteful talent. Also included was a spectacular dessert presentation with boozy Valrhona chocolate “Negroni Truffles” by Zac Young.
Photo by Michael Reiss
We chatted with Chefs/Restaurateurs Michael Mina and Scott Conant while nibbling on endless creations including caviar and truffles as featured ingredients.
Photo by Michael Reiss
Chef Lorena Garcia of Chica in Miami aptly used these in her “Cachapas con Caviar” and her “Crispy Arepita with Truffles,” both standouts for their creativity and flavor profile.
Photo by Michael Reiss
Daytime on Saturday and Sunday was devoted to Goya Foods’ “Grand Tasting Village,” presented on the white sand facing the Atlantic Ocean at South Beach. The Tasting Tents housed over 50 restaurants featuring casual fare.
Photo by Michael Reiss
In Miami, Brian Mulins’s unctuous “Old Fashioned Melt,” included “Havarti Cheese and Bourbon Infused Honey on Bitter Orange Zest Buttered Bread,” from Ms. Cheezious happily took us way past the grilled cheese sandwiches of our childhood.
Photo by Michael Reiss
Vidja Maharaj from Diya Indian Kitchen in Miami Beach made our taste buds tingle with his spicy “Eggplant Veggie Burger.”
Photo by Michael Reiss
Accompanying these morsels were an endless array of beverages including “Aperol Spritz,” a popular sparkling thirst quencher.
Photo by Michael Reiss
Between bites, there were demos from the celebrities of The Food Network and the Cooking Channel to up your culinary IQ and aid in your digestion. We enjoyed jovial, spirited Marcus Samuelsson as he entertained and educated us about the virtues of grilled octopus.
Photo by Michael Reiss
If that weren’t enough to sate our appetites, we attended Guy Fieri’s “Beachside BBQ” on Saturday evening. More than 30 chefs and restaurateurs–including Al Roker–seduced us with their luscious roasted, pit fired and grilled gems.
Photo by Michael Reiss
The team from Huevos in Arlington, Virginia impressed us with their fall-off -the- bone “Smoked Beef Rib and Deviled Egg Gremolata.”
Photo by Michael Reiss
The “Bacon and Brown Sugar Crusted Ribs with Loaded BBQ Mac and Cheese” from Smokey Bones in Aventura, Florida sent us to hog heaven. Live country music and spirited libations made this evening on the sand a standout event.
Photo by Michael Reiss
We capped off the weekend with “Bacardi’s Beach Carnival” hosted by Andrew Zimmern. A “no-holds-barred” bacchanal with live music, endless cocktails and bodacious bites is a fitting format to close out the festivities for another memorable SOBEWFF.
Photo by Michael Reiss
Look forward to next year’s 20thanniversary South Beach Wine & Food Festival . It’s bound to exceed all expectations.