Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival
The date for this annual event has passed. A new date will be provided when available.
By: Angela Caraway-Carlton | Apr. 8, 2021
Greater Miami’s Best Shine at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival®
Pack your most fashionable stretchy pants and a big appetite for the Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival by Capital One (SOBEWFF®), a four-day culinary extravaganza taking center stage in Greater Miami, May 20 through May 23, 2021. While SOBEWFF® will look a little different this year, hungry fans can still expect star-studded private dinners, alfresco grand tastings, and outdoor cooking extravaganzas hosted by their favorite chefs. And there’s plenty of reason to celebrate: This year marks the festival’s 20th anniversary, with a moveable feast of 68 events spread throughout multiple venues.
In addition to serving up memorable culinary experiences, the festival’s top priority this year is the safety of attendees and staff, as well as boosting the hospitality industry that has been hit hard by the pandemic. Expect lots of local love, as Greater Miami chefs and restaurants make up 80 percent of the event’s lineup. Of course, festival-goers will also spot celebrity chefs such as Bobby Flay, Giada De Laurentiis, Guy Fieri, Scott Conant, Marcus Samuelsson, Masaharu Morimoto, and many more.
Health & Safety Protocols at SOBEWFF®
To ensure that everyone feels comfortable, SOBEWFF® has gone to great lengths to put enhanced health and safety protocols in place, limiting events to 50 percent capacity and moving most events outdoors. What that means for guests: expansive, open-air spaces for social distancing, plenty of picturesque beach views, and sipping fine wines and cocktails poolside at some of Greater Miami’s top resorts.
An important note: Attendees must complete a health screening prior to the event. In addition, they must show proof of a negative Covid-19 PCR test dated no more than 72 hours prior to the event or proof of complete vaccination. Once at the event, expect temperature checks, contact-less procedures, and sanitation stations. Masks are required.
Can’t-Miss Classics at SOBEWFF®
Signature events that festival fanatics look forward to every year are back again with extra flair.
Carnivores should flock to the long-running Heineken Burger Bash at the newly refreshed Ritz-Carlton, South Beach on Friday, May 21, where superstar chef Bobby Flay will help celebrate 15 years of the popular event.
One of the most coveted tickets of the festival, Wine Spectator’s Best of the Best, is moving to the sprawling poolside lawn of the oceanfront Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel with sessions on both Friday and Saturday nights (May 21 and 22). Sample dishes from 30 of Greater Miami’s best chefs (as well as others from around the U.S.) along with heralded wines rated at 90 points and higher.
After six years on pause, fan-favorite Moët & Chandon BubbleQ makes a Champagne-infused comeback on Saturday, May 22, at Miami Beach’s iconic Delano Hotel. Split into two beachside sessions to reduce crowds and hosted by celebrity chef Guy Fieri, the event will give attendees the opportunity to gobble up mouthwatering barbeque as the bubbly flows.
The revered Tribute Dinner moves outdoors at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel on Saturday, May 22, when Miami royalty Gloria and Emilio Estefan will lead the ceremonies honoring Italian chef and author Giada De Laurentiis as well as Eduardo M. Sardiña, the former CEO of Bacardi USA. Look forward to live performances by the Estefans and over-the-top food by Loews Executive Chef Frederic Delaire, Michael Pirolo of Macchialina , and Fabio Trabocchi of Fiola Miami.
If your best-loved event is wandering the open-air tents of the Goya Foods’ Grand Tasting Village, this year will be a dream-come-true. There will be daily sessions on both Saturday, May 22, and Sunday, May 23, which means no lines or bumping shoulders in the tents that run the length of four football fields.
New Events at SOBEWFF®
For those festival regulars who’ve done it all, there are new events to devour. One of the biggest will be the SOBEWFF® 20th Anniversary Celebration on Thursday, May 20, hosted by culinary-entertaining queen, Martha Stewart, and Miami’s nightlife guru, David Grutman. Taking center stage at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach’s expansive poolscape, the birthday bash is sure to “break the internet” thanks to a surprise performance by a GRAMMY® Award-winning artist and plates of Popeyes® famous crispy chicken sandwich.
Pro tip: Snag tickets to Carbone Fine Food’s Italian Bites on the Beach, also on May 20, helmed by Giada De Laurentiis. Carbone is one of the hottest reservations in town, and if you haven’t tried their amazing spicy rigatoni or meatballs, this might be your chance!
Expect rock music (and tequila) at the Sunset Happy Hour on Friday, May 21, with Guy Fieri and rock legend Sammy Hagar. This event takes place at The Deck at Island Gardens, known for its stunning sunsets and bay views.
The foodie fêtes continue with the decadent Celebration Dessert Party! 20 Years of Miami Spice and SOBEWFF® on Saturday, May 22. Led by celebrity chef Scott Conant, this dessert-centric event celebrates Miami’s “OG” Miami Spice chefs. What could be better than eating fabulous desserts while lounging around the National Hotel’s infinity-edge pool?
Miami has seen an abundance of sushi restaurant openings recently, and the Rockin’ Sushi event at the Ritz-Carlton, South Beach on Saturday, May 22, boasts an incredible lineup including Azabu, Pubbelly Sushi , and Tanuki (look forward to creative rolls paired with blasting rock n’ roll).
Private Dinners at SOBEWFF®
Intimate dinners are some of the festival’s best immersive experiences, where guests can truly get to know the chefs and their talents.
A strong focus on Miami-grown chefs prevails at the new Locals Only Dinner at Lot 6 on Thursday, May 20. Miami all-stars Zak Stern of Zak the Baker, Alex Meyer and Luciana Giangrandi of Boia De, and Cary Hynes of Jaguar Sun team up in the kitchen for a standout meal.
That same night, a haute dinner with Ignacio Mattos – a restaurateur rock star who has hit the “World’s 50 Best Restaurants” list – takes place at newcomer Layla restaurant. Or, head to Bachour in Coral Gables for a private dinner by beloved Miami chef Michelle Bernstein and pastry artist Antonio Bachour to celebrate the launch of “Mango and Peppercorns: A Memoir of Food, an Unlikely Family, and the American Dream” by Tung Nguyen and Katherine Manning, the culinary geniuses behind the former Hy-Vong Vietnamese restaurant.
Get Tickets to SOBEWFF®
Tickets range in price from free fitness events to $15 for family fun events and extend as high as $600 for premier events. Grab your tickets now at sobewff.org to ensure you’ll be part of celebrating 20 years of culinary excellence in Greater Miami.