The countdown to #SOBEWFF has begun. As the Miami International Boat Show sails out of town, the  15th South Beach Wine + Food Festival and the Food Network stars descend into Miami and Miami Beach ,with over 60, 000 expected attendees and 80 different events including Goya Foods Grand Tasting Culinary Village, beachfront events, Wine Pairing Seminars, Dinners, Late Night Parties and more.  New this year is a special SOBEWFF App with all ticket, event and venue info available in the App Store. 

Many stellar events are already sold out, and we tried to update, so always check availability on SOBEFEST website before you go to buy tickets:

http://www.sobefest.com/

This years event includes an inaugural nod to Fort Lauderdale with the Taste Fort Lauderdale series of events kicking off on Wednesday 2/24 with Robert Irvine hosting Seaside Eats at Bonnet House Museum & Gardens in Fort Lauderdale.

And continuing throughout the weekend with dinners, a DJ party and Bloody Mary Brunch with the cast of Chopped.  For full Taste Fort Lauderdale series info go to Taste Fort Lauderdale link here  http://www.sobefest.com/events.php?cat_id=33

Here are some of MIAbites picks for SOBEWFF, with a focus on local Miami talent and venues. 

Thursday 2/25-  7-10 pm -Cobaya Dinner- SOLD OUT -Miami’s elite underground dining club Cobaya brings together all-star chefs, Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook, chefs of LA’s Animal and Son of a Gun, Michelin-starred Carlo Mirachi and James Beard award-winning author and star of Travel Channel’s “Bizarre Foods” Andrew Zimmern and hosted at the timelessly modern Vagabond Hotel and Restaurant where Vagabond chef Alex Chang will serve as host chef.  http://www.sobefest.com/cobaya

Friday 2/26- 5:30-7:30- Grilled Cheese Happy Hour- James Beard award-winning author and cheese booster Laura Werlin and local grilled cheese sensation Ms. Cheezious®. voted Best Food Truck in Miami, will serve up ooey-gooey grilled cheese as part of a Happy Hour on the roof of the Cibo Wine Bar in SoFi. http://www.sobefest.com/grilledcheese.

Saturday 2/27- 7pm-10 pm- Farm to COMO- SOLD OUT -Embark on an evening of farm-to-table dishes at the Metropolitan by COMO hotel in Mid-Beach for an evening of classic cuisine curated by three unconventionally creative and dedicated chefs -- the notable Gramercy Tavern and Untitled chef Michael Anthony and three time James Beard award winning chef and leader in the sustainable food movement Michel Nischan join Juan Loasiga, executive chef of Metropolitan by COMO’s Traymore Restaurant. http://www.sobefest.com/como

Saturday February 27- 7-10 pm -Don’t miss the second annual incarnation of Meatopia, the world’s most famous celebration of all things meat, at SOBEWFF®.Created and envisioned by the late carnivorous visionary and longtime friend of our Festival, Josh Ozersky, this sizzling soirée takes place beachside behind the iconic Delano hotel. Meatopia brings together more than 25 of the country’s greatest chefs to cook every part of the animal low and slow over open fires, utilizing only wood or charcoal as a base. The King of Carnivores himself, Michael Symon, will host this marquee affair as guests enjoy a live musical performance by Gregg Allman and sip on cold beer and an incredible array of brown spirits.  http://www.sobefest.com/meatopia

Saturday 2/27- 10 pm-12 midnight- Croquetas & Champagne- SOLD OUT-Jeans-Georges and Miami’s newest hip venue The Palm Court in the Design District play host to Croquetas & Champagne curated by local food authority Burger Beast, an elite group of local chefs will dish out their tastiest variations of the croqueta and several variations of flan for dessert. Spend the night dancing to the beats of Latin Rock Band Suenalo, savoring delicious food and sipping free-flowing Champagne Henriot. http://www.sobefest.com/croqueta

Saturday & Sunday 2/27-2/28- The Bank Of America Seminars held at the Ritz Carlton- 1 Lincoln Rd. Miami Beach, play host to a number of hour long seminars that feature many of our favorite and local food and wine (and beer!) experts and are among the more affordable and interactive events in the festival.  Tastings and pairings and light and sometimes humorous dialogue is what makes these seminars fun for attendees.

Saturday 2/27- 

Past Meets Present- 1-2 pm- SOLD OUT-Join Chef Timon Balloo of Midtown’s trendsetting SUGARCANE raw bar grill and Elad Zvi and Gabriel Orta from the award-winning group Bar Lab for this special pairing. http://www.sobefest.com/past

Local Craft Beer- 3:30-4:30- Miami Herald food editor and craft beer expert Evan Benn takes guests for a special glimpse behind the scenes with one of Miami's newest and most buzzed-about breweries: J. Wakefield Brewing. Join Benn and brewmaster Johnathan Wakefield for a lively discussion about beer, brewing and the evolving story of Wakefield's signature style, the Florida Weisse. http://www.sobefest.com/e/bank_of_america_lifestyle_seminar-90

Sunday 2/28-

Sip & Sea- 10 am-11 am- Join Mignonette’s Danny Serfer and wine expert Josh Wesson as they educate you on the perfect pairings for a plateful of briney, salty oysters and other delectable sea fare.  http://www.sobefest.com/sipandsea

Other "popular and well-populated" signature tented events on South Beach include Barilla's Italian Bites on the Beach hosted by Giada De Laurentiis on Thursday 2/25, http://www.sobefest.com/italianbites, and Friday 2/26 Amstel Light’s Burger Bash hosted by Rachael Ray. http://www.sobefest.com/burger

Saturday and Sunday 2/27-2/28 noon-5 pm., the Goya Foods Grand Tasting Village at 13th on the beach spans something like over 5 blocks of food vendors, wine purveyors and half hour blocks of cooking demo’s from top Food Network Stars and other celebs ( Hint- Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka on Saturday at 2:15).  Please consult website for full Culinary Demo schedule.  A specially priced 3-5 Ocean Drive Grand Tasting admission is priced at $100 for those looking to visit the Grand Tasting Village just for a couple hours and wrap up the SOBEWFF with a last gasp...or burp. 

About SOBEWFF:

The Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by FOOD & WINE is a national, star-studded, four-day destination event showcasing the talents of the world’s most renowned wine and spirits producers, chefs and culinary personalities. Hosted by Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida and Florida International University (FIU), the Festival, founded by Lee Brian Schrager, benefits FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management and the Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center. To date, the Festival has raised more than $22 million for the School.

( Information provided by various sources with images from Sprout Social Photos )