Ever wonder what it would be like to immerse yourself in a tropical location with your favorite celebrity chefs for the weekend to eat, drink, and explore some of the best the food world has to offer? I hate to brag, but I can now say that I do! The white sandy beaches of South Beach Miami played host to the ultimate Foodie Spring Break as Food Network hosted their 9th annual Wine and Food Festival.
One of my best friends and foodie partner in crime Julie and I drove down to Miami on Friday for a weekend we had been planning for months, it was like waiting for Christmas to come we were both so excited. Neither of us had ever been to this event before so we were definitely newbies and weren’t quite sure what to expect. Our first stop once we arrived in town was to get all dolled up and hit the art deco strip to attend the Mischieve in the Garden of Agave party sponsored by Hornitos Tequila at the Sagamore Hotel. The name alone sounded exciting and I love tequila, so we were pumped and ready to mingle.
As soon as we entered the poolside garden we were greeted by cocktail waitresses passing out tasty “Hornarita’s” and we could hear the DJ playing some fun 80′s music. Once we made it to the pool area we saw two mermaids swimming in the pool, not something i’ve ever seen before. While the tickets weren’t cheap ($85) once we entered the party we were treated to all we could drink creative cocktails like a Juan Collins and Hornipolitan and we made sure we got our money’s worth. Considering that the club we went to after the party was charging $20 for one cocktail, I’d say we got a pretty good deal!
It goes without saying that the next morning we were dragging a little bit, but we were both so pumped to start day one of the Whole Foods Grand Tasting Village that we found a way to push through. The Tasting Village was the main event of the festival and we had purchased tickets to both Saturday and Sunday. When we walked up to the entrance on Ocean Drive and 13th street I was stunned by the line of people waiting to get in. We stood in line for about 10 minutes before we realized that we had fast pass tickets and there was a VIP entrance! (I have to thank American Express for being such a great sponsor of this event and giving me the opportunity to buy our tickets pre-sale so we could get in so zippy). When we entered the welcome tent we were handed a reusuable swag bag filled with all kinds of goodies and coupons, and then the best part, a beautiful Waterford Marquis wine glass that we would use to sample drinks throughout the event. After walking through a line of cute french boys pouring us wine we climbed the hump over the sand and saw the endless line of white tents ahead. We both went “ahhh” like little school girls.
As soon as you enter the festival it is overwhelming. Our first stop was to sit down and catch the tail end of Bobby Flay’s demonstration so we could collect our thoughts and plan our strategy. The day was filled with demonstrations, sampling, and partying with a very eclectic and fun group of festival goers. I could write a novel about the entire experience, but I think my pictures tell the best story. Enjoy my photo essay chronicling my foodie spring break.
Julie and I posing at the event entrance with our Waterford wine glasses and cute french boys
Outside the Tasting Village was packed with people checking out the sponsor tents and looking for celebrity chef's
The first cooking demo we saw was Rachael Ray's. She was so great live and made two awesome sliders, fried chicken with honey and hot sauce on a biscuit, and ground tuna steak coated in panko and sesame seeds.
Sunny Anderson was hanging out in the Viva Towels tent and serving up her smokey and sweet South Beach Chicken Wings. You definitely needed the Viva Towel!
This was the crowd inside Tasting Village tent #2. We started in the back and worked our way forward, but we could only get through one tent per day.
Bethenny Frankel of Real Housewives fame makes a delicious and lo-cal margarita that comes pre-mixed and tastes really yummy.
Nikki Beach, one of South Beach's most popular hot spots, was serving up a coconut crusted prawn on a stick. There were a lot of food on a stick creations throughout the festival.
La Tourangelle oils was sampling some amazing nut based oils, great quality and wide variety. I have already picked up a bottle of walnut oil at home.
The Cruzan Rum party village was the place to be with a guy singing and jamming away on his steel drums.
Julie and I stopped at the Cruzan Rum party village for some mojitos.
Ever seen raw alligator? Sort of looks like chicken, tastes like rubber though.
Food Network stars were walking around casually throughout the event, we stopped to take a picture with Melissa D'arabian, Claire Robinson, Alex Guarnaschelli, and Anne Burrell.
After watching the hilarious cooking demo by the Neely's, we stood in line so Julie could get her book signed by Pat and Gina. And yes, they are that lovey dovey in person.
The end of the day it started to pour rain, but in true south Florida style, it was quick and ended with this beautiful rainbow over the ocean.
Day two we got to watch Emeril in action, he made a great sangria, orzo risotto and orange red snapper. Bam!
Sunny Anderson was so bright and cherry, loved her. She also told us she was wearing her "south beach wig". Gotta love her keepin it real!
Carapelli Olive Oil served up 4 dishes, my favorite was the organic chocolate cake made with olive oil.
Taking a break and sipping on an Aperol and Prosecco cocktail. It is the top selling liquor in Italy and has a bitter orange flavor.
Blow fish ceviche served in a cute little ice cream cone. Delicious!
Jelly Belly was showing off a lot of new flavors, plus these custom decorated treats.
Paula Deen was running late so Bobby Flay hopped on stage to keep us entertained.
Paula finally showed up, and wow, what a hilarious demo, she didn't cook anything and instead told us crazy stories. Warning, she is not as wholesome as she comes across on TV.
After her show we got to meet Paula and her husband Michael. Hey Ya'll!
Le Grand was serving us tasty tapenade and pesto out of squeeze tubes.
Danny Devito's restaurant Devito served up one of my favorite dishes of the festival, a four cheese and pear tortelloni topped with truffle butter.
If you like blended wines like Conundrum, then you should try Seven Sisters. A great blend of seven different grapes.
A perfect refreshing treat, blood orange gelato.
Inside the Celebrate France tent we loved this inexpensive wine, Patch Block.
Nothing goes better with wine than cheese, and this creamy and buttery St. Andre may be my new favorite.
A beautiful sunset over the Atlantic, perfect way to end the festival.
When all was said and done, I walked away from this weekend feeling a complete high on life. I experienced some amazing food and wine, met my favorite celebrity chef’s, and learned creative ways to use new ingredients. The cost of the tickets for two days was $360, which may sound like a lot, but considering the sheer amount of food and wine we consumed, combined with the free stuff they were giving away all day it was worth every penny. If you get the opportunity to attend next year you have to go! Next year is the 10th anniversary and I have a feeling they will be pulling out all the stops. I plan on taking advantage of more of the dinner parties held throughout the weekend like Rachael Ray’s Burger Bash and Emeril’s BubbleQ. Thanks for reading about my journey, I hope it has inspired you to start saving for next year!
Tara O'Keeffe