South Beach Wine & Food Festival Draws Nearly 65K Fans
The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Capital One took over the Magic City Feb. 23-26 with its largest edition, welcoming nearly 65,000 fans from across the country. The four-day festival featured more than 110 events spanning Miami-Dade and Broward counties and celebrated 22 years of FIU students helping to run the nationally recognized event.
The festival showcased culinary greats such as Bobby Flay, Alex Guarnaschelli and Guy Fieri and major star power with the likes of DJ Khaled, Rev Run, Jane Krakowski, Neil Patrick Harris, David Burtka and many others who descended upon South Beach for the nation’s largest wine and food event. South Florida chefs, restaurants and bars also won big throughout the weekend.
Burger Bash was presented by Schweid & Sons and hosted by Emeril Lagasse with a special performance by Midland.
The Schweid & Sons Very Best Burger Award: BurgerFi
Dish: BBQ Rodeo Burger, All-Natural Angus Beef grilled with Charred Jalapeños and topped with Pepper Jack Cheese, homemade Crispy Haystack Onions, and tangy Memphis Sweet BBQ
Award: $2,500 check
The People’s Choice Award: Motek from Miami
Dish: Areyes Burger, Arayes Lebanese Burger made with Lamb and Beef, Tucked inside freshly baked pita, grilled and served with harissa aioli and tahini
Award: $5,000 check
Art of Tiki Cocktail Showdown was presented by Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum.
Art of Tiki Cocktail Judges Choice Award presented by Appleton Estate: Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel from Miami Beach
Cocktail: Angel Lupiac, Appleton Estate Signature Blend, Aperol®, Mango Purée, Tamarind Nectar, Chili Pepper, Lime, Sea Salt and Tamarind
Award: Bragging rights and bottle of Appleton Estate 21 Year gifted by Appleton Estate
Art of Tiki Cocktail People’s Choice Award presented by Appleton Estate: Better Days from Miami
Cocktail: Shotgun in the Jungle, Appleton Estate Signature Blend, Wray & Nephew Overproof Rum, Campari, Fresh Lime Juice, Guava Purée, Shishito Green Pepper Cordial, All Spice Dram, Roasted Shishito Pepper and Thai Basil
Award: Bragging rights and a bottle of Appleton Estate 21 Years
Coke Zero Sugar presented Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives LIVE hosted by Guy Fieri
Coke Zero Sugar’s People’s Choice Award at Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives LIVE hosted by Fieri: Uncle Lou’s Fried Chicken from Memphis
Dish: Sweet Spicy Love Chicken Tenderloins, Chicken breast tenderloins brined in Uncle Lou’s corruption seasoning, fried to perfection and dipped in Uncle Lou’s sweet spicy love sauce
Award: $5,000 check
Hallandale Beach Food & Groove: A Wine, Food and Art Experience part of the Hallandale Beach Event Series
Best of Show Award: Chef Irie from Hallandale, Fla.
Dish: Jerk pulled pork with tamarind plantain sauce and sofrito slaw
Award: $1,000 check
Goya Foods’ Swine & Wine hosted by Enrique Santos and Fernando Desa
Goya Foods’ People’s Choice Award: Apocalypse BBQ from Miami
Dish: Cafecito Ribs, Slow-smoked spare ribs seasoned with a Cuban coffee-based rub and finished with Oro Negro, a colada-infused BBQ sauce
Award: Donation of 10,000 pounds of Goya products to the chef’s charity of choice
Goya Foods’ Grand Tasting Village featuring Publix Culinary Demonstrations sponsored by Sub-Zero Group Southeast
Yelp’s Best Bite on the Beach (Saturday Feb. 25): Ceviches by Divino from Miami
Yelp’s Best Bite on the Beach (Sunday Feb. 26): Café Bastille from Miami
The Festival also continued to honor its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion with three new sold-out events – Overtown EatUp! hosted by Marcus Samuelsson and Amaris Jones, which featured a special performance by Deep Fried Funk Band; The Cookout hosted by JJ Johnson and D-Nice; and Our Sunday Table: Jazz Brunch with The Grey and Friends hosted by Mashama Bailey. which featured a sultry performance by South Florida’s beloved LaVie.
