MIAbites is giving away TWO tickets to SOBEWFF Opening Party, Italian Al Fresco On The Beach, valued at $150 per person. Hosted by Debi Mazar and Gabriele Corcos, the king and queen of all things Italian from The Cooking Channel, this al fresco feast celebrates the 100 year anniversary of sponsor, Ronzoni and will be held on the sand on Thursday 2/19 from 7 pm to 10 pm. More than 30 chefs will be serving up mouth-watering fare on the beach behind the Delano Hotel.

How to enter: Follow MIAbites on Twitter @MIAbites1, and retweet post for chance to win. Tag #SOBEWFF and #MIAbites. Deadline is Friday 2/13.

Winner will be notified on Valentines Day via DM...makes a great gift! 

Must be 21 to attend.   

NOTE: Tickets are still available for many events at www.sobefest.com,

And, the countdown has begun. Less than three weeks before the  2015 South Beach Wine & Food Festival! takes over Miami Beach. The four day festival now in its 13th year takes place February 19th through the 22nd and and attracts over 7000 festival attendees

Unlike previous years, the festival truly makes an effort to showcase local Miami and South Florida chefs. Since its inception the festival has always wooed ticket buyers with celebrity chefs and talent brought from outside Miami, yet passed over many of the talented South Florida chefs that locals know and respect. The emphasis on “local love” is evident for the 2015 edition with many chefs pairing up for intimate dinners, local blogger curated events, and even the introduction of an inaugural group of chef Culinary Captains representing cohorts of chefs from various neighborhoods throughout South Florida at the Grand Tasting Village.  

Local Chefs at the forefront of this event include:

·        Downtown Miami/Brickell/Key Biscayne: Aaron Brooks (EDGE Steak & Bar)

·        Ft. Lauderdale: Peter Boulukos, (The Restaurant People &YOLO)

·        Midtown/MiMo: Timon Balloo, (SUGARCANE Raw Bar & Grill)

·        Miami Beach: Jamie DeRosa, (Tongue & Cheek)

·        North Miami Beach/Aventura/Sunny Isles: Tim Andriola, (TIMO & Basil Park)

·        South Miami Coral Gables/Doral: David Sears, (SUSHISAMBA)

·        Palm Beach/Boca Raton/Delray: Larry LaValley, (3800 Ocean)

·        Wynwood/Design District: Michael Shikany, (SHIKANY)

Like usual, there is no shortage of events! MIAbites has chronicled many of these chefs and restaurants and the links to our posts are listed under each event. For those of you not familiar with these chefs, the posts are a great way to get acquainted with the chefs’ food and get to know them a bit more intimately. Some events featuring local chefs that we love include:

Thursday, February 19th, 2015:

 Best of the Northwest Dinner hosted by Tom Douglas and Danny Grant (50 Eggs Restaurant Group)

 Modern Italian Feast Dinner hosted by Michael Voltaggio and Dena Marino (MC Kitchen).

*Check out the MIAbites feature here on MC Kitchen.

 Retro Feast Dinner hosted by Ben Ford, Ashley Chistensen, and Jonathan Lane (The Traymore at The Metropolitan by COMO )

*Check out the MIAbites feature here on The Traymore.

 Friday, February 20th, 2015

Brassiere Bites: A dinner hosted by Ludo Lefebvre and José Mendin (Pubbelly Group)

Amstel Light Burger Bash hosted by Rachael Ray featuring local faves Pincho Factory, Zak the Baker,Blue Collar, and more.

Surf & Surf: A Sustainable Seafood Dinner hosted by Todd English and Allen Susser (The Café at Books & Books) with Timon Balloo (Sugarcane Raw Bar Grill ), Paula DaSilva (3030 Ocean), Sam Gorenstein (My Ceviche), Cindy Huston (Ortanique on the Mile), and Greg True. 

*Check out the MIAbites feature here on My Ceviche and here on Timon Balloo.

Cobaya Dinner hosted by Andrew Zimmern, Chris Cosentino, Michael Schwartz (Michael’s Genuine Hospitality Group), Makoto Okuwa (Makoto) and Kaytlin Brakefield (Verde @ PAMM); curated by local bloggers ofCobaya Underground Dining Club.

            *Check out the MIAbites feature here on Michael’s Genuine.

Saturday, February 21st, 2015

Barilla Interactive Lunch hosted by Mike Pirolo (Macchialina)

Tacos and Beer hosted by Todd Erickson (HaVen, Huahua’s Taqueria) and Evan Benn (Miami Herald Food Editor)

Medianoches & Mixology hosted by Alex Guarnaschelli,; curated by local blogger Burger Beast

A League of Their Own: a lunch hosted by Michelle Bernstein, Gabrielle Hamilton, and Elizabeth Falkner.

* Check out MIAbites feature here on Chef Michelle Bernstein 

All Star Dinner hosted by Paul Liebrandt, David Kinch, and Mathias Gervais (The Setai).

* Check out the MIAbites feature here on Chef Mathias.

Dinner hosted by Tim Love, Jimmy Bannos, Jr., Linton Hopkins, and Aaron Brooks (EDGE Steak and Bar)

Sunday, February 22nd , 2015

Farm to Table Brunch hosted by Geoffrey Zakarian, Julie Frans (Essensia at The Palms), and friends.

*Check out the MIAbites feature here on Essensia.

Goya Foods’ Swine & Wine hosted by Marc Forgione featuring Timon Balloo (Sugarcane), Paula DaSilva (3030 Ocean, William Crandall (Azul at the Mandarin Oriental), Albert Cabrera (Bread + Butter), and many more.

Celebrate the talents of Miami and South Florida chefs by attending one of these showcase events, and check online for availability as many events are already Sold Out!  There is even special tab for events under $100-. For a complete listing of all the South Beach Wine & Food Festival events please visitwww.sobefest.com.