The inaugural Atlantis Wine & Food Festival hits the shores of Paradise Island this weekend, providing taste-around occasions, dinners, and cooking demonstrations with massive names comparable to José Andrés, Andrew Zimmern, Alex Guarnaschelli, Alon Shaya, Aaron Sanchez, Michael White, and extra.
If these names sound acquainted, it could be since you not too long ago noticed many of those cooks on the sands of Miami Beach on the latest South Beach Wine & Food Festival. Lee Schrager, the founding father of SOBEWFF, was requested to assist curate the expertise for this new competition.
“I labored with the group to lock within the expertise,” Schrager tells New Times. “They turned to me for some recommendation, and I used to be completely happy to do it.”
Schrager, who plans to attend the competition, added that asking cooks to spend a weekend within the Bahamas is just not a tough promote. “It’s nonetheless freezing chilly in New York, the place many of the expertise stay. Plus, the resort is actually taking nice care of the cooks flying down for the competition.”
Schrager additionally acknowledged that the Atlantis resort has shut ties to among the cooks internet hosting dinners on the competition. “José [Andrés] has a restaurant on the property, and Alon Shaya and Michael White are opening eating places on website.”
The SOBEWFF founder says there’s all the time room for extra festivals that put a highlight on the culinary world. “I do not consider it as competitors as a lot as rising the neighborhood. I used to be completely happy to be requested to advise and to assist put collectively a strong program.” And, as any good dad or mum will do, Schrager can not help however reward SOBEWFF. “Although among the expertise is identical, we’ve got considerably extra occasions and, after 20-something years, proceed to draw tens of hundreds of individuals to Miami.”
Since the Atlantis competition is extra intimate, it stands to motive that among the actions will likely be extra intimate. To assist guarantee success, the Atlantis competition tasked Randy Fischer and his Coconut Grove-based culinary occasion firm, Cream, to assist produce the occasion. Fischer additionally produces SOBEWFF.
Some of the occasions on the first Atlantis Food & Wine Festival embrace wine and lunch with Alex Guarnaschelli; tacos & tequila with Aaron Sanchez and DJ Kim Lee; a cocktail clinic with grasp mixologist Tony Abou-Ganem; and a morning espresso discuss session with Andrew Zimmern and José Andrés.
The competition will delve into the flavors and tradition of the Bahamas and the Caribbean with a “Jerk Jam” that includes Wyclef Jean, a “Rum Runners” strolling culinary historical past tour in Downtown Nassau, and two sundown dinner cruises.
Chef Michael White, the previous chef/proprietor of New York’s Michelin-starred Marea, is wanting ahead to internet hosting a lunch and mangia — an Italian meals journey for the household — on the competition. White, who’s overseeing building on his new restaurant, Paranza, on the Cove in Paradise Island, additionally cohosted a dinner on the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. “I really simply bought dwelling from Miami,” he tells New Times, including that he is wanting ahead to his internet hosting duties in Paradise Island. “These are very distinctive occasions in a smaller place, so the visitors will be capable to work together with the cooks a little bit bit nearer.” As an instance, he cites his cooking class for 25 attendees. “It’s extra intimate, and I’m not on a stage, so it is enjoyable for the visitors.”
White has been spending a whole lot of time on Paradise Island and says it is a fantastic setting for a meals competition. “I feel it’ll be superb. There are so many great issues to do: the seashore, the marina, swim-up bars, and a on line casino. It actually is a paradise.”
If you are touring to Paradise Island for the weekend and need to work together with the cooks, White has an thought of the place you would possibly discover them in between dinners and demos. “In the afternoon, when the solar units, the place to be is the Dilly Club. It’s a tremendous new cocktail bar in Marina City.” And when you’re not into sunsets and cocktails? “They additionally make nice coffees, so stand up early, seize a beverage, and stroll on the seashore.”
The Atlantis Wine & Food Festival. Wednesday, March 15, to Sunday, March 19, at Atlantis Resort, Paradise Island, Bahamas. For ticket data and a full schedule of occasions, go to atlantisbahamas.com.Â