Yes, this is Florida and this is a South Beach festival, but, in many ways, it’s a Hollywood party. The five-day — deep breath — Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival, presented by Capital One, (SOBEWFF), is put on each year by those big-time food and cooking channels to gather celebrity chefs, culinary personalities, winemakers, spirit producers, the hospitality industry at large, and outright celebrities to raise the profile of some brand or another. It’s where you’ll see culinary personalities like Andrew Zimmern, Anne Burrell, Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse, Guy Fieri, Marcus Samuelsson and Nancy Silverton, depending on the year. It’s also where you can do beachside yoga with Kate Hudson before trying a cocktail made with her new Vodka brand. Or dine with Eva Longria at the Pérez Art Museum on a meal designed to compliment her own tequila brand. Or, attend a happy hour at a swanky hotel beach club with Adam Levine and Behati Prinsloo while the married couple promotes — you guessed it — their new tequila.
Spirits are high during the five days in Miami Beach, but the gourmet gathering has more than celebrity sightings and imbibing. There’s also cooking demonstrations and ample opportunity to try products made by less famous, but just as innovative companies. The Grand Tasting Village, one of the marquee events and in a venue that takes up three city blocks, will serve bites from 30 South Florida restaurants. Rachel Ray’s Burger Bash, another marquee event, is also a crowd favorite. Burgers from across the country compete for Schweid & Sons’ Very Best Burger Award, and thousands come to sample and vote on the entries.
More than 55,000 attended the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival 2021, according to the festival’s official recap.
A local news preview of the 2021 event:
FAQ
What is Souther Glazer’s affiliation with the Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival?
- Southern Glazer is the exclusive provider of the wine & spirits for the South Beach Wine & Food Festival.
What is the relationship between the festival and the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Florida International University (FIU)?
- Florida International University hosts the festival.
How far is Wynwood from where the festival is held?
- The Wynwood neighborhood is anywhere from six to eight miles away depending on where you’re going the route you take.
Where does the event take place?
- The South Beach Wine & Food Festival is held over five days in various venues in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
Who founded the festival?