Tastemakers: An Inside Look At The Michelin-Starred Events During This Year’s SOBEWFF
As the annual Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival Presented by Capital One (SOBEWFF) returns this year, Haute Living sits down with Michelin-starred chefs for an exclusive look into its top events.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of SOBEWFF
EACH YEAR, FOOD NETWORK SOUTH BEACH WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL PRESENTED by Capital One (SOBEWFF) brings some of the world’s top culinary masters to Miami Beach through immersive tastings, intimate dining experiences, master classes, and more. The 2023 festival is introducing the Michelin Guide Dinner Series, highlighting the chefs and restaurants that Michelin Guide recognized for the first time in Miami history by presenting one-of-a-kind culinary collaborations including dinners hosted by Juan-Manuel Barrientos of Elcielo Miami and Ryan Ratino of Bresca, Charlie Palmer, Antonio Bachour, Harold Moore and Josh Becker, by Jeremy Ford of Stubborn Seed and Gabriel Kreuther, by Luciana Giangrandi and Alex Meyer of Boia De and Sebastian Vargas of Los Felix, as well as a lunch hosted by Simon Kim & David Shim of COTE Miami and Marc Forgione and L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon x Le Jardinier: A Dinner hosted by Alain Verzeroli and Salvatore Martone.
Photo Credit: Michael Pisarri
On the heels of the opening of his new restaurant, Beauty & The Butcher, in Coral Gables, chef Jeremy Ford of Stubborn Seed is set to collaborate with 2 Michelin-starred chef Gabriel Kreuther for an exclusive dinner.
HAUTE LIVING: How did the collaboration with chef Gabriel Kreuther come to life?
JEREMY FORD: When Lee Schrager approached me with the opportunity to participate in the Michelin Guide Dinner Series this year and suggested Gabriel, it was a no-brainer for me. He’s a legend in our industry, and I’m excited to collaborate with him.
Photo Credit: Grove Bay Hospitality Group
HL: What are some notable aspects of the special dinner series you can share?
JF: While we’re still cooking up the menu, I guarantee that we will bring guests the best dining experience we can create.
Photo Credit: Michael Pisarri
HL: You recently opened Beauty & The Butcher. Can you tell us about the new opening?
JF: Beauty & The Butcher is an exciting new restaurant for me and one that is near to my heart. Our menu is built around the idea of collaboration, both within the kitchen and with our local farmers and purveyors who bring us the best ingredients around. Each dish features a mix of global spices, and we have a sick dry-aging program, curing everything from house-made charcuterie to seafood.
WITH A NEW LUNCH MENU AT COTE MIAMI ON THE HORIZON, IT’S ONLY fitting that the restaurant’s owner, Simon Kim, and its executive chef, David Shim, will be participating in a lunch series with chef Marc Forgione of Peasant for SOBEWFF.
Photo Credit: Gary He
HL: What can we expect from the intimate lunch during SOBEWFF?
DAVID SHIM: I am really looking forward to our exclusive lunch with chef Marc Forgione of Peasant. He’s such a talented chef and [is] really well respected in our industry. During the brainstorming process, it was incredible to see how much his cuisine ― cooking over an open fire at his NYC restaurant ― translates into what we do at Cote. Our dishes truly complement each other on a whole other level, and I’m looking forward to taking people on this collaborative journey. In terms of dishes I’m most excited about, our “Steak & Eggs” is one of our signature star dishes, and we’ll also be spreading the love further with our A5 wagyu from Japan.
Photo Credit: Gary He
HL: Congratulations on receiving the Michelin star this year in Miami. What has the response been since the opening in the Miami Design District?
SIMON KIM: Michelin coming to Miami definitely brought a whole other level of excellence and excitement to the dining scene in Florida. The response to our opening has been incredible. I immediately fell in love with Miami: the booming arts scene, the growing dining landscape, and the Design District most especially, which is so fashion-forward, elegant, and vibrant.
Photo Credit: Gary He
DS: Simon had it right opening up here, even right during the beginning of the pandemic. To be recognized in this new city has truly been a remarkable moment for us. My personal goal was to always strive to follow in the footsteps of those who came before me and trained me. Now, in Florida, we are the first generation of restaurants to receive a Michelin star. We are the ones paving the paths for future generations to come. This has given all of us — both front and back of the house — another reason to persevere, continue to push ourselves, and strive for the utmost excellence.