at #SOBEWFF
The Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Capital One (SOBEWFF®) is a national, star-studded, five-day destination event showcasing the talents of the world’s most renowned wine and spirits producers, chefs and culinary personalities.
Its 20th annual edition will take place February 24 – 28, 2021.
All proceeds from the Festival benefit the Florida International University Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management.
$31.8M
Benefiting FIU
110+
Festival Events
450+
Talent
65K+
Attendance
20
Ongoing years
Hosted By & Benefiting
Hosted by Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits and Florida International University (FIU), the Festival benefits FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management and the Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center. Each year, more than 1,200 students and volunteers gain invaluable real-world experience with the Festival – which serves as an interactive educational platform for the future leaders of the hospitality industry. To date, the Festival has raised more than $31.8 million for the School.
History of SOBEWFF®
Having just celebrated its 19th year, the Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Capital One began as a one-day festival known as the Florida Extravaganza held at FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus.
1997
For five years, from 1997-2001, the Florida Extravaganza showcased wines from national and international wineries paired with food from local restaurants and chefs working with students of FIU’s School of Hospitality & Tourism Management.
2002
In 2002, Lee Brian Schrager, then director of special events & media relations at Southern Wine & Spirits of America, took the reins of the one-day festival and brought his vision for the Festival to life by relocating it to South Beach. The renamed South Beach Wine & Food Festival® was held March 15 – 17, 2002 and attracted close to 7,000 guests to a series of dinners, seminars, Grand Tasting Village, debut of the BubbleQ®, and live Auction in its first year.
2005
The first Wine Spectator’s Best of the Best event took place at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach during the 2005 Festival.
2006
In 2006, the South Beach Wine & Food Festival® celebrated its fifth anniversary and became one of the largest and most well-known festivals of its kind in the country.
2007
The Festival entered into the beginning of its partnership with Food Network in 2006, during the planning stages of the 2007 Festival. The resulting Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival, which took place February 22 – 25, 2007, attracted 30,000 guests. The newly renamed Festival also featured the first Burger Bash® hosted by Rachael Ray.
2008
The Festival debuted its large-scale, family-friendly program – Fun and Fit as a Family, which still takes place each year for two days during the Festival weekend at Jungle Island. Attendance at the Festival surpassed 50,000 this year.
2009
The Festival welcomed King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain to Miami for a special tribute to the wines and food of Spain.
2011
In 2011, the Festival celebrated 10 years and released the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival Cookbook: Recipes and Behind-the-Scenes Stories from America’s Hottest Chefs (Clarkson Potter, November 2010), written by Lee Brian Schrager with Julie Mautner, featuring a foreword by Anthony Bourdain.
2013
The Festival welcomed more than 60,000 attendees.
2014
The Festival celebrated the opening of the newly constructed Wine Spectator Restaurant Management Laboratory at FIU, a state-of-the-art teaching facility built as a result of funds raised by SOBEWFF®.
2016
The Festival celebrated its 15th anniversary with an expansion of its physical footprint into Broward County with the launch of the Taste Fort Lauderdale Series.
2017
For its 16th year, SOBEWFF® partnered with hospitality impresario David Grutman to bring a premier music experience to its signature Goya Foods’ Grand Tasting Village event for the first time. The inaugural David Grutman Experience featured a performance of high energy beats from INGROSSO.
2018
The Festival collaborated with the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau’s Research Division to report that the 2018 Festival had an estimated economic impact of more than $34 million on Miami-Dade County.
2019
To date, the Festival has raised more than $30 million for the Florida International University Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management.
2020
To date, the Festival has raised more than $31.8 million for the Florida International University Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management.
Looking forward to 2021!
The Festival now attracts more than 65,000 guests annually to its 100+ events throughout the five-day weekend, which take place at various locations throughout Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Looking forward, the 20th annual Festival will take place February 24-28, 2021 and will once again feature internationally renowned talent and leaders of the hospitality industry at uniquely crafted events showcasing world-class wine, spirits, food, and fun.