By: Maryanne Salvat
Benihana Passport Challenge
Join Benihana for their yearlong Passport Challenge promotion celebrating their 50th anniversary! Guests who visit the most Benihana locations during the calendar year will be eligible to win a grand prize trip to Tokyo, Japan! Other prizes include a trips to the Benihana location of choice within the United States and over $10,000 in gift cards. Readers can register to participate at www.Benihana.com and earn additional entries by uploading a digital photo taken when they visit any participating restaurant in 2014.
Whitney Linen Resort Wear Trunk Show 
This weekend Whitney Linen will launch their second exclusive Resort Wear Trunk show. The Mediterranean-inspired pieces will be showcased at Canyon Ranch Miami on Friday and Saturday, January 10 and 11, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The Linen home collection will also be presented alongside the luxurious women and menswear; for more information visit www.whitneylinen.com or contact whitney@whitneylinen.com.
Dinner in Paradise with Chef Dewey LoSasso 
Chef Dewey LoSasso of Acqualina Resort & Spa’s presents Dinner in Paradise at Paradise Farms (19801 SW 320th St, Homestead) on Sunday, January 12 starting at 5:00 p.m. Proceeds will benefit local charity “Learning in Paradise” an outreach program that will host children’s field trips to the farm. Chef LoSasso will be cooking alongside Chef Wolfgang Birk and Chef Nicolas Cabrera. Tickets are $165.50 per person plus tax and processing. To purchase tickets visit: http://paradisefarms.net/dinner-in-paradise/.
YoungArts Week
Beginning this week through January 12, The National YoungArts Foundation will host YoungArts week. A select group, 171 to be exact, of the most talented blooming artists will participate in the life-altering competition that will award a series of cash prizes ranging up to $10,000; master classes and workshops with internationally renowned artists such as Frank Gehry, Irving Sandler, Rita Moreno, Andrew Rannells, Shelly Berg, Shalita Grant, Lourdes Lopez, and Judith Hill and much more. The YoungArts finalists will have the opportunity to wow audiences with public performances, readings and a visual arts exhibition at venues including the New World Center, Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) and the National YoungArts Foundation Campus. Tickets are available starting at $10 and can be purchased here via the YoungArts website. Ticket Information: gala@youngarts.org or 305.377.1140. Event Website: http://www.youngarts.org/gala.
Les Dames D’Escoffier Miami Host Giant Gourmet Garage Sale 
Mark your calendars, on Saturday, January 25 from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Les Dames D’Escoffier Miami (LDEM) will present their annual Giant Gourmet Garage Sale at the Galleria of the Coral Gables Museum, 285 Aragon Avenue in Coral Gables. LDEM is a non-profit organization comprised of female culinary, wine, hospitality and farming professionals dedicated to funding scholarships for young South Florida women, supporting regional agriculture and funding organic school vegetable gardens, nutrition and cooking educational programs for area youth and South Florida’s farm labor force. The event is free and open to the public and proceeds from sales will help underwrite Les Dames projects; for more information, www.lesdamesmiami.org.
Drink Around The World Festival to Benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities® of South Florida
On Saturday, January 25, the first annual Drink Around the World Festival fundraising event will celebrate the diverse wines, spirits, and microbrews of the world in the Moore Building in the Miami Design District. Proceeds from the event benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC) of South Florida, whose mission is to create, find and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children in South Florida. The fundraising event will showcase 100+ libations from around the world, all for sampling under one roof. Designed to give every guest a VIP Experience, Drink Around the World event goers will enjoy unlimited samplings of hand-picked wines, vodkas, rums, tequilas, whiskeys, gin, microbrews and more from all corners of the world. For complete listing of participating wines and spirits, visit and like them on Facebook facebook.com/DrinkAroundWorldFest.
To purchase tickets,visit: www.drinkaroundtheworldfestival.com. This event is for patrons 21 and older.
ASSASSINS
The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County and Zoetic Stage are proud to present the Miami premiere of ASSASSINS, Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning revue-style musical based on the men and women who have attempted, successfully or not, to assassinate American presidents. Playing January 30 – February 23, 2014 in the intimate Carnival Studio Theater (Ziff Ballet Opera House), ASSASSINS continues the Arsht Center’s highly acclaimed 2013-2014 Theater Up Close Series which features artistic collaborations from stellar local theater ensembles and nationally acclaimed theater companies. ASSASSINS is made possible with support from Jerry and Adrianne Cohen.Tickets to ASSASSINS are $45*, and may be purchased now through the Adrienne Arsht Center box office by calling 305.949.6722 or online at www.arshtcenter.org.