On Feb. 25, the Americana Lawn at the Loews Miami Beach was transformed for the debut of FoodieCon presented by Instagram. The all-day outdoor experience rounded up 15 digital content creators and featured an array of sponsors, activations, cooking demos, and panels including special appearances by Fieri, Andrew Zimmern and hospitality impresario David Grutman.
The 22nd annual Tribute Dinner was a star-studded affair honoring the outstanding accomplishments of the culinary community’s award-winning chef, cookbook author, and television personality Guarnaschelli and chairman and chief executive officer of Pernod Ricard Global, Alexandre Ricard. Masters of Ceremonies Flay hosted the lavish affair, which took place at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel and even featured a flash mob including Jeff Mauro, Samuelsson, Jet Tila, Tiffany Faison, Marc Murphy, Antonia Lofaso and more!
An unparalleled roster of highly decorated chefs came together to curate a menu designed to celebrate these two esteemed personalities, including dishes by Fieri, Amanda Freitag, Eric Adjepong, Ayesha Nurdjaja and Geoffrey Zakarian. Among the evening’s highlights was The Muse Collection Live Auction, which raised over $250,000 and was led by celebrity auctioneer Jeff Mauro, and The Protravel International Silent Auction, which raised over $90,000.
The Goya Foods’ Grand Tasting Village took over a sprawling three city blocks on the sands of Miami Beach and featured activations by more than 80 brands including Stella Artois which debuted three new sauces curated by chef Roy Choi at their Frites Artois activation.
The David Grutman Experience saw a show-stopping set by iconic DJ Cedric Gervais and ended with a special performance by Grammy-winning artist DJ Khaled. Cocktails for this experience were curated by renowned brands such as Belvedere Vodka, Volcan Tequila, Hennessy, and Moët & Chandon champagne. Colombian singer Maluma was also on hand to meet and greet fans and serve up sips of his new brand cristalino mezcal, Contraluz.
This year, the South Beach Wine & Food Festival hired Clean Vibes, a company formed and dedicated to responsible on-site waste management, to implement a three-stream waste collection system to divert as much waste as possible from the landfill through recycling and composting. Between recycling, composting and the festival’s food rescue efforts lead by Dr. John Buschman, the festival’s Green Team diverted over 43 tons (86,127 lbs.) of waste from the Goya Foods’ Grand Tasting and North Venue events.
South Beach Wine & Food Festival will return for its 23rd edition on Feb. 22-25, 2024. Stay up to date all year long by following along with the #SOBEWFF hashtag on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
For more news of interest to the specialty food industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.
Morinaga Nutritional Foods Acquires Tofurky, Moocho
Morinaga Nutritional Foods, the U.S.-based manufacturer of Mori-Nu Silken Tofu, has acquired Tofurky, a leading manufacturer of plant-based meats in the United States and its sister brand, Moocho. With the acquisition of Tofurky, Morinaga Nutritional Foods will own the #3 retail brand for in the United States.
Tofurky and Morinaga Nutritional Foods have a long-standing relationship, as Morinaga has been a tofu supplier for Tofurky products for 17 years. The acquisition of Tofurky and Moocho will help strengthen the integrated supply chain and future category growth for the brands.
Tofurky will continue manufacturing products at its sustainably-focused facility in Hood River, Ore., where Morinaga Nutritional Foods plans to increase operational excellence with technical staff to maximize capacity. The company will also uphold the core values, original recipes, and product availability of both Tofurky and Moocho brands.
“We’ve been working with the team at Morinaga for nearly two decades, and over that course of time realized the multiple synergies our organizations have across our businesses – from supply chain and operations to new product development targets,” said Jaime Athos, president and CEO of Tofurky. “We’re very proud of what we’ve achieved thus far as an independent and family-operated company, but as we enter our next stage of growth, Morinaga will provide the platform needed to help us expand more aggressively in the U.S. and beyond.”
Morinaga Nutritional Foods was founded with a vision to help people lead happy lives through delicious foods that contribute to physical, mental, and environmental health. The company manufactures shelf stable tofu, sold in both the retail and foodservice channels with a focus on quality and aseptic packaging. Offering tofu that is merchandised as an ambient finished good with considerable shelf life, as opposed to traditional refrigerated options, is a differentiated benefit in the category.
