South Beach Wine & Food Festival: Culinary by the Sea
I never object when illy sends me to Miami every February for the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. Warm sun, amazing food, incredible wine and the chance to rub elbows with A-list culinary personalities, chefs and like-minded connoisseurs…what’s not to love?
But dare I say that this year’s festival was the best yet?
This year marked the festival’s 18th edition. It attracted more than 60,000 guests who took part in more than 100 seminars, intimate dinners, tasting experiences, cooking classes and more over the five-day event. So the sheer size of it alone blew me away.
I was fortunate to be front and center at some of the most popular events, and had multiple opportunities to keep attendees refreshed and delighted with some of our newest products. First it was Aria Cold Brew’s turn to take center stage (and where better than cold coffee is always in season!). Our breakthrough, nitro-beating effervescent coffee officially debuted at a red-hot “Buddhas & Bellinis” event, where it perfectly complemented the liberally-poured signature Italian cocktails. Aria Cold Brew was also on hand in the VIP green room where chefs like Andrew Zimmern, Rocco DiSpirito, Scott Conant, Blobby Flay and Emeril Lagasse lounged and sampled before their performances on-stage. illy also had a presence at the Goya Foods Grand Tasting Village, where SoBe-goers enjoyed Ready-to-Drink and shared images on social alongside life-size illy cups.
Last, but certainly not least, I was on hand to serve signature illy espresso at a dinner hosted by the lovely, charming Food Network television host, chef Giada De Laurentiis. I assure you, the pleasure was all mine.
Here are some of my favorite images from SoBe – enjoy and here’s to next year!
