Last night, the Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival continued with inarguably its hottest event of the year: the Heineken Light Burger Bash presented by Schweid & Sons, hosted by Guy Fieri! Taking place under the festival tents behind The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach, this event welcomed thousands of food lovers to enjoy 40+ restaurants and chefs, an A-list judges panel, and of course, mouthwatering burgers.
After Rachael Ray’s 11-year reign as hostess, this year’s Burger BashⓇ welcomed Food Network rockstar, Guy Fieri, as its host. As guests mingled, drank Heineken beer, jammed out to live music, ate tons of burgers, and of course, cast their vote for the “Heineken Light People’s Choice Award,” Guy Fieri and the celebrity panel of judges—Bravo TV’s Andy Cohen, @foodgod Jonathan Cheban, Miami nightlife guru David Grutman, renowned fashion designer and cookbook author Zac Posen, Food Network personality Marc Murphy and actress Lele Pons—cast their vote for the best bun. 
Competing for either title were burgers from across the nation and some of South Florida’s most standout spots, like Quality Meats Miami Beach {1501 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 305.340.3333}, Swine Southern Table & Bar, Pincho Factory, Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen & Bar, and Pinch Kitchen, to name a few. While every burger was great, our favorite bite of the night was the The Pizza & Burger Juicy Lucy (P.B.J.L.) with pepperoni, tomato confit, lettuce, and smoked mozzarella on a crispy garlic bun from Pizza & Burger by Michael Mina {4441 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 305.674.4636}.
By the end of the night, the winners were chosen and stomachs were full. Coral Gables favorite Swine Southern Table & Bar took home the Heineken Light People’s Choice Award, PLANTA took home the award for the Best Plant-Based Burger, Kendall’s very own Barley Miami took home Red Robin’s Best of the Bash Award, and Alex Guarnaschelli’s BUTTER took home the Schweid & Sons The Very Best Burger Award.
During SOBEWFF, more that 60,000 locals and visitors alike attend hundreds of walk-around-tastings, signature events, celebrity chef dinners, late-night parties, workshops, dessert events, food competitions, and more. Some fan favorite events include: Fontainebleau Miami Beach presents Wine Spectator’s Best of the Best, Heineken Light Burger Bash presented by Schweid & Sons hosted by Guy Fieri, Goya Foods’ Grand Tasting Village, BACARDÍ presents Walshy Fire’s Rum & Bass Beach Party, and Southern Kitchen Brunch hosted by Trisha Yearwood. The 2018 event saw celebrities, celebrity chefs, and event hosts like José Andrés, Giada De Laurentiis, Guy Fieri, Bobby Flay, Duff Goldman, Anne Burrell, Robert Irvine, Scott Conant, Emeril Lagasse, Michael Schwartz, Jonathan “Foodgod” Cheban, Katie Lee, Marcus Samuelsson, Guy Fieri, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten, to name a few.
Happy SOBEWFF!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor