The past few days have been a whirlwind—a dizzying series of daytime beach festivities, nighttime tastings, late-night soirees, chef meet-and-greets, cooking demonstrations, intimate dinners, burgers, pasta, barbecue, and, of course, lots and lots of free-flowing wine.
Here’s a look back on some of our favorite highlights from South Beach Wine and Food Fest 2016.
Thursday
Sobefest kicked off for us on Thursday evening with Barila’s Italian Bites on the Beach hosted by the one and only Giada De Laurentiis. The walk-around tasting event under the stars on the sand featured dozens of chefs presenting their favorite Italian dishes. The deliciousness that ensued set the tone for some of the amazing things to come.
Image courtesy of Robert Sullivan Photography
The Italian feast came to a close at 10pm, just in time for us to switch locations—and (in respect to food) continents—for Tacos After Dark at the Loews Miami Beach, presented by the Mexico City tourism board and hosted by Aarón Sánchez of “Chopped” fame. A highlight of this event was our chat with acclaimed Mexican Chef Enrique Olvera, considered one of the best Mexican chefs in the world. (Check back for our 10 Questions feature with the chef later this week.)
Image courtesy of Robert Sullivan Photography
Friday
Things started heating up on Friday night with several signature SOBEWFF events, including the Amstel Light Burger Bash presented by Schweid & Sons and hosted by Rachael Ray. The winners of the evening were Chef Masaharu Morimoto, who won the coveted People’s Choice Award for his Menchi Katsu Burger, and Miami food truck favorite Jersey Dawg’s Classic Slider, which won the judges’ Very Best Burger Award. In Addition, Boston burger masters Kathy Sidell and David Daniels of MET Back Bay wowed celebrity guest judge Andrew Zimmern to take home Red Robin’s Best of the Bash Award for its Jacques Burger.
Photo courtesy of Brian Blanco/AP Images for Red Robin
Also on Friday evening was Wine Spectator’s Best of the Best at Fontainebleau Miami Beach. The upscale event featured 60 of the nation’s top chefs showcasing their top dishes to pair with over 100 different wines, all of which were rated 90 points or higher on Wine Spectator’s scale.
Saturday
The tasting events continued Saturday at the Grand Tasting Village, an endless display of wine, food, and fun spanning several blocks on the sand, with the picture-perfect ocean as a backdrop. Cooking demonstrations were led by Rachael Ray, Neil Patrick Harris, Guy Fieri, and many other famous faces.
Saturday night, the tents in front of the Delano were once again hopping for the second-annual Meatopia, presented by Creekstone Farms and hosted by Food Network’s Michael Symon. Fire department employees were kept on hand just in case at this smoky, open-flame affair, where some of the nation’s top chefs cooked up their meatiest dishes for hundreds of carnivorous festival-goers. Each guest was given a red token to vote for their favorite bite of the evening. Miami Beach’s own Quality Meats took home the coveted People’s Choice for its thick and juicy House-Cured Slab Bacon.
Sunday
In true SOBEFEST fashion, the Grand Tasting Village did not disappoint on the final festival day, with revelers soaking up their last chance of the weekend to eat and imbibe. Food Network and Cooking Channel personalities, including Tia Mowry and Tiffany (Amber) Theissan took the stage all afternoon long presenting some of their favorite dishes to an eager crowd.
In all, the 2016 South Beach Wine and Food Festival was a huge success! The only downside is that now we have to wait an entire year for it to come again.
—Sherri Balefsky | Miami Editor