Thousands Flock to South Beach for 15th Annual Food and Wine Festival

The 15th annual Food Network and Cooking Channel South Beach Wine and Food Festival (#sobewff) was a food lover’s delight! Thousands of *foodies were in for a treat as Food Network and Cooking Channel stars Giada De Laurentiis, Bobby Flav, Geoffrey Zakarian, Marcus Samuelson, Rachel Ray, Robert Irvine, Aaron Sanchez, Ann Burrell and more whisked their culinary skills to sunny South Miami Beach, Florida. Gourmet

This year’s quintessential South Beach Wine and Food Festival reunited food stars, celebrities, guests and fans! For four days, South Beach is transformed into a foodie’s paradise. Die-hard foodies converged on South Beach for good food, wine, cooking demos, signature events, book signings, kids cooking, seminars, workshops, brunches, late night parties, cocktails and more!  SOBEWFF is an atmosphere that you just don’t want to go away!  The aroma of the beach and the iconic food creates a tempting force for your palate.

The ultimate challenge was the Friday night Burger Bash. Burgers, burgers and more burgers! We taste tested burgers on a bun, burgers in a pita, burgers with cheese and burgers with Today’s Show host Al Roker! Also hip hopping around South Beach was Food Channel TV Star Run DMC and his wife Justine! Saturday, on Miami Beach, we mean literally on the beach, close to the shore of the Atlantic Ocean was a bevy of food, crowds and options to eat, drink and be merry. #sobewff grants fans the opportunity to tweet your eats, purchase wine bottle stoppers, books, wine, spirits, and exclusive household décor and appliances.

Miami Beach Lowes Hotel is the designated host hotel. Entering the lobby you never know who might meet!  We met American musician, singer and songwriter Gregg Allman of the famed Allman Brothers, ready to rock and roll and taste test too! Book signings were also non-stop as Rachel Ray was eager to sign copies of her book, while Robert Irvine muscled his way to the cooking stage. We ran into Jacksonville Chef DeJuan Roy and his Bride Sharon Roy. This is Chef DeJuan Roy’s 5th year attending the festival. For over two years Chef DeJuan was featured as corporate event chef for Florida Blue’s SOBEWFF sponsored “Fun and Fit” Family event at Jungle Island.  Chef DeJuan Roy is currently the executive chef of the Jacksonville, Florida’s Alhambra Theatre and Dining where he manages the culinary operations creating distinct menus for each show.

According to SOBEWFF’s website, SOBEWFF philanthropic efforts contribute to Miami’s tourist industry and bring foodies from all over the world to South Beach to engage in food connoisseur consumption: “The Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by FOOD & WINE is a national, star-studded, four-day destination event showcasing the talents of the world’s most renowned wine and spirits producers, chefs and culinary personalities. Hosted by Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida and Florida International University (FIU), the Festival benefits FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management and the Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center. To date, the Festival has raised more than $22 million for the School.”

What is a foodie? According to Google: “A *foodie is a person who has an ardent or refined interest in food and alcoholic beverages. A foodie seeks new food experiences as a hobby rather than simply eating out of convenience or hunger.” Prepare your plate and palate for next year now!!!! For more visit www.sobefest.com.

 

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