11th Annual South Beach Wine & Food Festival

The 2012 Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by FOOD & WINE officially kicks-off next week and a limited selection of tickets are still available for events guaranteed to satisfy the tastes of every foodie or aficionado. All proceeds from the Festival benefit the Florida International University (FIU) Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management and the Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center.

“This year’s Festival has a truly extraordinary line up of chefs, winemakers, spirit producers, and culinary talent,” says Festival Founder and Director Lee Brian Schrager, who also serves as Vice President of Corporate Communications & National Events at Southern Wine & Spirits of America, which hosts the Festival. “We want everyone to have the chance to come out and see their favorite personalities while tickets are still available.”

Highlights that everyone still has a chance to grab tickets to include the following:

Florida Blue presents Fun and Fit as a Family sponsored by Carnival featuring Kellogg’s Kidz Kitchen ($20 per person/per day). Taking place on Saturday, February 25 & Sunday, February 26, at Jungle Island the Festival’s familyoriented programming provides children and their parents the opportunity to see their favorite celebrity chefs and culinary personalities for hands-on culinary demonstrations, healthy food samplings, physical fitness activities, and interactive learning experiences.

Moët Hennessy’s The Q After Dark (Thursday, February 23; $100/person). Join The Modern Mixologist Tony Abou- Ganim, a DJ battle from Triple Threat and DJ Ruckus for the ultimate after party on opening night of the Festival! Guests will enjoy Moët & Chandon Champagne, Belvedere Vodka, Hennessy Cognac, Grand Marnier, and much more for the best kick-off party yet.

Bank of America Lifestyle Seminars (Saturday & Sunday, February 25 & 26; $85/person – $110/person). Many of the intimate tasting experiences are offered at the Festival’s Lifestyle Seminars. The star-studded line-up of personalities sharing some of their favorite pairings includes: The Meatball Shop’s Daniel Holzman, Andrea Robinson, FOOD & WINE’s Gail Simmons, Christina Tosi of Momofuku Milk Bar, Food Network’s Marcela Valladolid, Josh Wesson, and many more!

Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting Village (Sunday, February 26; $225/person). The Festival’s signature white tents will be overflowing with samplings from the finest restaurants, wines and spirits in the American Express Grand Tasting Tents. In addition, the KitchenAid Culinary Demonstration Stages will be rocking the beach with culinary superstars like Anne Burrell, Paula Deen, Bobby Flay, Robert Irvine, Masaharu Morimoto, Michael Symon, and many more!

Swine & Wine presented by Pat LaFrieda Meats hosted by Debi Mazar & Gabriele Corcos (Sunday, February 26; This event is $150/person for 21+ and $75/person for under 21 years old). More than a dozen chefs and South Florida dignitaries will put their best pork forward for a roast of unparalleled proportions at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. Participating chefs include Linton Hopkins, Marc Murphy, Seamus Mullen, Jonathan Waxman, Michael White, and many more. Live music from The Chirino Sisters, exquisite sides and desserts will accent this “swiney” soirée.

Trucks on the Beach presented by Cultivate Wines: The Official Festival Closing Party hosted by Andrew Zimmern (Sunday, February 26; $95/person). The Festival and Travel Channel’s Andrew Zimmern have gathered South Florida’s hottest food trucks (and a few out-of-towners) and is parking them in the sand behind the Ritz-Carlton, South Beach for the ultimate street food celebration. There’s no better way to close-out the Festival than with some of Miami’s trendiest bites and overflowing Cultivate Wines.

Tickets and more information about the 2012 Festival are available at www.sobefest. com and via phone at 877.762.3933. An on-site box office will also be open at 13th Street and Ocean Drive starting Tuesday, February 21. Fans can follow Festival Founder and Director Lee Brian Schrager on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Lee_Schrager or at the Festival’s official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SOBEWFF.

About the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by FOOD & WINE All proceeds from the Festival benefit the students of the Florida International University Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management who also assist Festival organizers with sponsorship fulfillment, restaurant and exhibitor recruitment, logistics, and inventory as well as working alongside some of the world’s greatest celebrity chefs and winemakers.

The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by FOOD & WINE is produced by Florida International University and Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida with the support of the Miami Beach Visitors & Convention Authority and the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. For more information about the Festival, visit www.sobewineandfoodfest. com or call 877-762-3933.

For more information about Florida International University visit www.fiu.edu, for the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management visit www.hospitality.fiu.edu and for more information about Southern Wine & Spirits visit www.southernwine.com.


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