2015 Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by FOOD & WINE (SOBEWFF)
February 19-22, 2015
All over Miami
Website & Tickets
The Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by FOOD & WINE is pleased to announce its upcoming program of events. The 14th annual Festival, consists of more than 75 events during the four-day, star-studded gourmet gathering, featuring new parties and talent alongside a noticeable refresh of the Festival’s most signature tastings. As it has since its inception, the Festival benefits the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management’s Wine Spectator Restaurant Management Laboratory and Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center at Florida International University.
Fans will enjoy several new changes at the Festival’s signature Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting Village featuring MasterCard Grand Tasting Tents & KitchenAid® Culinary Demonstrations. The iconic white tents located beachside between 10th Street and 13th Street off of the historic Ocean Drive will feature more seating and shaded areas, live music and DJs, and free park-and-ride offerings from areas in downtown Miami. The Festival is also pleased to highlight a select group of South Florida’s top-tier culinary talent as the inaugural group of Culinary Captains, representing their respective neighborhoods inside the MasterCard Grand Tasting Tents.
Chefs at the forefront of this event include:
· Downtown Miami/Brickell/Key Biscayne: Aaron Brooks (EDGE Steak & Bar)
· Ft. Lauderdale: Peter Boulukos, The Restaurant People
· Midtown/MiMo: Timon Balloo, SUGARCANE Raw Bar & Grill
· Miami Beach: Jamie DeRosa, Tongue & Cheek
· North Miami Beach/Aventura/Sunny Isles: Tim Andriola, TIMO & Basil Park
· South Miami/Coral Gables/Doral: David Sears, SUSHISAMBA
· Palm Beach/Boca Raton/Delray: Larry LaValley, 3800 Ocean
· Wynwood/Design District: Michael Shikany, SHIKANY
The 2015 program also features more than 20 intimate dinner experiences throughout the weekend, highlighting revered culinary talent from around the world with exquisite wines, select spirits, and pairings from the Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida portfolio. The New York Times Dinner Series boasts an all-star line-up of chefs, including Amol Agarwal, Jimmy Bannos Jr., Aaron Brooks, Ashley Christensen, Ben Ford, Charles Gabriel, Linton Hopkins, JJ Johnson, Vikas Khanna, Jonathan Lane, Christopher Lee, and Marcus Samuelsson. Also part of this series is the Festival’s annual Tribute Dinner presented by Bank of America at Loews Miami Beach, the Festival’s host hotel. Hosted by Tribute Dinner Culinary Chairman José Andrés and Master of Ceremonies Harold McGee, the evening will honor the contributions of renowned Chef Juan Mari Arzak, the acclaimed pioneer of Basque cuisine and the president and CEO of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, Ted Baseler, to the hospitality industry.
Those looking to deepen their knowledge of wines, spirits and beer will enjoy the vast array of offerings that are part of this year’s Wine Spectator Wine Seminars and Bank of America Lifestyle Seminars. The beverage prowess of Miami Herald and Miami.com Food Editor Evan Benn, mixologist Francesco Lafranconi, top editors from Wine Spectator, as well as authors and authorities Anthony Giglio and Joshua Wesson are sure to entertain and inspire the palates of attendees.
The Festival is also excited to showcase a variety of late-night soirées throughout the weekend, such as:
· Tacos After Dark hosted by Aaron Sanchez
· Mix It Up with Morimoto & Friends
· Frost: A Sprinkles Wonderland hosted by Candace Nelson
· The Art of Tiki: A Cocktail Showdown hosted by Emeril Lagasse
· Cigars & Spirits
· Medianoches & Mixology hosted by Alex Guarnaschelli
· Death by Chocolate: A Dessert Party hosted by Dominique Ansel
· Bobby Flay’s Caribbean Heat
More iconic tastings, afternoon parties, and even the Festival’s first event welcoming your four-legged friends at Yappie Hour presented by BarkBox hosted by Rachael Ray, round out the 2015 Festival program.
“This is surely a year that our loyal fans will do a double-take at the program and new attendees will find plenty of events to choose from,†predicts Festival Founder & Director Lee Brian Schrager, who also serves as Vice President of Corporate Communications & National Events at Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. “We have made significant changes to upgrade the experience at our signature Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting Village and are taking our beloved event, The Q, to the next level by partnering with Meatopia.â€
The Festival kicks off on Thursday, February 19 with Ronzoni Pasta’s 100th Anniversary Seaside Spaghetti Soirée sponsored by MIAMI magazine hosted by Debi Mazar & Gabriele Corcos, a celebration of pasta and all forms of Italian-American cuisine under the Festival’s signature white tents in the sand behind South Beach’s iconic Delano. These same sparkling white sands will be the foundation for the brand new version of the Festival’s treasured celebration of all things grilled, braised and barbecued as Meatopia: The Q Revolution presented by Creekstone Farms hosted by Guy Fieri curated by Josh Ozersky on Saturday, February 21.
The Festival is taking significant strides in 2015 to upgrade its landmark Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting Village featuring MasterCard Grand Tasting Tents & KitchenAid® Culinary Demonstrations. While enjoying samplings from a seemingly endless variety of restaurants and wine and spirits brands from the Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida portfolio, attendees will notice key advancements to the beachside venue which spans from 10th Street to 13th Street off Ocean Drive. Changes include more seating and shaded areas, live music and DJs, select ‘park and ride’ offerings (at no additional cost), and the introduction of chef Culinary Captains who will represent cohorts of chefs from various neighborhoods throughout South Florida.
New events taking place throughout the 2015 Festival include:
Poolside Paella Party hosted by José Andrés
Tacos After Dark hosted by Aarón Sánchez
Empanada & Wine Happy Hour
A rooftop ice cream and chocolate party with Candace Nelson of the Beverly Hills based Sprinkles Cupcakes, who is known for catching the taste buds of celebrities like Oprah Winfrey
Tribute to the resurgence of tiki culture mixology during a late-night, poolside bartender competition hosted by Emeril Lagasse
A late-night spiced up soirée centered around Caribbean-jerk hosted by cookbook author, chef and restaurateur Bobby Flay
Dessert done South Beach-style by modern day Willy Wonka and Cronutâ„¢ inventor Dominique Ansel
Plus an unprecedented series of intimate and unique dinner experiences featuring world-renowned culinary talent!
Fan favorite events such as the Amstel Light Burger Bash presented by Schweid & Sons hosted by Rachael Ray, Fontainebleau Miami Beach presents Wine Spectator’s Best of the Best sponsored by Bank of America & Merrill Lynch, Fun and Fit as a Family featuring Goya Kidz Kitchen, YogArt presents Buddhas and Bellinis, Bank of America Lifestyle Seminars, Wine Spectator Wine Seminars, Goya Foods’ Swine & Wine hosted by Marc Forgione, and more will return, sure to satiate every type of budget and palate.
Loews Miami Beach, the Festival’s host hotel, will again host the annual Tribute Dinner sponsored by Bank of America; part of The New York Times Dinner Series. The 2015 Festival will honor Chef Juan Mari Arzak, the acclaimed pioneer of Basque cuisine, and Ted Baseler, president and CEO of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates.
