Each and every year, chefs of all kinds take to the sandy beaches of South Beach to for the annual South Beach Wine and Food Festival. It’s four days of fun and eating under the bright Miami sun. Three of the Design District’s top chefs starred in marquee events during the foodie-friendly weekend, exhibiting the finest cuisine the Design District has to offer.
Photo: Michael Schwartz
Michael Schwartz, the executive chef and owner of three of the Design District’s most popular spots — Michael’s Genuine Food and Drink, Harry’s Pizzeria and The Cypress Room — hosted the exclusive “Cobaya Dinner” with Andrew Zimmern, Chris Cosentino and Makoto Okuwa. The dinner, hosted on the pavilion at the Perez Art Museum Miami, was meant for only the most adventurous of foodies who followed the underground Cobaya (Spanish for “guinea pig”) dining club around Miami for the past few years.
Photo: Michelle Bernstein hosting "A League of Their Own"
Crumb on Parchment’s Michelle Bernstein played host at the female-led “A League of Their Own” lunch along with Gabrielle Hamilton and Elizabeth Falkner. The event was held inside Bernstein’s other restaurant, Seagrape, where the award-winning chefs created a multi-course feast for hungry lunch goers. No dainty dishes here- poulet rouge filled with foie sausage, cold smoked sea scallop in the shell and grilled pistachio sponge with lemon-mastic ice cream.
Photo: Dena Marino hosts "Modern Italian Feast Dinner"
Finally, Dena Marino brought the festivities to the Design District where she hosted the intimate “Modern Italian Feast Dinner” inside MC Kitchen. Along with co-host Michael Voltaggio, they created a four-course feast filled with the rustic yet refined Italian cuisine that Marino is known for. The menu included items like white truffle pizza, Florida crab arancini, heritage breed poulet rouge with heirloom potatoes and applewood relate with a rosemary ash pizelle.
This year’s South Beach Wine and Food Festival was an outstanding success raising millions of dollars for hospitality education and some of the Design District’s finest were in the forefront. If you missed these events make sure to check out their restaurants in the Design District throughout the year.