“Tofurky has a proven track record of success in the U.S. and is a significant player in the plant-based category with many loyal fans,” said Hiroyuki Imanishi, president and CEO of Morinaga Nutritional Foods. “We’re excited to help bolster both Tofurky and Moocho’s presence in the U.S. while strengthening manufacturing efficiencies and boosting new product development to meet ever-increasing marketplace demand.”
In addition to Tofurky’s sustainable manufacturing facility in Hood River, Morinaga operates a tofu manufacturing facility in Tualatin, Ore. and a Sales and R&D Office in Torrance, Calif. Morinaga plans to leverage synergies from Tofurky’s sales and marketing teams to fine-tune total portfolio approaches to the U.S. marketplace.
All Tofurky and Moocho foods are 100 percent non-GMO and are indulgent ways for everyone from vegans to flexitarians to enjoy their favorite comfort foods.
For more news of interest to the food and beverage industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.
Louisiana Winn-Dixie Stores Celebrate Carnival
In the spirit of Carnival season, Winn-Dixie is honoring its long-standing heritage in the Louisiana community by celebrating traditions locals know and love. With nearly 67 years of experience serving the state’s diverse communities, Winn-Dixie is committed to commemorating Louisiana’s rich history and time-honored traditions with delicious food, local celebrations and of course by taking part in the biggest celebration of the year, Mardi Gras.
Lynn Rushing, regional vice president for Winn-Dixie, said, “At Winn-Dixie, we are excited to join the Carnival revelry with our local communities again this year! We are incredibly proud of our deep-rooted history in Louisiana, and it is a privilege to honor the culture and community that has supported us since 1956. Winn-Dixie celebrates the diverse traditions and unique foods that make Louisiana truly special – this Carnival season and all year long.”
To help customers easily enjoy a Carnival season staple in a variety of ways, Winn-Dixie is offering freshly baked king cakes in 50 different flavors ranging from traditional cinnamon to varieties that include moist, decadent fillings like cream cheese, strawberry, chocolate and much more. In addition to delicious and unique king cakes, Winn-Dixie is also offering a variety of deli assortments that are perfect for celebrating Mardi Gras, including a variety of flavored wings, live or boiled crawfish and fresh miniature muffulettas.
The neighborhood grocer is committed to bringing the spirit of Mardi Gras to customers throughout the season by hosting several free events to celebrate. Customers can enjoy fun-filled revelry with local favorite foods and community festivities to celebrate while they shop at their neighborhood stores. Attendees will enjoy live entertainment, king cake sampling, product giveaways, family friendly games and more:
Friday, Feb. 10 from 4 – 7 p.m. at the Zachary Winn-Dixie, located at 5005 Church St., Zachary, LA 70791
Saturday, Feb. 11 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Covington Winn-Dixie, located at 2100 Collins Blvd., Suite 132, Covington, LA 70433
Saturday, Feb. 18 from 8 – 11 a.m. at the Algiers Winn-Dixie, located at 3008 Holiday Drive, New Orleans, LA 70131
Saturday, Feb. 18 from 12 – 3 p.m. at the Mid-City Winn-Dixie, located at 401 N. Carrollton Ave., New Orleans, LA 70119
On February 21, Mardi Gras day, Winn-Dixie will join the Krewe of Covington and Krewe of Argus in Metairie to celebrate with parade-goers. The community can enjoy the grocer’s signature throws including specialty beads, SE Grocers snack foods and Winn-Dixie swag items. In Metairie, neighbors are encouraged to look for the Winn-Dixie themed float. Local stores will remain open during normal business hours to serve customers as they celebrate.
With 28 stores in Louisiana and nearly 67 years of experience, Winn-Dixie remains steadfast in its goal to constantly improve the “makin’ groceries” experience for its customers. The grocer is committed to providing extensive selections of homegrown favorites and everyday brands locals love. Last year, Winn-Dixie launched its online shopping platform to save customers more time and money. The platform offers customers the same great promotions, savings and prices found in stores with the convenience of delivery in as little as two hours. For more information, including location availability, customers are encouraged to visit WinnDixie.com.
For news of interest in the grocery industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.