February 23, 2006
GETTING MY EAT ON
People tell me I have the best job in the world writing about food.
They're exactly right.
Another reason to hate me: I'll be spending the next three days covering the 2006 South Beach Food & Wine Festival in Miami Beach.
Rachael (Ray) will be there. So will Emeril (Lagasse) and Alton (Brown) and Bobby (Flay) and Giada (De Laurentiis) - along with about
30,000 of their closest culinary friends.
Throw in fine wine, gourmet food, sand and the hedonism of a tropical setting along with those celebrity chefs and the drawing power of the 2006 South Beach Food & Wine Festival is obvious.
Now in it's fifth year, the festival, which kicks off today and runs through Sunday in Miami Beach has become, "spring break for chefs,'' says founder and executive director Lee Schrager. "You put people in a resort area with beautiful weather and beautiful people, and things really loosen up.''
Uh, yeah. One chef I've talked to said they spent half of last year's festival frolicking in the surf, which is only a few yards away from a gigantic tent that is erected on the sand of South Beach.
There'll be a tribute to the Salvador Dali' of Spanish cooking, Ferran Adria. There'll be after-parties and dessert delicacies in abundance.
And I'll be there blogging the festival, taking photos for an online gallery and writing about the event for the Tribune on Sunday.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I will.
Posted by Jeff at February 23, 2006 05:04 PMCripes almighty! What hotel will you be at?
I'm not exactly fond of Emeril, but Jacqueline and I had one of our best meals ever at his South Beach outpost, as well as consistently good dining at his Las Vegas locations.
And Alton! Alton rules.
Emeril is OK, but Rachael & Alton are my favorites. Sounds like a blast. You lucky dog!
Posted by: cube at February 24, 2006 11:52 AMI'm at the Best Western South Beach - one block away from the event!
What restaurant did you eat at, Bill?
excuse me, I need to go get myself a lego revolver with which to kill myself. THE ENVY THE ENVY!
Posted by: jolie at February 24, 2006 07:15 PM
This was Emeril's South Beach, in the Loews. We'll be back there in late March, hoping it's still as good.
Posted by: Bill at February 24, 2006 10:10 PM