Text & Photography by Nycole Sariol Crowds spilled into South Beach by the dozens for South Beach Wine and Food Festival 2014. Only Miami could pull off the unabated gathering of celebrity and local chefs, big-time sponsorship from heavy-hitters like Whole Foods, and live performances from American classics like Sammy Hagar, jam-packed into one mini-weekend. However, the weekend was anything but mini. Celebrity faces like Anthony Bourdain and Emeril Lagasse made palatial appearances to help monumentalize the four-day event, along with other star-studded chefs such as Andrew Zimmern, Giada De Laurentiis, and Eric Ripert. A bevy of tents and booths secured the powdered beaches, separating them from the tourist-driven chaos of Ocean Drive with but a mere sidewalk. Foot-traffic densely invaded every square- inch of the designated grounds that read SoBeWFF overhead the said premises. A fete of household names like Barilla seized the influx of booths, generously stacking plates full of pastas and fresh shrimp salads, catering to the mile long lines of famished tummies, all lusting for the same thing – food. The sin of gluttony was heavily abetted while local and non-local patrons alike partook in wine tasting, refreshing alcoholic consumption, and hearty snacks under the immensity of the Whole Foods Grand Tasting Village tent. Local bars and restaurants waited on the thousands hand and foot, shoving their most prized and signature dishes down their throats, restoring their energy to down some more delicacies apace and throw back an even bigger wave of liquor the second time around at booth destinations like the Cruzan Rum Bar – a SoBeWFF fave! Within the brimming confines of this tasting village, one was bound to bump into mega-mouths like Mr. Nice guy and this year’s Burger Bash winner, Michael Symon, at the Costello Booth, featuring his Bonus Burger of the day. Outside of the Whole Foods circus of food fetishes and freaks, Anthony Bourdain sat along side his buddies and culinary accomplices to talk all things New Orleans and the HBO series Treme – to which Bourdain will take the title of writer monkey for the series’ upcoming season – as aspiring literates and food junkies swooned over their fearless leader. But as Bourdain bid adieu to his faithful admirers, and night swallowed day, legends like Sammy Hagar were joined by kitchen extraordinaire Emeril Lagasse to host Emeril and Sammy’s Rockin Beach Party presented by Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum and Cabo Wabo Tequila. The event sat right outside the world-class Delano Hotel where folks with a distinct penchant for pastilitos – a Cuban pastry usually replete with guava and cream cheese – and other fried morsels of the Cuban variety, enjoyed bite-sized versions of Versailles signature dishes in booths that occupied the outskirts of the celebrated event. When it came time for song and dance, the host of the night, Emeril Lagasse, gave a warm welcome to his long-time friend and musical mastermind, Sammy Hagar. Loud stage lights and a sea of glares from forty-something year-olds’ iCameras illuminated the night. The act of inebriation and eating oneself into oblivion wasn’t the only form of entertainment on the menu that weekend. While the X, Y, and Millennial generation had their “adult time” on the beach, the kiddies were given a special time of their own. On the other side of The MacArthur Causeway on Parrot Island, kids of all ages awoke the chef from within, as Chef Lorenzo Boni from Barilla introduced a fun yet healthy cooking class for youngsters to understand the importance of maintaining a balanced diet. Joy inordinately inhibited the children’s faces when they caught news of what would be cooked up in Boni’s cauldron of goodies. Orzo and Zucchini Lasagna were the Italian cuisine contenders that set the perfect balance of showing the kids that it is possible to gorge themselves while doing so in a nutritious manner. While Chef Lorenzo and his assistant and nutritionist, Ana Rosales, treated the kids to knowledge, outsiders found leisure by getting their faces painted and messing around in the fun zone with their besties. Memories of affinity left a stamp on the weekend best known for its wine and food. Along the way, we look back on and observe the four tons of protein engulfed; the 100 bunches of cilantro garnishing our plates, and the 3,860 hours of preparation it took to create such a gastronomically momentous celebration by the people whom we trust day in and day out with our minds, our mouths, and our guts – the chefs; because at the end of it all, chef knows best. Click here to view full story in the March/April 2014 issue.
