Over 50 Delectable Restaurants

Building on last year’s unparalleled success, Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation^® South Florida, is gearing up for another banner year. This year, the region’s premier culinary benefit dedicated to ending childhood hunger will showcase more than 50 of the hottest restaurants from both Dade and Broward counties, top chefs, sommeliers and mixologists and an impressive array of auction items. And after the party? The after party! Those who want to continue the revelry will love the exclusive new Black and Blanco After Party, sponsored by Tequila Casa Dragones Blanco.The much anticipated annual tasting event will take place on Tuesday, June 17, 2014 from 7 to 10 p.m., in the main ballroom of the Loews Miami Beach Hotel. General admission tickets are priced at $125 per person;VIP tickets priced at $250 per person, and provide access to the event an hour before the doors open, as well as admission to the Black and Blanco After Party.

“The inaugural Taste of the Nation South Florida in 2013, which combined what used to be known as Taste of the Nation Miami and Taste of the Nation Fort Lauderdale, proved to be a much stronger event, attracting a larger group of restaurants, attendees and sponsors,” notes the event’s Restaurant Chair, Chef Timon Balloo.

“Last year, Taste of the Nation South Florida attracted more than 50 restaurant participants and raised more than $130,000, which helped connect children in need with up to 13 million meals,” added long-time Taste of the Nation event chairman, Chef Allen Susser.  “We’re confident the event will continue to grow, helping us raise the critical funds needed to end childhood hunger.”

An impressive mix of fine dining establishments is confirmed to participate in this year’s event. The list of restaurant participants includes:  15 Steps at the Eden Roc; 3030 Ocean; Bianca at the Delano; Bread + Butter; BULLA Gastro Bar; Café Prima Pasta; Casa D’Angelo Fort Lauderdale; Cibo Wine Bar; Cypress Room; db Bistro Moderne; Daily Melt; Dolce Italian; Earls Kitchen + Bar; Eating House; Edge Steak & Bar at Four Seasons; Joe’s Stone Crab restaurant; Katsuya; Khong River House; Lilikoi & Company; Little Palm Island; Loews Miami Beach; Lure Fishbar at Loews Miami Beach; Makoto at Bal Harbour Shops; Meat Market; Milos by Costas Spiliadis; Michael Mina 74 at Fontainebleau Miami Beach; Naked Taco; Oak Tavern; The Oceanaire; OTC; Palate Party; Preston’s; PubBelly Restaurant; Quattro Gastronomia Italiana; R House; Red The Steakhouse; Sea Level; Shake Shack; SHIKANY Wynwood; Siena Tavern; Steak 954; SUGARCANE raw bar grill; SUSHISAMBA Miami Beach; Susie’s Scrumptious Sweets; SweetWater; Taperia RACA; The Bazaar by José Andrés; The Dutch at W South Beach Hotel & Residences; The Federal Food Drink & Provisions; The Forge Restaurant; Tongue and Cheek; Toro Toro Restaurant; Verde at PAMM; and Wynwood Kitchen & Bar.

The fete will continue at this year’s new Black and Blanco After Party, hosted by Chef Josh Capon at Lure Fishbar at Loews Miami Beach.  Taking place from 10 p.m. to midnight, the event will feature hors d’oeuvres by Lure, as well as chocolate temptations by some of Miami’s top pâtissiers: Jordi Panisello of Fontainebleau Miami Beach; Josh Gripper of The Dutch at The W South Beach Hotel and Residences; and Antonio Bachour of St. Regis Bal Harbour. Each sweet selection will be paired with custom cocktails created by Lure’s head mixologist Rob Ferrara showcasing the new Tequila Casa Dragones Blanco silver tequila by the celebrated independent tequila producer, Casa Dragones. Tickets for the Black and Blanco After Party are priced at $75 per person. Taste of the Nation South Florida VIP ticket holders will enjoy complimentary access to the after party.  

Tickets to both Taste of the Nation South Florida and Black and Blanco After Party are available for purchsae  at CE.NoKidHungry.org/SouthFlorida.

One hundred percent of ticket proceeds from Taste of the Nation South Florida benefit the No Kid Hungry campaign, thanks to generous support from National Presenting Sponsor Sysco, national sponsors American Express, Food Network, Cavit, OpenTable, and S.Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water and Acqua Panna Natural Spring Water, and local sponsors Lincoln Motor Company, Nespresso, Share Your Wine, Whole Foods, Wine Watch, Easy Ice, Nestle Waters, Brustman Carrino Public Relations, Panache: a Classic Party Rentals company, Loews Miami Beach Hotel, Mike Sipe Entertainment, Miami New Times and Social Thinkking.  Local beneficiaries include Florida Impact, Feeding South Florida, FLIPANY, South Florida Hunger Coalition and Florence Fuller Child Development Centers.

About Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry^® Campaign

No child should grow up hungry in America, but one in five children struggles with hunger. Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry^® campaign is ending childhood hunger in America by ensuring all children get the healthy food they need, every day. The No Kid Hungry campaign connects kids in need to effective nutrition programs like school breakfast and summer meals and teaches low-income families to cook healthy, affordable meals through Cooking Matters.  This work is accomplished through the No Kid Hungry network, made up of private citizens, public officials, nonprofits, business leaders and others providing innovative hunger solutions in their communities. Join us at NoKidHungry.org.