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For the previous 20 years, one man has been main the cost, serving as founder and cheerleader of this pageant and elevating greater than 34 million {dollars} for Florida International University’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management. Lee Brian Schrager began the pageant as a fundraising dinner 22 years in the past, not realizing it might develop to be one of many nation’s main culinary occasions. Schrager tells New Times that it is solely now that he feels the pageant is basically hitting its stride. “We’re going into one of the best years of the pageant. The degree of expertise and the help of the group is best than it is ever been.”
In the previous 22 years, Miami’s culinary scene has grown exponentially, with the pageant mirroring town’s progress. “We cannot take credit score for Miami exploding into one of the fashionable meals scenes, however I believe we will take credit score for being part of it,” Schrager says. He shares that there are various cases of cooks attending the pageant solely to open a restaurant in Miami someday later. “Long earlier than Nobu or Thomas Keller or Fabio Trabocchi opened eating places right here, they noticed how nice Miami is. It’s been a boomerang impact. Miami is now not a seasonal place. It’s busy all 12 months spherical,” says Schrager.
The pageant founder says he is continually striving to enhance the pageant. One method is to shine a highlight on the native cooks which are placing Miami on the world’s culinary map. “There are so many extraordinary eating places in Miami, it’s extremely straightforward to concentrate on native expertise,” he says. For instance, the Saturday night Smorgasburg After Dark social gathering will supply attendees the prospect to pattern meals from distributors on the weekend meals market — a lot of whom are striving to open eating places. Miami chef Michelle Bernstein is internet hosting the weekend’s salute to fried hen, the Chicken Coupe, whereas venerable chef Allen Susser will host a Mangos and Mimosas grasp class throughout SOBEWFF.
Schrager and his crew try to make sure everybody has a seat on the desk. He says that the 2023 South Beach Wine & Food Festival guarantees to be probably the most culturally various pageant but. “We’ve by no means had a 12 months with as a lot various expertise,” says Schrager. New occasions this 12 months embody the Overtown Eat Up!, the Miami model of New York City’s Harlem Eat Up!, thought of the nation’s premier African American-focused pageant that celebrates Harlem’s wealthy culinary and humanities tradition and historical past. Proceeds from the Overtown Eat Up! will probably be designated as scholarship funding for college students from Overtown.
In the previous, the pageant has acknowledged the rising half social media performs within the culinary world, collaborating with influencers akin to Samantha Schnur (the Naughty Fork) and Gio Gutierrez (ChatChow). This 12 months, the symmetry between social media and meals will probably be explored additional at Foodiecon. This one-day pageant inside a pageant, held all day Saturday, February 25, on the Loews Miami Beach Hotel, will supply ideas for fledgling influencers, e-book signings, and numerous photograph ops.
After almost 20 years of attending dinners, events, and seminars, Schrager’s fondest reminiscence could shock folks. “I believe what I’ll keep in mind probably the most is 2021 — what I name the COVID 12 months. People did not suppose we may pull off the pageant. We scaled down and hosted all the pieces outside. But it was essential to have the pageant and let folks know we have been again and supporting the business.”
Finally, when requested the place he sees the pageant sooner or later, Schrager is fast to reply. “I need it to proceed to evolve. I need to proceed to lift {dollars} and consciousness for FIU. And I need to make it extra inclusive than it is ever been.”
The South Beach Wine & Food Festival. Thursday, February 23 to Sunday, February 26, at numerous areas all through Miami, Miami Beach, and Hallandale. For an entire record of occasions, go to sobewff.org.