14 Lavish Bites From Palm Beach Food & Wine Fest to Level Up Your New Year’s Day Spread

Peruse the mouthwatering delicacies from this chic festival, along with exclusive tips on how to re-create them for a delicious new year bash.

Tracy Block

December 22, 2022

New Orleans-based chef Mason Hereford turned heads with his vegetarian take on a reuben at Saturday’s Indulge event, which took place around sunset at the Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach pool. Hereford and his team worked to infuse flavors like peppercorn, mustard seed, bay leaves, and coriander into the collard greens to mimic the brining solution of corned beef. This one’s great for vegetarians at your party. Ditch the cheese, and it’s vegan-friendly too.Photo: Michael PissariWEST PALM BEACH, FLA.—The Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival attracted 5,000 foodies and oenophiles to 24 different events from Dec. 8-11. Smack in the middle of the holiday season, the 15th installment included a series of celebrity chef collaboration dinners, wine seminars, alfresco walk-around events, and the popular Sunday Grand Tasting, which was presented by The Palm Beaches and took place inside the Palm Beach County Convention Center.

Along with top-quality eats and premium sips, “retro” was an emerging thematic. Friday night’s Chef Welcome Party held poolside at The Colony Hotel sported a ‘60s theme inspired by a nostalgic cookbook, complete with fondue and gourmet cheese balls, a beef stroganoff station, and party highlight: a shrimp cocktail martini bar (more below). Saturday night brought the night owl crowd west to PGA National Resort for Bubbles & Bites: A Yacht Rock Experience, where guests adorned captain hats while feasting on an endless array of fare–including donut holes and fried chicken from Honeybelle, an extravagant raw bar, and a decadent dessert spread–all paired with bottomless champagne and ‘80s tunes.

According to festival director David Sabin, venues are decked for the season, which is why the timing allows the festival to become a holiday celebration for guests. Plus, there are special touches at the dinners and events, which gives the production the chance to be a source of inspiration for hosts and to those seeking new food and drink ideas. “The chefs always show their best, and we are so honored that they continue to come back and cook amazing food,” Sabin added .

Four days of upscale eats abounded in every direction, which gave us the bright idea to round up the best bites so you can re-create them at home heading into your New Year’s Day party. Below, find 14 drool-worthy ways to ring in 2023...

Potato Latkes with Caviar

Spoiler alert: Daniel Serfer of Blue Collar serves Hanukkah-inspired potato latkes at his Miami restaurant year-round. For Friday’s A Shabbat Dinner at the Palm Beach foodie fest, he created bite-sized latkes topped with caviar to give them a stunning finish.

Serfer also noted options to level up your latke game in other ways. “Aside from other obvious toppers like smoked salmon, a great latke-topper is blue cheese and prosciutto, especially if you can crisp up the prosciutto,” he shared. “Hungover latkes on New Year’s Day are quite nice with some eggs scrambled with sausage too. I also like a faux Benedict with the latke, fried quail egg, bacon, and garlic aioli.”

Photo: Alissa Dragun

Shrimp Cocktail Martini Bar

Friday night’s 1960s retro-themed Chef Welcome Party was catered to by chef Tom Whitaker and his team at Swifty’s Pool at The Colony Hotel. Plenty of seafood stations were constructed, but the one that left a lasting impression was the shrimp cocktail martini bar. First, guests chose from poached shrimp, rock shrimp, lump crab, gazpacho, and vegetables. Then, the contents were scooped into a martini shaker with the choice of sauce: yuzu togarashi, marie rose, American, and chipotle lime. Next came the fun part–shaking the contents altogether and “pouring” them into a martini glass. Perfection.

Photo: Michael Pissari

Smoked Beef Short Rib Lettuce Wraps

Chef Jeremy Ford is at the helm of The Butcher’s Club at PGA National Resort, host of Saturday night’s Bubbles & Bites: A Yacht Rock Experience. Ford’s smoked beef rib lettuce wraps were accented with a spinach crepe, pickled vegetables, and chimichurri, offering the perfect balance of acid, smoke, and herbaceousness. For those "new year, new you" low-carb dieters out there, simply ditch the crepe. “Lettuce wraps are a great low-carb vessel because they add texture and highlight ingredients while adding fresh, bright notes,” Ford said.

Photo: Alissa Dragun

Charcuterie Table

Take your “board game” up a notch with a full charcuterie table. Café Boulud executive chef Dieter Samijn was at the helm of Sunday’s Daniel & Friends charcuterie station curation. He worked in collaboration with Creekstone Farms to design a truly memorable offering. “I wanted Café Boulud to stand out by creating a unique charcuterie table to showcase items that one doesn’t see often, like veal tongue with pistachios and paté en croute in a special antique mold,” Samijn shared. He said a good charcuterie spread should balance taste, texture, and flavor, and to serve a variety of meats that complement each other perfectly on the platter. “A smooth pâté is perfect for bringing a charcuterie board to life, but pick one that doesn’t have a strong flavor. Perhaps a seafood pâté would pair better with the meat on your board. A few salads and/or vegetables are always a great stand-by option.”

