The figures are in: SoBe Wine & Food Festival raises an estimated $800,000 for SHTM

The 2005 South Beach Wine & Food Festival, which entertained more than 23,000 people in February, raised approximately $800,000 for FIU’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management (SHTM) Teaching Restaurant and the Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center at FIU-Biscayne Bay Campus. More than 100 international celebrity chefs, food personalities and world-renowned winemakers and experts wowed patrons for three straight days in what has quickly become one of the nation’s premiere food and wine festivals.

The Festival continues to make available countless opportunities for up-and-coming hoteliers, sommeliers, chefs and restaurateurs to work alongside the world’s best practitioners in every facet of the industry. Students in SHTM — one of the country’s top-ranked educators of travel, tourism, and food and beverage industry professionals — assisted organizers with sponsorship fulfillment, restaurant and exhibitor recruitment, logistics, registration and inventory. They also worked alongside celebrity chefs to prepare gourmet meals that were accompanied by fine wines and premium spirits.

Attendees feasted on gastronomic delights prepared by top names in the culinary world such as Emeril Lagasse, Mario Batali, Charlie Trotter, Norman Van Aken, Dean Fearing, Daniel Boulud, Nobu Matsuhisa, Nigella Lawson, Todd English, Mark Militello, Marcus Samuelsson, Rachael Ray, Tyler Florence, Giada De Laurentiis, Ming Tsai and dozens of other culinary superstars.

Patrons quenched their thirst with an astounding 750 different varieties of wine, champagne, and fine spirits. All together, more than 22,000 bottles were poured during the weekend, which included the glamorous Moët & Chandon BubbleQ, educational wine seminars, an exquisite dinner series and the hugely popular Grand Tastings. The latter attracted 6,000 people on both Saturday and Sunday to a tented “village” on the white sand overlooking the ocean between 10th and 13th Streets and Ocean Drive . More than 135 local restaurants and caterers added to the excitement on both days’ Grand Tastings by providing generous samples that gave patrons a comprehensive taste of South Florida ’s eclectic food scene.

Next year marks the fifth anniversary of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. The event is scheduled to take place February 24-26, 2006.

For festival information, call 305-348-WINE or visit the website at www.sobewineandfoodfest.com.

| back |