The mogul and the visionary behind the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival celebrate ten years of perfecting the art of consumption, in good company, and for the cultivation of the talent of tomorrow.
When you’re driving the wine and spirits parade as the leading beverage alcohol distributor in the world, you’re sure to have a stellar team behind the wheel. In the case of Southern Wine and Spirits the talents in question are President and COO, Wayne Chaplin and Vice President of Corporate Communications, Lee Brian Schrager. And aside from being at the helm of this monster corporation, the duo head up a series of events that have changed the face of the industry, entirely. The star of this lineup? The SoBe Wine and Food Festival, which celebrates its ten-year anniversary this year, and currently includes a star-studded list of supporters from culinary heavy hitters to celebrities and gourmands the world over. Haute Living caught up with the two gentlemen to talk about the journey, how the festival’s success birthed spin-off festivals across the country, and how they work to benefit the greater good.
“We never had long-term plans for the festival,” recalls Schrager. “It’s not like we sat at the table and created a 3 year plan, a 5 year plan or a 10 year plan, it just kind of happened naturally, organically, it’s kind of home-grown.” An interesting way to describe the festival, which despite the initial lack of expectations has grown, albeit organically, into an experience of massive proportions by way of massive support. Southern Wine and Spirits not only reigns supreme as the host of the festival, but their unrivaled list of affiliated brands practically doubles as the event’s sponsor list. “Our brands are the biggest sponsors of the festival, boasts Schrager.” “And then there are our title sponsor and presenting sponsors, The Food Network and Food and Wine magazine”—both leaders in the epicurean and wine industries and both very powerful names. “Having those names on top of your logo is pretty important…it brings incredible attention to us.” Similarly, attention to the festival comes by way of intense celebrity involvement through events and personal appearances; a nod to Chaplin, Schrager, and Southern Wine for their ability to collect such powerful entities and bring them together in the name of the festival.
And while everyone enjoys a uniting for cook-offs and cook-outs, tastings and the like, the sheer bliss that comes with knowing every dollar raised goes to a cause is sublime. The festival was originally created to create awareness for the Southern Wine and Spirits Beverage Management Center at Florida International University, but ten years and $12 million later, much has happened. Wayne Chaplin proudly shoots through a small list of what they’ve been able to create: “The Beverage Management school is unique, but we’ve also created great scholarship programs, endowed a chair in the name of my father, Harvey Chaplin, and next we’re going to build a teaching restaurant.” Southern Wine and Spirits’ commitment to the school and their students is phenomenal, and, as Schrager explains, the students are involved in the festival in a big way as well, “All of the events involve the students because there are over one thousand students involved in the planning and working of the festival that weekend…It’s a required program from the university; every student has to participate in the festival in some way shape or form.”
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