By Jeanne Phillips
High season in South Florida seems to send appetites for gourmet events soaring. From December through April, the calendar sizzles with festivals, tastings and every manner of food and wine happening.
In the mix of elite culinary experiences, the Visit Lauderdale Food and Wine Festival enters as a breath of fresh air.
Certainly, the week-long festival held annually in January delivers an impressive range of distinguished culinary offerings to satisfy the serious gourmet. It showcases the area’s renowned and emerging chefs, restauranteurs and local food and beverage establishments and presents a full roster of formal, multi-course dinners, nationally known celebrity appearances and advanced classes and seminars.
This year, it included more than ten seated dinners, each a one-of-a-kind experience with menus available that night only. Dinner at Fort Lauderdale’s iconic Heritage, presided over by chef and owner Rino Cerbone, opened the event. Others included exquisitely prepared meals at Evelyn’s, Burlock Coast, Planta Queen and TRP Taste, representing some of the area’s most elite eateries.
But, the Lauderdal Festival also distinguishes itself with an array of more informal events where guests roll up their sleeves, grab paper napkins and never forget that food and wine, after all, are about fun.
At the Festival, guests just might find themselves wiggling their toes in the sand while sampling an array of melt-in-your-mouth bites or grooving to the beat of a country rock favorites while tasting Southern cuisine. During informal classes, attendees are likely to acquire new friends along with new cooking skills because teamwork and camaraderie are woven into many events.
Indeed, the festival offers something for everyone—for food connoisseurs and revelers alike–and that’s what makes it a standout on the South Florida food and wine scene.
Fun and Distinctive Signature Events
For proof positive, look no further than the Festival’s signature events.
- Entertainment was on the Menu
This year, Bar Fight! A Spirited Competition kicked off the Festival, crowning the cocktail champion of Fort Lauderdale. The event invited guests to the scenic rooftop setting of 1 WLD to sample new and inspiring cocktails created by local mixologists and to vote for their favorites.
Placing Asian-inspired cuisine and live music center stage, as its name suggests, Wok ‘N Roll kept food aficionados and music lovers on their toes all evening with a vibrant menu of bites and beats. Guests enjoyed a fabulous and flavorful tour of Asia on a plate with familiar and innovative new specialties for an evening of culinary exploration and undeniable fun.
Sunday’s Picnic in the Park was a family-pleasing event for all ages and interests held in scenic Las Olas Oceanside Park. Food trucks, family culinary classes, cooking demonstrations, Kid Zone entertainment and local vendors brought the community together for a high-spirited afternoon.
- A Down-Home BBQ at the Beach
One of the most popular events every year is BBQ at the Beach, which treats guests to a taste of grilled and smoked foodie heaven on paper plates. This year did not disappoint with host celebrity chef Jason Smith of Food Network fame adding an extra note of bling.
Casually staged in a grassy park alongside the Fort Lauderdale beach, the event celebrates the flavors of traditional Southern and Texas-style barbecue with a host of meaty specialties from eateries throughout Florida and beyond. Think smoked and char-broiled brisket, chicken, pork and turkey, enlivened with all manner of spices and sauces from hot and smokey to savory and sweet. As guests made their way through the kiosks under the evening’s starry skies, often they were treated to complete meals in miniature with accompaniments that included cornbread, polenta, rice, slaws, potatoes and more.
At Lickie Stickie BBQ, Chef Juliette brought a taste of the Caribbean to the table with spicy jerk turkey, pork and beef. Fans crowded the booth, enamored by the traditional flavors based on recipes handed down from her father, known during his time as the king of roadside jerk meats.
Battle Rig BBQ rolled into town for the event with its whopping signature 20,000-pound food truck, which amounted to a restaurant on wheels. Chef Ref Sarria and his family, an integral part of the operations, dispensed a superb sweet-and-sour sauced menu that included ribs, beef, bacon and cornbread. Festival goers lined up for a taste—maybe it was the heavenly sugared bacon no one could resist.
Classes Mix It Up
Likewise, many classes added a measure of creativity and whimsey, reinforcing the festival’s sometimes quirky personality.
Prohibition-Era Cocktails explored drinks that go by such fanciful names as The Bees’ Knees, which were born in hidden 1920s speakeasies. High Brow/Low Brow Pairings combined wine and comfort foods for an unexpected twist. Not to be overlooked were cake and wine pairing as well ice cream classes.
Catering to the more traditional fine dining connoisseur were classes and workshops that included The Flavors of Spain, Farmhouse Rules, Country Bling and more.
In French Cookery, students worked in small teams to prepare buttery escargot, mussels meunière and custard-filled eclairs for dessert. As the whirring of mixers gave way to relaxed conversation, participants enjoyed the fruits of their labor during a group dinner, with many exchanging cell numbers for future contact.
A Grand Tasting in the Great Outdoors
Always a culinary festival favorite, the lavish Grand Tasting in Los Olas Oceanside Park was a fitting grand finale with more than 100 stations offering tantalizing samplings of food and drink, from ceviche and tuna tartar to Mexican specialties, Italian pastas and exquisitely prepared French and Spanish fare, the Grand Tasting truly delivered the world on a plate.
Among the favorites that had crowds coming back for more . . . and more . . . were truffle-oil-infused lasagna, tangy pulled pork sliders, cooked-to-perfection steak bites and grilled lamb kabobs. These were complemented by fine wines and all manner of creative cocktails.
With sunshine, sea breezes and the luxury of open space, the outdoor environment also opened new possibilities for a typically over-crowded food celebration. Energetic DJs presided over dance competitions with prizes galore, while a parade of live bands kept festival-goers tapping their feet. Those who relished a quiet retreat found deck chairs and tables where they could kick off their shoes and really relax, giving the festival another distinctive flavor all its own.