Cookbook author and TV personality Steven Raichlen is undoubtedly the leading authority on barbecue in the country. With his latest cookbook, Planet Barbecue!, he is spreading his grilling prowess to the world. There are 309 recipes in this hefty tome -- representing 60 countries all over the globe -- and they range from mussels cooked over a flaming bed of pine needles to fish roasted on stakes in front of an open fire.

For his research, Raichlen traveled for three years to 53 countries. "This is an attempt to document all of the international, iconic grill dishes," he explains. "But several places surprised and delighted me. I found an incredibly sophisticated grill culture in Serbia. No restaurant was too small or too fancy not to have a fireplace in the kitchen. Another interesting thing about Serbia is that most of the grill masters are women. With Cambodia, I had heard about this temple called Bayon, where there are 12th century engravings of grilling in an army camp the night before this famous battle. I found the grills, skewers and methods were virtually unchanged in 800 years. Another country that was a real surprise was Colombia. I went on the strength of a single dish I had heard about, this lomo al trapo, which is beef tenderloin grilled in a salt and cloth crust. In Colombia, I also ate a giant guinea pig grilled on sticks over an eucalyptus fire. It was fun to find those countries with amazing grill cultures that were off the radar."

At newcomer Relish, in West Palm Beach, Florida, diners can customize their burger right down to the kind of salt sprinkled atop the patty. Between the 12 different types of burger meat (from beef to shrimp), 20 homemade relishes, four cheeses and six salts, owners Desiree and Daniel Tobin estimate that there are over 1,000 possible combinations.

"People say 'whoa' when they see the menu," Desiree acknowledges. "So far, beef has been king, but diners are interested in trying the other burgers like buffalo and lamb. There are different seafood versions, including a generous lobster burger. Our turkey burger is all white meat. We actually grind our own turkey meat in order to provide guests with the best quality white meat turkey. For vegans, there is a black bean burger."

The husband and wife team has been planning this endeavor for three years. Although this is their first foray into the restaurant business, their hard work and ingenuity is already paying off. "My husband and I believe it's important to provide people with food they are familiar with," Desiree comments. "But every business has its own niche and this is ours."

While food trucks are a dime a dozen in cities like Los Angeles and New York, the trend is relatively new to Miami. Food Network personality and cookbook author Ingrid Hoffmann saw the void in the marketplace and recently debuted her Latin Burger mobile kitchen in Miami.

Since Hoffmann of Simply Delicioso fame is known for her Latina-style cooking, her food truck has a decidedly ethnic flair to it. The hot-pink-and-black customized truck serves up gourmet tacos (pulled pork, chicken mole and chicken tomatillo) and a signature burger with a chorizo and sirloin filling. This marquee patty also features Oaxaca cheese, caramelized onions, jalapenos and red-pepper mayo. "It's street food," she acknowledges, "but it's quality street food. We use Latin influences in a modern way." All of the ingredients used on board the renovated UPS truck are fresh and never canned.

One of our favorite events of the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival was the cleverly titled Dim Sum & Disco party at the Setai Hotel. The late-night Asian soiree (it started at 11 p.m.) was hosted by Ming Tsai and the Setai's Jonathan Wright. There were bountiful displays of gourmet dumplings and innovative Ty Ku cocktails. Tsai's offerings included braised oxtail and foie gras shumai with sambal-soy syrup; and Island Creek oysters with a wasabi mignonette. Wright did black truffle and scallop har gau with a truffle emulsion; uni tempura with Osetra caviar and ginger crème fraiche; and fried Kurabuto pork belly with chili jam. Both chefs worked the line and interacted with diners.

After imbibing dozens of fresh and delicious dumplings and Ty Ku libations from master mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim, the stylish crowd danced to Donna Summer until the wee hours of the night. It was by far one of the liveliest events of the festival and one we hope returns next year.

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It was only fitting that the queen of comfort food, Paula Deen, hosted a deeply decadent Sunday brunch on the last day of the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival. For this mid-morning, Southern-style feast, Deen teamed up with fellow chefs Elizabeth Karmel, Katie Lee, Chris Lilly and Claire Robinson for the buffet to end all buffets. At the Loews Hotel, 600 hungry fans dined on smoked salmon, ham sausage hash, shrimp and crab cake sliders, banana pecan pancakes, collard greens with ham, blackened catfish, pulled pork sandwiches and baked egg casserole with bacon and sausage. While everyone was eating, gospel singer Maryel Epps crooned classic jazz standards.

"I love brunch," Paula said of the event. "Everyone is still sober and I still have energy. I'm past the age of nightlife. Brunch is about good food and good friends. And, of course, you have to have grits. After all, this is the Kiss My Grits brunch."

For Deen, cooking with Katie Lee was a no-brainer. The two Southern women first met at the festival several years ago. "Katie Lee walked up to me and asked if I would be her fairy godmother," Paula recalled. "I was delighted to." Katie Lee's contribution to the brunch was her signature Nutella banana french toast casserole, along with a pomegranate elderflower champagne cocktail. "People liked it so much, and one man came up for thirds," she noted of her successful dish. Katie, herself, had two servings of the pulled pork sandwich.