Saturday, October 20, 2007

South Beach Wine & Food Festival in Miami Beach

Since it began in 2000 as a small, local wine & food charity event, the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival has expanded into a one-of-a-kind, extravagant four-day celebration of stellar wine, food and culinary celebrity set against the backdrop of glamorous South Beach. Beginning Monday, October 15, 2007, anxious epicureans can begin purchasing tickets for the 2008 event, taking place Thursday, February 21 through Sunday, February 24. No doubt, tickets for the upcoming fete will sell-out in record time for the 2008 edition will not only see the return of the festival’s signature events, such as the Möet & Chandon Bubble Q and Wine Spectator’s Best of the Best but a slew of new delights.

They include Paula’s Poker Party & Casino Night, hosted by Paula Deen, Emeril’s Sugar Shack, a D’Vine Divas wine dinner featuring some of the country’s most acclaimed female chefs and wine makers and an unforgettable Fettucine & Fiorentina Tuscan feast hosted by Mario Batali, Jamie Oliver and DeVito South Beach owner David Manero. To provide balance to the delicious decadence, an exciting new healthy initiative, Fun and Fit as a Family, presented by South Beach Diet, will also be introduced. “We’re excited to be returning as the presenting sponsor for the sixth year to this extraordinary event,” says Food & Wine magazine Editor in Chief Dana Cowin. “I am eager to attend the Tribute Dinner for Food & Wine contributor Jean-Georges Vongerichten and to co-host the BubbleQ with Giada De Laurentiis. In addition, every year I love meeting the thousands of passionate foodies who can’t wait to experience this sun-soaked, beach-front culinary extravaganza.”

A complete event breakdown is available upon request. 2008 highlights include:

On Thursday, February 21, Paula’s Home Cooking star Paula Deen will team up with the legendary Lee Brothers and Katie Lee Joel for a fun-filled night of poker, soul food and Southern spirits at Paula’s Poker Party & Casino Night.

Rachael Ray will host the Amstel Light Burger Bash (Thursday, February 21) at The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach, featuring gourmet burgers from close to 20 restaurants from coast-to-coast, including Danny Meyer’s Shake Shack from New York City, which is returning to defend its title as “Best Burger.”

On Thursday, February 21, Wine Spectator’s Samantha Shanken and master sommelier Laura DePasquale will host D’Vine Divas, an evening celebrating remarkable women in the industry, with participating chefs including Suzanne Goin (Luques), Elizabeth Falkner (Citizen Cake), Susan Spicer (Bayona), Traci des Jardin (Jardiniere), Cindy Hutson (Ortanique), Andrea Curto-Randazzo (Talula) and Maria Frumkin (formerly of Duo). A silent auction will benefit the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation.

On Friday, February 22, Fontainebleau Miami Beach presents Wine Spectator’s Best of the Best, a showcase of the world’s greatest chefs, from Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto and Scott Conant to Alfred Portale and David Bouley. The event will take place at the AmericanAirlines Arena. The Möet & Chandon Bubble Q at Delano, hosted this year by Giada De Laurentiis, will pair great American BBQ from some of the country’s hottest chefs, with champagnes.

Also on Friday, February 22, Emeril Lagasse will bring together pastry chefs from Emeril’s restaurants nationwide at Emeril’s Sugar Shack, sponsored by Perrier Jouet at the Raleigh Hotel.
The expanded wine program, taking place at various locations/times, with more than 20 not-to-be-missed spirits and wine seminars, will include Patrón, Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Gekkeikan sake and Grand Marnier tastings, cocktail symposiums, and four not-to-be-missed Wine Spectator tastings, hosted by executive editor Thomas Matthews and Bruce Sanderson.

Taking place Saturday, February 23 & Sunday, February 24 at Jungle Island, Fun and Fit as a Family will feature an array of educational, fitness and nutrition-oriented activities, including cooking demonstrations and celebrity chef appearances by Alice Waters, Jamie Oliver, Tyler Florence (host of Tyler’s Ultimate on Food Network) and Ellie Krieger (star of Healthy Appetite on Food Network) to seminars, exercise programs and healthy food tastings.

This year’s Tribute Dinner at the Loews Miami Beach (Saturday, February 23) will honor culinary icon Jean-Georges Vongerichten, with toques in the kitchen including Wiley Dufresne (WD-50), Nobu Matsuhisa (Nobu), Michel Richard (Cintronelle), Guy Savoy (Restaurant Guy Savoy) and master chocolatier Jacques Torres.

Also on Saturday, February 23, Mario Batali, England’s Naked Chef Jamie Oliver and DeVito South Beach owner David Manero will host a traditional Tuscan feast, Fettucine and Fiorentina.

For his activist work in the UK school system, working toward bringing freshly-made, nutritious meals and health education to students, Jamie Oliver will be recognized with the South Beach Wine & Food Festival Global Citizen Award, Dick Rivera will accept the Michael Hurst Award from FIU and Jose Ferrer Sala will receive the Southern Wine & Spirits Lifetime Achivement Award at the Tribute Brunch (Sunday, February 24).

Barilla Interactive Cooking Lunches will return to the Biltmore Hotel, featuring Miami-based Food Network rising star Ingrid Hoffman and Ming Tsai.

The Kellogg’s Kidz Kitchen series of family-oriented cooking demos will feature celeb culinaires such as Emeril Lagasse and Giada De Laurentiis.

In between culinary demonstrations guest will have two days to sample food and beverage products in the American Express Grand Tasting Tents (Saturday, February 23 & Sunday, February 24).

Tickets for the 2008 Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival go on sale Monday, October 15, 2007. American Express cardholders as well as Friends of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival members will receive special pre-sale access beginning Monday, October 1.

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