If you’ve never been to Food Network South Beach Food & Wine Festival, whether you’re a foodie or just novice home chef, this is definitely an event not to be missed. Here’s a recap of the weekend our team had down in Miami Beach in February.
Friday was the first official day of #SOBEWFF. As crowds moved in, we picked up our passes and headed for the first of a session of panel events (sponsored by Bullfrog & Baum), with top Food Network chefs Michelle Bernstein, Michael Solomonov, John Kunkel, Marc Murphy, and Tony Maws talking about trends in dining and restaurants.
Friday night we were treated to the Best of the Best show at the Foutainbleu Hotel, South Beach. Sponsored by Wine Spectator and Riedel, this event opened with champagne tastings and delicacies from The FountainBleu’s own Pastry Chef Jordi Panisello, Ariane Daguin of D’Artagnan, and Jarrod Verbiak of DB Bistro Moderne.
Holstein’s Restaurant from the Cosmopolitan Vegas was present with amazing beef, and wines to pair with it.
The CraveLocal team got to try these tasty sweets from award winning FountainBleu Pastry Chef Jordi Panisello. These were berry and apricot gels with a chocolate ganache, followed by apricot raspberry pastries, with a dark chocolate curl and fresh cream.
Saturday we had the privilege of attending Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting Village. As thousands poured into tents and booths strewn up and down the beach, great wines came pouring out from brands like Licia Rias Baixas Albarine and Librandi Ciro Rosso, both from Winebow Wines.
Marc Forgione entertained the crowd with a fresh cocktail concept from POM Wonderful, and Three Amigos Tequila (POM Thyme Margarita recipe).
KitchenAid was there to showcase their new charity line of Susan G. Komen mixers and kitchenware, which was in full experiential demonstration by Emeril Lagasse on Saturday afternoon.
Raffle tickets were auctioned off for a chance to win an Emeril Lagasse signed stand mixer from KitchenAid. We caught up with the winners here, with their specially prepared meal, courtesy of the man himself.
Saturday night was the event of all events, with Best Thing I Ever Ate (sponsored by Godiva, Illy, Ciao Bella Gelato, Tito’s Vodka, and more) happening in full splendor as cool Florida breezes moved in, stirring up the sand, as well as energy levels on the beach at the Ritz Carlton hotel. Big Gay Ice Cream gave us a delicious sundae treat to eat, along with crabcakes, sliders, key lime pie martinis, authentic Cuban guava pastries, and more.
On Sunday night, the party continued with “Food Trucks on the Beach” serving up more great food and cocktails, with Andrew Zimmern conducting closing ceremonies.
We headed home with bellies full, nearly 900 photos, and a great food and wine experience under our (loosened!) belts.
Food Network South Beach Food and Wine Festival happens every year at the end of February.
If you find yourself in South Beach, or craving an incredible food and wine experience-indulge a little, and start making plans to attend. #SOBEWFF is down in our books as the “must-see Florida food event” of the year.
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