Gourmet News

Good Foods’ CANtina Joins Seltzerland Festival

Published March 16, 2023

DREAM LAKE STUDIOS

Good Foods, a leader in better-for-you dips and guacamole, will delight thousands of tastemakers this year nationwide as the Official National Guacamole Partner of Seltzerland, the premier hard seltzer festival, with its CANtina. The partnership kicked off in Austin on March 4 and will stop at other major U.S. cities throughout the spring and summer.

Good Foods will sample its delicious, fan-favorite chunky guacamole at the CANtina presented by Good Foods alongside a ready-to-drink tequila seltzer or cocktail. In select markets, VIP ticket holders will also experience a quesadilla station featuring additional Good Foods products.

“We are combining the ultimate trio of dips, chips and sips by sharing our delicious guacamole and dips with Seltzerland attendees,” said Briana Voss, senior director of omni-channel marketing for Good Foods. “This partnership taps into consumer insights which drove us to bring our flavorful, better for you dips to an audience who is aligned with our brand.”

Now in its fourth year, Seltzerland is a one-of-a-kind outdoor experience celebrating one of the most popular alcoholic beverages among consumers — hard seltzer. Attendees spend the afternoon at each tour stop sampling more than 100 local and national hard seltzer brands, indulging in tasty munchies and commemorating the day with swag and social media-worthy moments. The festival’s 2023 tour started in San Diego, Calif. on Feb. 25.

“We’re so excited to bring the CANtina presented by Good Foods to life,” said Kate Levenstien, CEO of Cannonball Productions, Seltzerland’s organizers. “Their tasty guacamole and dips made with real, simple ingredients are the perfect complement to the seltzers and will enhance the Seltzerland experience.”

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Lemonade Day Program Teaches Kids Entrepreneurship

Published March 16, 2023

Through Lemonade Day’s entrepreneurial and experiential program, kids across the country can earn their own money, learn valuable skills that equip them for life, and contribute to a cause that matters to them.

Spring and summer are the perfect seasons for young kids to taste the sweet success that comes with being their own boss and launching their own small business. And what better way than by hosting a lemonade stand?

“Lemonade Day has developed a playbook to unlock youth potential and talent through opportunity creation. Our program is infused with life skills, business and financial literacy, character education, career exploration, and mentorship,” explained Nicole Cassier-Mason, chief executive officer of Lemonade Day National. “This approach builds 21st century skills, improves self-esteem, provides social-emotional learning, and plants the seed of innovation to create new mindsets. These growth mindsets can propel youth into success and enable important life steps while preparing them to transition into what comes next in life.”

Leaders, sponsors, and community partners are encouraging parents, teachers, family members, friends, and neighbors to register individuals or groups of children to participate in this free, impactful program. This year, the organization aims to engage 50,000 kids across North America through this fun and memorable experience.

Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers is the presenting sponsor of the digital platform My Lemonade Day. The app provides an animated, interactive experience where kids have access to a series of lessons that step them through the process of owning and operating their own lemonade business. It can be downloaded for iOS and android platforms and does not require Wi-Fi for use.

Lemonade Day activities typically run from early Spring through early Fall each year. Chaperoned by one or more caring adults, who serves as youth mentors, these young business owners set up their lemonade stands in schools, parks, neighborhoods, places of worships, retail centers, marketplaces, and other public spaces to maximize their sales opportunities. Kids who participate are taught how to set goals, develop a business plan and pitch their plan to seek an investment, be creative through brand and marketing, and put their plan in action to achieve their dreams. They are encouraged to spend some of their hard-earned money on themselves; save some and open a bank account, and share some with a charity.

Lemonade Day offers the program for free to all participants via these options:

The City Franchise Model – licensing fees for an exclusive city-wide program range from $2,500 to $25,000 based on city population size and include unlimited access to the app plus other training benefits and resources offered year-round through the Lemonade Day National organization.
The Little Lemmy Model – fees for non-exclusive program packages range from $250 to $3,500 based on group size and includes a specific number of registrations to the app with limited resources provided by Lemonade Day National.
The Direct Model – through the Raising Cane’s national sponsorship, parents can directly access the app by visiting https://www.raisingcanes.com/lemonade-day/.

For more information or how to get involved, please visit www.LemonadeDay.org.

Over 16 years, Lemonade Day has immersed 1.5 million kids (and counting) in our entrepreneurial and experiential learning program – kids who collectively have earned over $352.5 million in sales, generating $270 million in profit, and $142.5 million in donations. Meet Ethan and Edward Chapman, the 2022 National Youth Entrepreneur of the Year winners.

Lemonade Day is a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching youths in grades K-8 important business, financial, character-building, and life skills that are the key ingredients of entrepreneurship. Playing a vital role in the education and workforce ecosystem, Lemonade Day operates in 94 licensed markets, representing 116 communities in the United States, Canada and Bermuda.

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South Beach Wine & Food Festival Draws Nearly 65K Fans

Published March 16, 2023

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.

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