2010 Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival Presented by Food & Wine Returns February 25 – 28, 2010

Festival Founder and Director Lee Brian Schrager, the Director of Media Relations and Special Events for Southern Wine & Spirits of America, kicks off the ninth annual Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Food & Wine with the debut of new events and returning classics that guests are sure to savor. The Festival will take place in and around the sun and sand of South Beach this February 25-28, 2010.

“We were so happy to have a record-breaking year in 2009,” comments Schrager. “With our highest number yet raised for the Florida International University School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, home of the Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center, we are determined to make 2010 another banner year to benefit the school.”

True to fashion, the ninth annual wine and culinary extravaganza returns with events highlighting the latest trends in the industry. The 2010 Tribute Dinner honoree is world-renowned culinary master Daniel Boulud, a winner of multiple awards from the James Beard Foundation and recipient of the Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur from the French government for his contribution to the advancement of French culinary culture, among several other accolades. The celebration will feature dishes from some of the finest chefs: Eric Ripert, Paul Bartolotta, Claude Troigros, Nobu Matsuhisa, and Festival host hotel Loews Miami Beach executive chef Gordon Maybury. Exciting new additions to the 2010 Festival include:
The Festival highlights the talents of the hottest new dining destination in Miami, the Miami Design District, with a one-of-a-kind dining opportunity to taste the culinary expertise of chefs from Senora Martinez, Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink, Pacific Time, and Fratelli Lyon – all in one evening!
The Barilla Interactive Lunch series at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables receives a makeover as the Festival debuts a Barilla Interactive Dinner hosted by Lidia Bastianich and her son, wine specialist Joe Bastianich.
Ming Tsai will host a late night Dim Sum & Disco party under the alluring atmosphere of the Setai.
Food Network stars including Guy Fieri (Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives), Paula Deen (Paula’s Best Dishes), Pat and Gina Neely (Down Home with The Neelys), and Sandra Lee (Sandra’s Money Saving Meals) will be on-hand for culinary demonstrations and book signings at the Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting Village, late night parties, and more!
Enjoy the Wine Spectator wine seminars with executive editor Thomas Matthews and senior editor Bruce Sanderson. Also, wine aficionados Gary Vaynerchuk, Kevin Zraly and Mark Oldman will be on-hand to help navigate both novices and experts thru the finest selections in the Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida portfolio at the Bank of America lifestyle seminars.

Festival favorites return, re-invented with fresh new faces:
The Amstel Light Burger Bash hosted by Rachael Ray presented by Allen Brothers will feature top burger-making gurus, like the Shake Shack, Bobby Flay, Michael Symon, and Laurent Tourondel, along with People’s Choice Award Winner from the 2009 Festival, Spike Mendelsohn.
The Festival’s perfect pairing of barbeque and champagne on the beach will return with a BAM, as the Perrier-Jouët BubbleQ hosted by Emeril Lagasse. Last year’s tribute dinner honoree will play host to some of the finest names on the grill, including John Besh, Dean Fearing, Chris Lilly, Adam Perry Lang, Todd English, Aarón Sánchez, and many more!
Wine Spectator’s Best of the Best sponsored by Bank of America will return at the illustrious Fontainebleau Miami Beach, the picture perfect setting to find some of the world’s best winemakers personally pouring their selections alongside premier chefs serving their delicacies. Among the list of participating wineries for this year is Au Bon Climat, Caymus Vineyards, Joseph Phelps Vineyards, Opus One Winery, Rubicon Estate, and several more additions to come. Culinary participants for Wine Spectator’s Best of the Best in 2010 include David Burke, Scott Conant, Paul Liebrandt, Michael White, Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, and much more.

The Festival’s family favorite, South Beach Diet presents Fun and Fit as a Family is going into its third year, and will take place again at the tropical grounds of Jungle Island in Miami. Fun and Fit as a Family will again feature the Kellogg’s Kidz Kitchen, plus the wildly popular Food Labs hosted by Food Network and Share Our Strength®, where kids can cook healthy recipes alongside top chefs; plus fitness activities, healthy food tastings and more! Jungle Island is also home all year long to the Children’s Sustainable Food Garden, which features different herbs and vegetables of a completely organic nature and provides an opportunity for children to interact with these items in a way that engages all of the senses. Check out the fun at www.funandfitasafamily.com.

Mark the calendar now – tickets for the 2010 Festival are on-sale now and are sure to go fast! More information can be found at www.sobewineandfoodfest.com, or by calling 877.762.3933. For more updates on the Festival, follow Founder and Director Lee Schrager on Twitter all year at www.twitter.com/Lee_Schrager.

About the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival
All proceeds of the Festival benefit the students of the Florida International University School of Hospitality and Tourism Management who also assist Festival organizers with sponsorship fulfillment, restaurant and exhibitor recruitment, logistics, and inventory as well as working alongside some of the world’s greatest celebrity chefs and winemakers. In addition to receiving a first-rate education in one of the country’s most diversified hospitality and tourism markets, these students are provided the opportunity to work hands-on with some of the industry’s most experienced leaders.

The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Food &Wine is produced by Florida International University and Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida with the support of the Miami Beach Visitors & Convention Authority and the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. For more information about the Festival, visit www.sobewineandfoodfest.com or call 877-762-3933. For more information about Florida International University visit www.fiu.edu, for the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management visit www.hospitality.fiu.edu and for more information about Southern Wine & Spirits visit www.southernwine.com.