Photo: Michael Pissari

Fresh Mozzarella Bar

Friday’s Lunch with Frank & the Forgiones at Café Chardonnay presented a fresh take on tableside mozzarella: a hand-stretched mozzarella bar. Chef Bryan Forgione made from-scratch mozzarella on-site, and then cut the cheese into bite-sized slices. Next, guests were invited to top their rich mozzarella with creative accompaniments like wagyu carpaccio, lamb mortadella, and duck prosciutto. For your home rendition, consider adding in a special aged balsamic and an upscale olive oil option.

Photo: Alissa Dragun

Banana Pudding

Chef Rodney Scott’s throwback banana pudding cups were greeted with all the "oohs" and "aahs" as the sweet ending of Lunch With Friends Friday at Meat Market. Who said there’s no place for nostalgia on a New Year’s Day menu? Taking a bite that reminds you of the past can inspire you to make positive strides into the future.

Photo: Michael Pissari

Parm-to-Table Pesto Pasta Experience

The only word for Timpano Las Olas’s pasta display at the Grand Tasting: showstopping. One of the first booths in the welcome foyer, chef Omar Lorenzana and team crafted a mobile version of the recently renovated Fort Lauderdale restaurant’s tableside staple. “In order to re-create our Parm-to-Table experience–without having a giant wheel of cheese as a bowl—all you need is to combine a classic basil pesto, grated Grana Padana cheese, and a splash of lemon juice into a large mixing bowl,” he said. “Cook the pasta al dente and toss it into the mixing bowl with a touch of pasta water to help melt the cheese and make the sauce creamier. Finish the dish with pine nuts, extra cheese, and torn basil.” If you happen to have access to a cheese wheel though, we say, have at it.

Photo: Tracey Benson

Caviar Service

Another memorable station from Daniel & Friends Sunday was the caviar service. Renowned chef and host Daniel Boulud curated a full blini station with several types of Kristal Caviar. In addition to the mini pancakes and traditional accouterments (chopped egg yolks, egg whites, and purple onions, as well as creme fraiche), his team served piping-hot scrambled eggs with a generous spoonful of the high-end delicacy. Is there every really too much caviar when it comes to ringing in the new year?

Photo: Michael Pissari

Collard Greens Reuben

Photo: Michael Pissari

Petite Tomato Pies

A petite pie is a great way to showcase tons of flavor in one convenient bite. At Friday’s Southern Revival lunch which took place at her restaurant The Regional, Lindsay Autry baked petite tomato pies to celebrate the start of the local tomato-growing season. “We are fortunate enough to have an opposite growing season in South Florida, so December is actually prime tomato season,” she explained of the choice in produce. “However, in other parts of the country, so many seasonal vegetables can be the star in a petite pie dish, such as mushrooms, caramelized onion, or even a sweet winter twist with apples, pumpkins, or hearty squashes.”

Photo: Tracey Benson

Mini Dessert Martinis

If you’re not a fan of the shrimp cocktail martini bar concept from the Friday Chef Welcome Party, perhaps indulge in a mini dessert martini. Or, add in some gin, vermouth, and olives, and throw a “martinis three ways” soiree to cheers to the new year. Mini martini glasses are the perfect way to create portioned desserts—especially for those looking to cut down on sweets. Get creative with mini parfaits, trifles, and mousses to create the perfect spoonful or two.

Photo: Michael Pissari

Ceviche on Plantain Chips

Breeze Ocean Kitchen at Eau Palm Beach Resort served the perfect pairing at the Grand Tasting: ceviche with plantain chips. Although ceviche cups are fun and easy to assemble, plantain chips escalate the dish by adding a fun vessel that offers both crunch and starch, resulting in a well-rounded bite.

Photo: Michael Pissari

Grilled Carrot Gyoza

For Thursday’s The First Bite dinner at Buccan, host chef Clay Conley whipped up grilled carrot gyoza as a plant-based option. This modern-day spin on the classic Chinese appetizer was pan-seared, which kept the bite doughy yet textured. The char from the carrots gave the dish a hearty flavor and allowed the veggie to serve as a great stand-in for pork.

Photo: Michael Pissari

Upscale Tapas and Wine Pairing

If you want to host a food and wine pairing event on New Year’s Day, let go of the pressure associated with preparing an entire four-course feast. Instead, go for some extravagant bites that pair well with each of your pours. For example, at Friday’s Sunset & Swirls, A Progressive Wine Tasting, which took place at Savor at Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa, a good smoked sturgeon fish dip paired well with potato chips, and a touch of caviar gave it a kiss of elegance (bottom left). Additionally, beef tataki can get all dressed up with a schmear of whipped foie gras, along with added texture from a fried brioche crouton, and a boozy bourbon cherry on top (top right).

Photo: Michael Pissari