Where to begin?   “Mmmm.”   Let’s start with that.   Four days of delicious food, wine, champagne, sunshine and all of my favorite Food Network cooking superstars at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival.   Giada, Bobby, Rachael, Emeril, Guy.   OMG!

Some people go crazy over the championships in their favorite sport.  Well, this event was better than the Super Bowl.  I mean this was wine and food heaven for me.   And for it to be in South Beach Miami, one of my favorite places in the world, was like whipped cream with a cherry on top.

This was an important assignment, so I headed down to Miami to do what had to be done.  I stayed at my favorite place, the Gansevoort South Beach and enjoyed every minute and every mouthful.  Let’s start with my favorite event, which was my last event, an “Italian in Paradise” at the Ritz Carlton with Giada De Laurentiis.

An Italian in Paradise at the Ritz Carlton with Giada De Laurentiis

We had a wonderful sit down dinner with Giada and a couple hundred others.   The cocktail hour included amazing litte flat bread pizzas and cheeses while we enjoyed champagne . . .

Giada and her hubby (at the table with her below) were super sweet and we could not have had a better time at this event.   She was as gracious as a bride on her wedding night, saying a warm hello and touching everyone in the room.  I think she visited every table personally.

The menu, which included wonderful wine pairings with each course, included Giada’s own Chilled Cauliflower Soup, a Risotto with Scallops (shown here), Wild Boar, Grilled Cobia and a Prime Rib with Fresh Polenta that was so good I was sorry it was last (we were so full!).

Of course my husband John also had to have his picture taken with Giada.  He can’t resist a beautiful Italian woman who knows how to cook . . . .

Bobby Flay Bubble Q with Perrier Jouet

The night before Giada’s event, we enjoyed a huge party under the tent at the “Bubble Q” with Bobby Flay.  This event was a lot more crowded than the Giada event but we enjoyed so many great foods and met so many great Food Network chefs.   And lots of champagne.

Bobby Flay served up a really tasty taco . . .

I enjoyed the crispy taco dish from Bobby along with a short rib and some other treats when we found a table . . .

Then, I washed all of that down with a couple of bigger glasses of champagne.  They were so generous 🙂

. . . Chef Robert Irvine (below) from Kitchen Impossible was there  . . .

. . . Kat Cora (below) served up a delicious little duck meatball . . .

Al Roker, with his own BBQ Chicken recipe . . .

Chef Anne Burrell (below) . . .

Oh, and of course, Giada was there too!

I even ran into Guy as I was leaving the Bubble Q event  . . .

All of the barbecue dishes were amazing that night but I think that the winner of the night for me had to be the dessert bar made completely out of ice by Sweet Street . . .

5th Annual Rachael Ray Burger Bash

The first day of my time at the festival, I went to Rachael Ray’s event, the “Burger Bash” with my sister, Michele.

Here is Rachael Ray tasting one of the burgers.  She made the rounds to taste all of the burgers and spoke to the crowd from the stage but you really could not make any contact with her whatsoever.  She was surrounded by as much security as I’ve seen on anyone outside of the White House . . .

Chef Michael Symon won the best burger and believe me he deserved it! His Yo! Burger with fried salami, provolone, and shasha sauce was so good I ate it before I even took a photo of it. He is such a nice guy. Out of all the celebrity chefs I met that weekend he was one of the friendliest. He totally loves what he does and loves getting up close with the crowd.

This was the Town Kitchen & Bar of Miami’s burger with a stout float.  Unbelievable . . .

Anthony Bourdain was there . . .

Here are some of the judges of the event . . .

Here’s Rachel sampling another.  There were so many  . . .

And it was a really big, fun party with all the fixings . . .

Here’s Chef Michael Symon again enjoying another photo op . . .

and I even got to meet David Bromstad, host of Color Splash . . .   It was a star studded event!

Relaxing at the Gansevoort Hotel

Of course, after all of the commotion, I had no choice but to settle in at one of South Beach Miami’s hottest hotels, the Gansevoort South and nibble on some of their own little dishes.    Lisa at the bar started me off with this special drink of hers (just research) . . .

And of course we had some poolside snacks, including tuna tartar over tortillas and cilantro shrimp with a lime and spicy mango salsa (both below) . . .

John and I have been to the Gansevoort a few times over the last couple of years and they always take care of us.   Lisa is a bartender who makes the best bloody mary’s and Caipirinha’s in Miami.

Then there’s Don, the manager who make it all happen on the rooftop pool deck . . .

Life is pretty good in Miami in February!

All in all, the South Beach Wine and Food Festival was an amazing weekend.   I can’t wait to go back next year!   To see more photos of my trip, please visit http://facebook.com/cookingwithsugar