Florida’s Favorite Seafood Festival returns!
By Kenny Spahn
Get ready, fellow Foodies – and especially you Seafoodies — The South Beach Seafood Festival is almost here!
Now celebrating its 10th year, the South Beach Seafood Festival has fast become one of the area’s favorite culinary festivals, as it kicks off south Florida’s famed Stone Crab Season, with four days of food, fun, culinary competitions, creative cocktails, South Beach scenery, and general seafood frenzy. The acclaimed culinary extravaganza has also garnered impressive national recognition, including “Top Food Festival in the US” by Food Network & USA Today, “The Best Seafood Festival in the US” by the Travel Channel,“Top 5 Chef Competition” by Food Network, “Top Foodie Event in the FALL” by Forbes Travel, and “Best Chef Beach Bash” by Ocean Drive! And the best part, it all goes to benefit a great cause in Miami Dade County with CI Foundation’s EAT SMART program. It all kicks off Wednesday, October 19, and culminates in the signature South Beach Seafood Festival along South Beach’s scenic Lummus Park on Saturday, October 22.
Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to sample seafood sensations from over two dozen of south Florida’s hottest restaurants and top Chefs, along an expansive 5-block party venue on the beach, including: A Fish Called Avalon, Billy G Catering, Bodega Taqueria y Tequila, Café Avanti, Café Bernie, Cielito Artisan Pops, CJ’s Crab Shack, Cilantro 27, Crepemaker, Doral International Foods, Ella’s Oyster Bar, GOYA Foods, Kuba Cabana, Latin House, Lobster Shack, Mau Miami, Meat N’ Bone, Old Lisbon, Papa’s Raw Bar, Pescanova,Playa, Pubbelly Sushi, Red The Steakhouse, Rum Room, Smashburger, The Social Club, The Wagyu Bar by Meat N’ Bone; Tanuki, Wynwood Parlor, and more!
In addition, VIP Guests also get exclusive access to their own private 2-block VIP village, where they can take a break from the sun under the cover of the GOYA VIP Culinary Pavilion, and enjoy exclusive tastings from GOYA’s Executive Chef, along with a dozen of the area’s top-notch restaurants and chefs. Plus, of course, ample liquid libations including interactive experiences from Jack Daniels, Herradura, and specialty wine tastings from Master of Wines. VIP guests can also watch some live college football games on the jumbo screens, jam to the tunes of ROCKWELL Talent, and socialize with fellow VIP partygoers.
ALSO on tap for the day: The Piper Heidsieck Champagne Lounge, the El Dorado Ultimate Beach Club, the Milam’s Marketplace featuring the Culinary Showcase Kitchen, and more; plus The VIP area also includes specialty booths hosted by Celebrity Cruises, Tequila Herradura, City National Bank, Baptist Health, Oshen Salmon, and more!
“But wait, there’s more!”
Before Saturday’s signature Grand Tasting, the Festival kicks off with 3 days of preliminary activities. Highlight events include:
AN EVENING AT JOE’S STONE CRAB (Wed, Oct 19): This exclusive dining adventure at the legendary Joe’s Stone Crab consists of a five-course meal showcasing Executive Chef Andre Bienvenu’s cuisine paired with fine wines curated by master sommeliers Tickets to the highly exclusive event are available for $500, and usually sell out quickly.
Where: Joe’s Stone Crab; 11 Washington Ave., Miami Beach, FL
CRABS, SLABS, & CABS (Thurs, Oct 20): This one-of-a-kind fine dining experience features an exquisite 5-course formal dinner in a tropical oasis set for the ultimate seafood extraordinaire. GOYA’s Executive Chef, Fernando Desa will be joined by some of Miami’s finest chefs, including celebrated restaurateur José Mendín; Fiola’ Danny Ganem; Meat Market’s Sean Brasel; Chef Javier Carballo of The Social Club at Surfcomber; and Luca Osteria’s Chef/Owner Giorgio Rapicavoli. Limited to 150 guests, attendees will explore flavors from around the world as each chef presents a different course showcasing their own interpretation of the delicious surf n turf pairing.
Where: The High Tide Beach Club at Miami’s Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel.,
CHEF SHOWDOWN (Fri, Oct 21): Coined “the ultimate beach bash on South Beach,” 20 of Miami’s top chefs will go head-to-head in ten competitive seafood showdowns. Enjoy the live action of a real-life “Iron Chef” type showdown, where 20 of the area’s top Chefs will battle it out head-to-head in eight unique seafood showdowns – and you get to judge! Each battle will have one lucky champ. And new this year, one MVP will be selected as the overall winner and take home the $10,000 Grand Prize!
