South Beach Wine & Food Festival Unveils New Schedule of Events for its 11th Year!

Chef Bobby Flay at the 2011 Festival's "Burger Bash"

Festival Founder and Director Lee Brian Schrager is pleased to unveil the program for the 2012 Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by FOOD & WINE magazine. Taking place February 23-26, 2012 the 11th annual edition of America’s favorite wine and culinary extravaganza will feature new events and programming guaranteed to please. All proceeds from the Festival benefit the Florida International University (FIU) Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management and the Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center; monies raised to date total approximately $14 million.

"Celebrating the milestone of our 10th year at the 2011 Festival was truly extraordinary,” says Schrager, who also serves as Vice President of Corporate Communications & National Events at Southern Wine & Spirits of America, which hosts the Festival. “I believe the 2012 program features a number of fresh and exciting changes as well as those events that have become fan-favorites over the years."

Tickets for the 2012 Festival go on sale at midnight on Monday, October 24, 2011 at www.sobefest.com and via phone at 9 a.m. the same day at 1-877-762-3933. American Express cardholders can access an exclusive pre-sale starting at 9 a.m. on October 10, 2011. Fans can follow Festival Founder and Director Lee Brian Schrager on Twitter, or at the Festival’s official Facebook page.  

Don't miss The Q

Transformations to the Festival program are most evident on Thursday, February 23 with a new event that takes the place of the beloved BubbleQ. Promising even more fun, the Festival will kick-off with Moët Hennessy's The Q, hosted by Emeril Lagasse and Guy Fieri.  For those who wish to partake in a late-night experience, the best part of this change is that The Q will also feature its own after-party, The Q After Dark!

The Amstel Light Burger Bash, hosted by Rachael Ray moves to Friday, February 24; a night which is also home to the eighth annual Fontainebleau Miami Beach presents Wine Spectator's Best of the Best.

The 2012 Tribute Dinner keeps its long-standing tradition of honoring the world’s greatest wine and culinary talent by paying tribute to esteemed chef Charlie Trotter and celebrated winemaker Piero Antinori. Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, Trotter's namesake restaurant in Chicago is regarded as one of the finest restaurants in the world. The Antinori reputation as innovators has grown throughout the centuries, woven through 625 years and 26 generations of winemaking, making it one of the leading Italian producers of fine wines. Author and host of the popular Travel Channel series No Reservations, Anthony Bourdain will serve as the evening’s master of ceremonies.

Capitalizing on the excitement surrounding last year’s 10th anniversary party, the Festival will again take over the stunning 1111 Lincoln Road space for Party: Impossible featuring Epicure Gourmet Market hosted by Robert Irvine. Also reinventing itself for 2012 is Food Network presents The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Late Night Bites, an event based of the hit primetime series.

Miami's own Michael Schwartz
of Michael's Genuine

Dedicated foodies will get an opportunity to savor all of famed chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author Bobby Flay’s restaurant concepts in one evening at the casual dinner The Flavors of Flay. The program is rounded out by highlighting the hottest trend in food at Trucks on the Beach hosted by Andrew Zimmern, which doubles as the official Festival closing party.

A fresh set of Wine Spectator Wine Seminars and Bank of America Lifestyle Seminars will delight everyone from the novice to the aficionado throughout the weekend. Additionally, in line with previous years, the 2012 Festival will also host an array of unique brunches and dinners to appease even the most discerning of taste buds. They include:

· Dining in the Dark hosted by David Burke with Market 17
· Conscious Bite Out with Geoffrey Zakarian
· Dolce Lunch hosted by Charles Phan at The Setai
· Farm to Table Brunch hosted by Michael Schwartz & Friends
· Interactive Lunch hosted by Anne Burrell
· Napa Style at the Mandarin hosted by Michael Chiarello and Joel Huff at Azul
· Interactive Dinner hosted by The Neelys
· Salsa @ Sea hosted by Douglas Rodriguez & Aarón Sanchez
· Sunday Supper by Meatball Shop

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