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| The Inside Scoop on the South Beach Wine & Food Festival
Talk about a good reason to eat, drink and be merry. A feast for the eyes and palate, the 6th annual food-fest in the heart of Miami kicked off on Thursday, February 22nd – and journeyPod was there to cover it all (or rather, as much as our insides could handle)!
The South Beach Wine & Food Festival, hosted by the Food Network, is a national, star-studded, four-day event that presents the talents of the world’s most renowned and impressive culinary stars. The Festival featured food icons like Bobby Flay, Rachel Ray, Paula Deen, Giada de Laurentis, Tyler Florence, and hundreds of top chefs spanning the globe. If you were going to select an all star team, this is the place to see them all in action. |
| This year’s events boasted amazing gastronomic festivities – perfect for any foodie – and showcased vendors from all over the world, including Olive Oil from Andalusia, Spain and Oronocco Brazilian Rum.
After a long and filling weekend – with amazing food fare and drinks, we’re back to the real world (and the gym!) and we’re ready to tell you all about it.
Our First Taste of the Festival
We started our culinary journey at the Grand Tasting Village (sprawled across several blocks along the sand on Ocean |
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| Avenue). Most wine and food festivals offer samples and good times. But this one had a dance floor, a DJ pumping tunes right on the beautiful sandy South Beach shores and top shelf everything. The hot dogs were kobe beef hot dogs. The meat samples were oxtail and filet mignon. And the wines were top flight selections from the finest producers around the globe.
Next stop was Friday night at the Moet & Chandon BBQ featuring all the champagne you could possibly want and tasty barbeque treats from the grill. The Delano Hotel hosted this awesome event right on the beach. We spotted Martha Stewart, Shaq, Al Roker, and Tom Coliccio (the tough judge from hit TV show “Top Chef”). |
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Exceeding Even Our Expectations
Prior to arriving in Miami for this year’s Festival, we envisioned tasting really great food presented by some of the best chefs in the world, drinking great wine from some of the greatest wineries on earth and catching a glimpse of some of today’s celebrities.
Our expectations of the Festival were more than fulfilled when we walked through the Best of the Best and caught up with chef Todd English, when we ran into Al Roker and Shaq at the BubbleQ, and when we sat in for some lessons on life and cooking with Paula Deen. |
| We’ve been to Miami many times before, but this was South Beach like we’ve never seen it before.
It was nearly impossible not to be engulfed by all the different events going on throughout this four-day fest. Highlights included the Grand Tasting Village (including the food, wine and spirits tasting and culinary demonstrations); the Best of the Best (an assemblage of reserves from 50 of the world’s top wineries paired with an avant-garde tasting menu prepared by the best chef’s); and the Moët & Chandon BubbleQ Hosted by Al Roker. |
| Planning Your Trip For Next Year
Let us first tell you why you should go – or perhaps you’ve already come to that conclusion on your own. The South Beach Wine & Food Festival runs for four days in late February, overflows with the best food and drink, draws some of the most interesting people, and shines on the sand in South Beach. Shall we say more?
Most guests pick and choose which events they’ll attend – each one comes with its own price tag. The most popular gatherings are the Grand Tasting Village, the Moët & Chandon BubbleQ and the interactive cooking workshops – where you not only get to join the cook for an intimate cooking course, you also get to eat. |
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| Now, lets talk about the Festival after the sun sets… there’s an After Party practically every night, but without your name on the guest list or a wristband from the Festival – forget about getting in.
Still Hungry? Thirsty?
Miami cuisine has an international flare catering to every taste. Known for ethnic diversity in its dining choices, you’ll find everything from amazing sushi, to fine steaks and Cuban specialties in this city. (Check out our Miami Destination Guide for our picks.)
Happy Trails
The 7th Annual South Beach Wine & Food Festival is expected to take place next year – and journeyPod will be there too. This time, we just have to remember to fast for about a week before we arrive! |
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