- Battle Ceviche: Aida Mexican Seafood’s Mauricio Hernandez vs La Cervecería de Barrio’s Alex Medina
- Battle Crab: 2-Time Champion, Beaker & Gray’s Brian Nasajon* vs Papa’s Raw Bar’s Chad Wyrosdick
- Battle Fusion-Sushi: Tanuki’s Gustavo Montes vs Chef Luis Gonzalez
- Battle Salmon presented by Laguna Blanca Salmon:2021 Champion Mercato della Pescheria’s Alex Martinez vs Ocean 234’s Nicole Fey
- Battle Lobster: 4-Time Champion, Café Bernie’s Chef Bernie Matz vs Chef Billy G’s Chef Andres Garcia
- Battle Oyster: 2021 Champion, UCHI Miami’s Cristian Canencio vs Seawell Fish N Oyster’s Raymond Fiorello
- Battle Shrimp: Latin House’s Sergio Mazuelos vs Cilantro 27’s Nilton Castillo
- Battle Surf n’ Turf presented by Halpern’s Steak and Seafood: 2-Time Champion Rusty Pelican’s Jim Pastor vs Social Club’s Javier Carballo
- Battle Sushi: Zuma’s Nono Shigetomi vs Paperfish Sushi’s Michael Asalie
- Battle Taco: Tacos & Tattoos’ Jay Cruz vs Bandidos Taqueria Juan Hernandez
Hosted by NBC 6’s Kelly Blanco, this year’s celebrity judges include GOYA Foods’ Executive Chef Fernando Desa; Joe’s Stone Crab’s Executive Chef Andre Bienvenu; RED Steakhouses’ Executive Chef Peter Vauthy; Chef Adrianne Calvo; food writer Sara Liss; and Managing SVP Director of Marketing and Corporate Communications at City National Bank of Florida, Eddie Dominguez. And the best part is, all attendees to sample the dishes, and vote for their favorite!
Where: Lummus Park; 1130 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, FL
Make it a weekend! Special weekend package tickets are available. And this year’s host hotel, the newly revamped Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel (1717 Collins Avenue), is offering special Packages for two including festival tickets and a hotel room.
This Foodie Festival also supports CI Foundation’s EAT SMART program, a 501 ©(3) nonprofit program that provides healthy meals and nutritional guidance to the local community and Florida’s youth through programs in Miami-Dade County public schools.
The South Beach Seafood Festival takes place Saturday, Oct 22 at Lummus Park (14th & Ocean Drive, on the beach) in Miami Beach from 12:00 noon – 7:00 pm (9:00 pm for VIP ticket holders). Festival ticket prices are only $55 General Admission, and $150 VIP. ALL tickets include complimentary all-day open bar (21+)! For more information and to purchase tickets to the 10th Annual South Beach Seafood Festival, visit sobeseafoodfest.com. Follow along on Instagram at @sobeseafoodfest and Facebook @SOBESeafoodFest. Note: These events often sell out early – so order your tickets now!
About South Beach Seafood Festival: The iconic South Beach Seafood Festival, brought to you by CI Management and in collaboration with Breakthru Beverage Florida and partners, is a seafood celebration taking place every October with over 16,000 attendees, showcasing the talents of South Florida’s leading chefs and culinary masterminds. By offering a diverse lineup of events in partnership with some of South Florida’s leading chefs, the South Beach Seafood Festival caters to the most discerning ‘sea foodies’ in the region. What’s more, the festival benefits a great cause with CI Foundation’s EAT SMART program, a program that provides healthy meals and nutritional guidance to Florida’s youth, and each year, a portion of the proceeds from the South Beach Seafood Festival benefits the nonprofit.
About CI Management: The South Beach Seafood Festival is produced by CI Management, a South Florida event management company with over 20 years of hosting non-profit fundraising events. CI Management is also brings us the famed Las Olas Wine & Food Festival each year, along with Jimmy Johnson’s Quest for the Ring Championship Fishing Week, and Experience SOFI. For more information, visit www.ci-mgt.com. Also Facebook or Instagram @wearecimgt, or call 305-255-3500.
About Restaurant Placement Group: Restaurant Placement Group is the exclusive recruiting, placement, and consulting service for the restaurant and hospitality industry. President Ken Spahn is a renowned food critic, culinary columnist, and restaurant consultant, and has been writing about the south Florida culinary scene for over 20 years. For more information, please visit: www.RestaurantPlacement.com.
TAGS: South Beach Seafood Festival, Miami Beach, Miami, Seafood, Events, Festivals, Food & Wine, Chefs, Restaurants, Restaurant Placement Group, Chef Competitions, RestaurantPlacement.com, CI Management, CI Foundation, EAT SMART