It took a little recovery before recapping my week at the recent 2011 South Beach Wine & Food Festival in Miami Beach, FL. The three-day affair of delicious foods prepared by celebrity chefs from the Food Network, tropical libations from the top spirits companies and stellar wines from all over the world is must-do for any self-proclaimed foodie, but a tiring one, to say the least. This annual event, which brings the likes of gourmet moguls from Anthony Bordain and Paula Deen to Bobby Flay and Giada DeLaurentiis, is a "Culinary Spring Break" that leaves you feeling like you were just on a real one...every so slightly burnt out. But I'm not complaining: South Beach is truly the highlight of my career, the festival I dreamed of attending when I first discovered food and wine, flipping through glossy advertisements in my epicurean magazines. And now, I'm living to tell about it...
For our team, the week begins on Tuesday, when we make the cross-country trek from San Francisco to Miami. After our day of travel, we check into The Raleigh on Collins Avenue, just a 15-minute walk from the festival tents on the sand, order a bottle of rose (we're still on Pacific time) and their signature chips and guacamole and a tin of frites. After enjoying our late night snack on the patio, it's time for our team to retreat to our rooms, and drift off to sleep.
The first morning, we decide to meet at a reasonable 12 noon. The down time is nice as the rest of the week will be consumed by festival activities--morning through night. I take the time to run along the beach, a luxury most of us don't get everyday, and take in the sights and sounds of colorful South Beach. On my way back, I see police escorts leading catering trucks on the sand toward the enormous, gleaming white Grand Tasting tents off in the in distance. The energy is already picking up for SOBE 2011!
