For its 18th edition, the Food Network and Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival drew more than 65,000 attendees to more than 100 seated dinners, tasting events, cooking classes, and other programming from February 20 to 24. Known for its beachside tents—the north tent draws as many as 4,000 attendees each night to events like Italian Bites on the Beach and Burger Bash—the festival stretches to venues off the sand as well, as far North as Fort Lauderdale.
“When we have the opportunity to expand into new venues, it brings a new demographic,” said festival founder Lee Brian Schrager.
Working with a new host venue begins with a site visit and a conversation, Schrager said, followed by a brainstorm of ideas and finally the planning. “Seldom do we not figure out a way to work with a venue that [we want or] wants to be involved,” he said.
Loews Miami Beach Hotel has held the title of official host hotel since the festival’s start. During the festival, the hotel’s occupancy is almost entirely made up of festival V.I.P.s, sponsors, participating chefs, festival staff, visiting media, and guests from around the world who travel to Miami Beach for the event.
“Our partnership is the result of Lee Schrager’s vision for a wine and food festival, combined with our brand’s Good Neighbor program,” said Alex Tonarelli, managing director of Loews Miami Beach Hotel. The program addresses hunger relief, literacy and the arts, and greening initiatives, and it falls in line with the festival’s mission to raise money for the FIU School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. “To be a part of the tremendous growth of this festival over the years is something we are very proud of, and we look forward to continuing our partnership for years to come.”
Loews Miami Beach hosted six events this year, from the popular Tacos After Dark and Oyster Bash events to the $500-a-ticket Tribute Dinner, which honored chef Nancy Silverton and Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery owner and C.E.O. Rhonda Carano.
“We get very motivated for the festival each year,” Tonarelli said. “Months of planning goes into coordinating each event, from setup to overall operation, to culinary logistics, staffing, and more.”
The property also takes advantage of the festival as a marketing opportunity, offering guests a Taco Thursday special leading into the festival, a $2 oysters all night at Lure Fishbar, and Ferrari-Carano wine specials to celebrate the Tribute Dinner. Additionally, guests were treated to surprise festival-branded welcome amenities, chocolate turndowns, and lobby amenities throughout their festival stays. Burger Bash-theme macarons were a particularly popular treat, he noted.
“The treats and amenities are great visuals that create conversations,” Tonarelli said. “Guests love to share them on social media, which helps promote the festival events and showcases our hotel’s culinary talent.”
A short walk from the Loews, second-year host venue Espanola Way welcomed the late-night crowd at Midnight Eats, hosted by Bar Lab, Debi Mazar, and Gabriele Corcos. The event allows the 17 vendors of the historic South Beach block to present their fare, while giving guests a taste of the unique charm associated with the iconic district. “Last year’s sold-out Midnight Eats event brought international superstars, and we were able to parlay the success into hosting other large-scale events with [similar] requested buyouts,” said Scott Robins, founder and C.E.O. of Scott Robins Companies and the developer of Espanola Way.
Several Miami Beach hotels host poolside tasting-style events, like the National Hotel, which helmed two events: The inaugural Taste Jamaica, followed by Sweets & Beats the next evening. Behind the scenes, this required staff to break down Taste Jamaica, set up the pool guest furniture and restaurant for the daytime, then reset the area for the dessert party. “The fact that we can reach two completely different demographics and cater to 600 guests each night demonstrates the versatility of the National Hotel as a venue, and how different we can look one night from the other,” said Yaser Mohamad, the hotel’s general manager. “Having multiple events also gave us the opportunity to those who missed one night to get acquainted with the venue on the second night.”
Kimpton Surfcomber, known for its laid-back beach vibe, served as host venue for its fourth Art of Tiki late-night event. “The hotel staff and food and beverage team clears the canvas for the SOBEWFF event team to set the show,” said Conrad Tidswell, the hotel’s director of food and beverage. Tidswell’s team offers onsite support leading up to and during the event from providing ice and extension cords to overseeing a seven-pallet ingredient delivery to facilitating the overall two-day preparation of the property’s backyard space.
“On the day of the event, we start early with the festival setup on site, showing the mixologists their stations, informing them on what to expect throughout the night, and ensuring they have all of the ingredients they had requested to make their tiki drinks,” Tidswell said. “The mixologists arrive around noon on Friday, and work all day to make their drinks in large quantities—enough to satisfy the number of event attendees.”
Click through the side show to see inside festival events as well as activations from brands including Heineken Light, La Croix, Bacardi, and more.
