Returning once again for its 19th year, The Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Capital One (SOBEWFF®) hosts a nationally-renowned, five-day destination event featuring the talents of the world’s most celebrated chefs, culinary personalities and wine and spirits producers. The star-studded Festival will run February 19-23, 2020 and is composed of an unprecedented lineup of more than 100 events spanning Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. With a variety of new offerings and the return of the Festival’s iconic white tents nestled on the sands of Miami Beach, this year’s edition boasts the most robust event roster yet. To date, the Festival has raised more than $30 million in support of its mission to EAT. DRINK. EDUCATE., benefiting the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Florida International University (FIU).

Prior to becoming one of the best-known culinary festivals in the U.S., the Festival originated from humble beginnings. From the initial, modest showcasing of both national and international wineries alongside Miami’s local restaurant and chef creations, and in collaboration with students from the Chaplin School, the now-extravaganza made exponential growth. Not without the vision and ambition of Founder and Director Lee Brian Schrager, though; it was his idea to relocate the Festival to South Beach and thus breathe into it new life.

The renamed South Beach Wine & Food Festival® was then held in March of 2002 and attracted close to 7,000 guests, providing a series of dinners, seminars, a Grand Tasting Village, the debut of the BubbleQ®, and a live auction—all in its first year. Now, the Festival attracts more than 65,000 guests annually to its 100+ events throughout the five-day event, which takes place at various locations throughout South Florida.

For foodies wondering where to start, we suggest kicking off your Festival lineup with signature fan-favorites such as the Heineken Burger Bash hosted by Rachael Ray, or Fontainebleau Miami Beach presents Wine Spectator’s Best of the Best, which features 60 of the nation’s top chefs and over 100 wines rated 90 points or higher on Wine Spectator’s scale. This year’s festival will also see the return of the popular CRAVE Greater Fort Lauderdale Series, a variety of curated experiences designed to showcase some of the best of Broward County. This includes the addition of the family-friendly Foodie Movie Night in the Park event, taking place both Saturday and Sunday of the Festival weekend in the City of Hallandale Beach. This diverse weekend of culinary and beverage celebration will also contain a slew of musical performances including American Idol winner Laine Hardy, the Nu Deco Ensemble with a special guest performance by GRAMMY Award-winner Rev Run, as well as the return of the wildly popular David Grutman Experience at the Goya Foods’ Grand Tasting Village.

The 19th annual Festival lineup also offers a variety of new events for $100 or less, including the Chef Mash-Up hosted by The Naughty Fork; Sip & Dips hosted by Adam Richman; Croquetas & Cocktails hosted by Eileen & Jonathan Andrade; and Miami Design District presents Sliced: A Genuine Pizza Party hosted by Michael Schwartz. Fans will, of course, have their pick from the exclusive selection of masterclasses, intimate dinners, and walk-around tastings with some of the world’s most talented chefs and lifestyle personalities.

This year’s Tribute Dinner, presented by Capital One®, will be part of The NYT Cooking Dinner Series with Andrew Zimmern and Melba Wilson serving as the Masters of Ceremonies. Zimmern and Wilson will oversee an evening paying homage to the outstanding accomplishments of the culinary community’s beloved Chef Marcus Samuelsson and beverage industry’s revered leader, Jim Clerkin. Samuelsson is a highly acclaimed chef and international restaurateur with over 30 restaurant locations across the world. Clerkin currently serves as president and CEO of Moët Hennessy North America and will transition to a new role as president of Moët Hennessy’s strategic development. Tickets are now on sale for SOBEWFF® 2020 can be found online, sobewff.org

By DiningOut Staff