‘Chefs just want to throw down': South Beach Wine & Food Festival gets more competitive

Miami Herald

16-02-2025

The South Beach Wine & Food Festival means many things to Miami. A way to learn more about food or wine (or both). A reason for a special dinner with friends or a raucous four-day party of welcome consumption. A chance to try specialties from local chefs or Food Network stars or even get a selfie with your favorite culinary social media personalities.
It's also a benefit for the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Florida International University, which gets 100 percent of the net proceeds from the culinary bash. The festival reports that it has contributed $40 million to the school since it began as a one-day event called Florida Extravaganza in 1997.
But it's also something else. With more than 100 events that include tastings and tributes, dinners and brunches, demonstrations and parties, the festival, which runs from Feb. 20-23 and is now in its 24th year, can also be a competition.
Not every event pits chefs against each other, of course. Most don't. But for the 2025 event, which kicks off Feb. 20, the festival has embraced contests. According to festival founder Lee Schrager, the move makes sense: the consistent popularity of competitive television shows there's an appetite for good-natured rivalries.
'Look at the cooking shows — they're all competitions,' he said. 'The days of dump and stir are done.'
This year's South Beach Wine & Food Festival has introduced several new cooking contests. On, Feb. 20 at the Loews Miami Beach, 'Chopped' judge Alex Guarnaschelli of 'Alex vs. America' and Eric Adjepong of 'Wildcard Kitchen,' host Alex vs. Miami, in which a panel of judges will choose the best dish. Competing local chefs include Adrianne Calvo of Chef Adrianne's Vineyard Restaurant & Bar in Kendall; Karim Bryant of Lil Greenhouse Grill in Miami; and Mercedes Kozlowksi of Prime 112 on Miami Beach.
Fans of the Food Network series 'Tournament of Champions' will get to be part of the show's first ever live competition on Feb. 21 in South Beach. Guy Fieri will host the event as four six-person chef teams of former Tournament winners and local and national rising stars will battle for the People's Choice Award.
Then on Feb. 23 in Coconut Grove is Heritage Fire, at which chefs will bust out their best grilled dishes and vie for the crown of Heritage Fire Hero as chosen by a panel of experts. Even the big Grand Tasting events over the weekend are competitions, a fact often lost on festival goers, especially those who leave the event over-served. Attendees vote on their favorite dishes, and the winner earns the Best Bite on the Beach prize.
The festival's interest in competition also makes sense when you consider the nature of being a chef, Schrager said. If you're recognized as being the best or earn a Michelin star, you want to show what makes your dishes special.
'Chefs are very competitive people,' he said. 'Incredibly competitive. Take the Alex vs. Miami event this year: Alex Guarnaschelli is very competitive. And 'Tournament of Champions' is the highest rated show on Food Network, and this year we have more big talent at that event than we've ever had.'
Diego Ng of Fort Lauderdale's Temple Street Eatery, who will be competing in the Heritage Fire grilling competition, agrees with Schrager's sentiments, although he says he approaches the contest element a little differently.
'There is definitely a competitive side to the job,' he says. 'You always think: 'How can I do it better than anybody else?' Lots of chefs just want to throw down! But I'm more Zen in my approach. I want to show the best I can be, but at the same time I just like to have fun. . . . As chefs we're always in our own little kitchens, in our own little world. Events like this let us say 'Hey, man, I admire your work.' You get to share the camaraderie.'
The longest-running competition is also one of the most popular events of the festival: Burger Bash, which will be held this year on Feb. 20. Hosted by Rachael Ray, who hosted the very first Burger Bash in 2007, the event features local and national chefs vying to create the best burger. A panel of judges will choose the winner of The Very Best Burger Award, while the audience gets to vote on their favorites for the People's Choice Award.
'I'm constantly amazed by how popular it is,' Schrager said of the event. 'What can I say? It's like winning — people love it.'
Among the many participants this year include Jeff Budnechky of Lala's Burgers and Kendall's beloved Apocalypse BBQ; Daniel Ganem of Fiola and Daniel's steakhouse in Fort Lauderdale; Renzo Cocchia of La Birra Bar; Gonzalo Rubino of Skinny Louie; and John Karangis of Shake Shake, to name a few.
Also back to compete are former winners Motek, the Mediterranean restaurant that won the People's Choice Award two years in a row for its Lebanese-style Arayes Burger served in pita, and last year's winner Pincho, which earned the People's Choice Award for its Jalapeño Delight. The spicy burger, which comes with jalapeño jack cheese, jalapeño bacon jam, jalapeño bacon and cilantro jalapeño aioli, still finds its way onto the restaurant's menu from time to time.
Winning the Burger Bash means a lot to the chefs and owners. Last year's judge's choice, Cowy Burger, was a pop-up at the time. After its win for a Angus smash patty with American cheese, bacon jam, grilled onions and Cowy sauce, owners Guillermo Felipe, Carlos Reveron and Daniel Machicao were able to open the first standalone Cowy Burger in Wynwood.
The same thing happened to Pincho, which won its first Burger Bash in 2015, then again in 2019 and 2024. After its first win, the fast-casual restaurant expanded and now has six locations across South Florida in Miami, Coral Gables, Hialeah, Pinecrest, Pembroke Pines and Sunrise as well as four in Texas.
Chef Adrian Sanchez said the first win galvanized the brand to compete.
'It means a considerable amount,' he says. 'The first year we won, we were an up-and-coming brand. It was life changing for us. It really put us on the map. Winning something like this carries a credential.'
This year, as always, Pincho will be looking to take home another People's Choice Award.
'If we place with the judges, that's fine, but a lot of what the judges are looking for is the ideal burger,' he said. 'The people are looking for the wow factor. So every year we create something special. People make a beeline toward us because they know we're going to offer something new. Chefs do get competitive with these things.'
South Beach Wine & Food Festival
When: Feb. 20-23
Where: Locations around Miami-Dade County, particularly Miami Beach
Tickets and information: sobewff.org