Covert kitchen operation at The Miami Beach Convention Center acts as the “engine room” for two of the most prestigious events during this year’s festival

Centerplate at the Miami Beach Convention Center, part of the largest hospitality partner to North America’s premier sports stadiums, convention centers and entertainment venues, will once again act as the host kitchen and principal caterer for this year’s Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival.

Executive Chef Jonathan Barnett and his army of dedicated staff will manage the kitchen operation and on-site catering service behind two of the most prestigious events taking place during this year’s South Beach Wine & Food Festival. 2011 marks the fifth consecutive year in which Centerplate and Chef Barnett have quietly become the driving force behind the decadent culinary presentations to which attendees at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival have become accustomed.

Centerplate’s Chef Barnett will work hand-in-hand with Chef Michael Moran, Lead Chef Instructor and Culinary Coordinator for the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, from Florida International University’s School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, to provide the savory treats being served during the opening reception at the highly anticipated “Let Them Eat Cake” party – the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival 10 Year Anniversary celebration, presented by Moët Hennessy USA and hosted by Martha Stewart and Emeril Lagasse, taking place on Friday, February 25 at the prestigious 1111 Lincoln Road venue in Miami Beach.

Savory selections on the menu for the event, developed by Chef Barnett and prepared by both chefs in Centerplate’s hot kitchen at the Miami Beach Convention Center, include: Chilled Malted Duck (Barley malt cured breast, S&S pineapple-barley-mustard seed and Pretzel snap); Warm Crispy Potato Cakes (Crème fraiche with cardamom spiced green apple); Chilled Fruit with Mint (best of season dates and mint leaves served on a bamboo skewer with dry ice and banana leaf); Warm Pimenton Shrimp (Smoked Spanish paprika and sherry marinade served in terra cotta cazuelas on lighted rock salt with pinchos); Chilled Tamari Tuna and Cucumber (Dynamite sauce, wasabi micro greens and sesame seed flatbread) and Three Chilled Tomatoes and Crustiness (served with white balsamic, basil oil on a semolina toast glazed with herb springs).

The menu created for the event is being prepared for 800 people and will be offered by Centerplate’s distinguished catering staff and servers being provided on-site at the event.

“We are honored to be continuing our long-standing affiliation with the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival,” says Centerplate’s Executive Chef Jonathan Barnett. “The items on our savory menu for the Let Them Eat Cake 10 Year Anniversary celebration have been specially designed to suit the occasion. We also have a few surprises in store that we hope will make our two celebrity hosts proud! When creating our menu of savory treats, I asked myself….what would Martha Stewart do?”

For a fourth consecutive year, Centerplate will be providing a supporting role to FIU and its renowned Chef Michael Moran for this year’s acclaimed Perrier-Jouët BubbleQ event, presented by Allen Brothers and hosted by Bobby Flay and Friends, also taking place on Friday, February 25 at Delano in Miami Beach. One menu item chosen by each celebrity chef will be prepared in Centerplate’s cold kitchen by Chef Barnett and Chef Moran, before being transported to the Delano hotel to be enjoyed by the estimated 1000 attendees. Each celebrity chef will present his or her own signature plate on the night. America’s most respected grillmaster, none other than Bobby Flay himself, will lead a pack of skilled chefs who will artfully play with fire to prepare everything from gourmet pulled pork sandwiches, succulent steaks, and saucy ribs to juicy skewers of grilled fruit dipped in chocolate sauce. This year marks the tenth edition of BubbleQ and the last rendition of the festival’s most celebrated night. Celebrity chefs presenting on the night with Bobby Flay will include: Cat Cora, Todd English, Jonathan Waxman and Al Rocker, some of whom may even join our in-house chefs to oversee the finishing touches prior to the event in Centerplate’s kitchen.

For a fourth year, Centerplate will also have a presence at the Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting Village on the sands of 13th Street & Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, during the weekend of this year’s festival. Chef Barnett will serve a selection of Centerplate’s own creations with a Malt and Barley theme. A total of 625 pounds of pork is being shipped in to Centerplate’s kitchen for an estimated 10,000-person attendance over the two days. Last year, Centerplate prepared 600 pounds of Aligator peccadillo that was served by the Florida Department of Agriculture at the Grand Tasting Village.

Centerplate is a proud Silver level sponsor of the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival and is also recognized as a Preferred Caterer for the three-day event that attracts more than 20,000 people.