"South Beach Wine Food Festival" news and stories

So who won the Food Network's 5th Annual SoBe Burger Bash 2011? Well, that depends on the category:

The People's Choice Award: Michael Symon (B Spot)
Burger with fried salami, provolone, shasha sauce and pickled onion.

Judges Favorite: Marc Murphy (Landmarc Restaurants)
All beef hamburger on a homemade black pepper and cheddar bun with spike ketchup and house made pickles.

Heinz Best Dressed Burger Award: Michael Symon
Burger with fried salami, provolone, shasha sauce and pickled onion.

Best Side Dish: Burger & Beer Joint
Beer tempura battered fried pickles served with homemade buttermilk ranch & truffle baked potato salad.

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.

At the majority of events at the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival, celebrity chefs whip up gourmet burgers, lobster rolls and even dim sum for their fans. Last night, the tables were turned at the Barilla Interactive dinner at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. At this gathering the people behind the stove weren't named Emeril, Rachael or Guy. Instead, the guests were doing the cooking for the likes of Lidia Bastianich, Philippe Ruiz and Joe Bastianich.

The ornate Biltmore ballroom was the scene of this impromptu Italian cooking experiment. Each table was equipped with a gas burner, frying pans and assorted cooking tools. A student chef from Coral Gables Senior High School partnered up with each table to guide us through the process.

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The Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting Village is the "meat and potatoes" of the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival. It is an opportunity for people to sample mass quantities of gourmet snacks, sip a wide variety of libations and mingle with fellow foodies. It is truly a village, with tents stretching along the beach with interactive stations for KitchenAid, Moet & Chandon, Diageo, Evian, American Express and Home Shopping Network.

Adding to the excitement of the Grand Tasting Village are the hourly chef demonstrations. Everyone from Emeril Lagasse and Rachael Ray to Sandra Lee and Ming Tsai prepared their food live in front of their fans. The sights, sounds and smells of these toques cooking was better than watching any TV show.

We were able to spend some time with Top Chef hottie Fabio Viviani at the Bertolli olive oil booth. The season five contestant is the new spokesperson for Bertolli, and was on-site to prepare three of his tasty recipes. Each dish utilized the flavor profiles of Bertolli's three olive oils, Classico, Extra Virgin and Extra Light. First was Fabio's orecchiette pasta with rapini and sausage. This ear-shaped pasta was flavored with rapini, ground sausage, garlic, white wine, chicken stock, pecorino cheese and Classico olive oil. Lighter was his sea bass with spinach pesto and mango salad. Fittingly, he added Extra Virgin olive to the mix. Lastly, there was a lamb loin over salad with Extra Light olive oil.

Be sure to follow Slashfood's SOBE coverage on Twitter.