The Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival Presented by Capital One (SOBEWFF®) recently unveiled an unprecedented star-studded 21st birthday lineup. Widely recognized as one of America’s favorite gourmet gatherings on the beach, the four-day Festival returns to the sand Feb. 24-27 and will feature over 90 events spanning Miami-Dade and Broward counties. For the 21st installment, Food Network & Cooking Channel personalities and more than 400 chefs and wine and spirit producers will come together to create an epicurean celebration comprised of walk-around tastings, intimate dinners, late-night parties, brunches, lunches, masterclasses, wine seminars and more!
Kicking off the festivities on Thursday, Feb. 24, is the iconic chef, restaurateur, Emmy Award-winning TV host and the Mayor of Flavortown himself, Guy Fieri, as he hosts the NEW Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives LIVE! With roadside diners, vintage drive-ins and out-of-the-way “dives,” guests will get a taste of Guy Fieri’s travels across America as they sling backbites from more than 25 eateries in search of the best “greasy spoon” featured on the hit show.
That week, the Festival’s iconic open-air tasting tents return to the shores of South Beach with a mash-up of new and classic events slatted to showcase the nation’s most talented chefs and lifestyle personalities. Events include:
· The 16th annual Burger Bash® returns as the Red Stripe Burger Bash presented by Schweid & Sons® hosted by Rachael Ray and José Andrés. (Friday, Feb. 25)
- Goya Foods’ Grand Tasting Village featuring Publix Culinary Demonstrations sponsored by Sub-Zero Group Southeast will highlight fan-favorite Food Network and Cooking Channel personalities and the nation’s most celebrated chefs! (Saturday, Feb. 26 and Sunday, Feb. 27)
- A reimagined Tacos & Tequila presented by Tequila Cazadores hosted by Aarón Sánchez will feature various iterations of Mexico’s most iconic dish. (Saturday, Feb. 26)
- BACARDI Carnival hosted by Andrew Zimmern returns to close out the 21st annual Festival with the ultimate beach party! (Sunday, Feb. 27)
Those looking to experience casual elegance can make their way to the Miami Design District—the city’s premier neighborhood and shopping destination. The Miami Design District Event Series—taking place exclusively during Festival weekend—will be anchored at the iconic Jungle Plaza and feature a slew of new events that celebrate the District’s innovative fashion, architecture, design and world-class dining. Highlights include:
- Steak and Whiskey hosted by Michael Symon, the undisputed King of Carnivores! (Thursday, Feb. 24)
- Live a dose of la bella vita during A Taste of Italy hosted by Anne Burrell. (Friday, Feb. 25)
- Vice City Tapas & Craft Cocktails hosted by Michelle Bernstein will showcase the city’s best bites paired perfectly with Miami-inspired craft cocktails. (Saturday, Feb. 26)
Keep the party going with one of the Festival’s highly sought-after brunches. Nightlife and hospitality industry leader David Grutman is teaming up once more with GRAMMY® Award-winning artist and producer Pharrell for a Williams Family Kitchen Soul Food Brunch hosted by Pharoah and Pharrell Williams at SWAN on Saturday, Feb. 26. Drag Brunch hosted by Kalen Allen featuring Mistresses of Ceremonies Kim Chi & Athena Dion will celebrate the LGBTQ community and its unique culture and influence on South Florida on Sunday, Feb. 25. That same day, Emmy® Award-winning host of the Food Network series Trisha’s Southern Kitchen, Trisha Yearwood, returns to host her signature Southern Kitchen Brunch at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel. Are you looking to set fire to your taste buds? Experience a Korean barbecue-style Brunch hosted by Andrew Zimmern and David Shim at one of the city’s hottest restaurants to open this year, COTE.
Guests looking to sharpen their cooking skills alongside the experts should snag seats to one of the Festival’s Master Classes! Choose from various classes such as Craft Cocktail-Making at Sweet Liberty, a Pasta-Making Class and Lunch with Michael Pirolo, Bread-Making with Sullivan Street Bakery, Ramen-Making with InRamen, a Spice-Making Class with Adeena Sussman and more!
The Festival’s crown jewel, Tribute Dinner, will take place on Saturday, Feb. 26 and honor the outstanding accomplishments of the culinary community’s beloved and iconic Guy Fieri, along with Bill and Peter Deutsch of Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits. James Beard Award-winning chef and 2017 SOBEWFF® Tribute Dinner honoree José Andrés will serve as the Master of Ceremonies. Later that evening, join Guy Fieri’s Late Night Party under the stars hosted by 90’s icon GRAMMY® Award-winner and frontman of the legendary group RUN DMC, Rev Run.
A plethora of unique one-night-only collaborations hosted by some of the country’s most critically acclaimed chefs and paired with a variety of high-end wines and spirits from the Festival’s exclusive provider, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, will accent this year’s Intimate Dinner Series. Participating chefs and personalities include Daniel Boulud, Eva Longoria Bastón, Marcus Samuelsson, Laurent Tourondel, Nyesha Arrington, Mario Carbone, Maneet Chauhan, Michael White, Esther Choi, Ming Tsai, Nobu Matsuhisa, Ed Szymanski and Patricia Howard, Fabio Viviani, Amanda Freitag, Akira Back, Jonathan Waxman, Sarah Grueneberg, Marc Forgione, Aarti Sequeira, George Mendes, Lorena Garcia and Stephanie Izard.
As part of the entry requirements for SOBEWFF®, all attendees must complete a digital health screening through SymCheck™. This process includes attestation of either: a negative COVID-19 test no more than 72 hours before the event OR completed vaccination plus the presentation of a cleared SymCheck™ QR Code. For full details on the Festival’s Health & Safety Protocols, please visit sobewff.org/health-safety-protocols.
To date, the Festival has raised more than $31.8 million in support of its educational mission to cultivate the hospitality industry’s future leaders at the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Florida International University (FIU). Between SOBEWFF® and its sister NYCWFF, more than $45 million has been raised to benefit the respective charities of each Festival. Beyond the funds raised, both Festivals draw attention to the vibrant dining cultures of their respective cities, provide economic stimulus in their communities, and serve as a platform to drive awareness and engagement for a wide array of philanthropic activities.
SAVE THE DATE: The exclusive Capital One cardholder pre-sale for the 2022 Festival begins Monday, Nov. 8 at 9:00 AM EST online at sobewff.org or by calling 866.271.8540 (phone sales open Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM EST).
General ticket sales begin at midnight on Monday, Nov. 15. The complete line-up of events for the 21st annual Festival is now available online at sobewff.org. Stay up to date all year long by following along with the #SOBEWFF hashtag on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Brightline will also be offering a free shuttle that gets riders to all the delicious SOBEWFF action on South Beach. The shuttle departs approximately 10 minutes after each train arrival into MiamiCentral. SOBEWFF shuttles will be available from Thursday, Feb. 24 through Sunday, Feb. 27. For the first time, riders can also reserve a complimentary Brightline+ ride, Brightline’s new door-to-door booking service, for quick and seamless transportation to all these events. Brightline riders are encouraged to book a shared or private ride, at least 2 hours in advance. During both action-packed weekends, all three Brightline stations will also offer $5 drink specials.
I’m going!!!