Stephanie March and Bobby Flay

It’s no secret that the South Beach Wine and Food Festival (SBWFF) is taking over Miami, specifically South Beach this weekend.  What the World Series is to baseball fans, the SBWFF is to eaters everywhere.  Foodies have been revving up their taste buds since the last crumb was consumed at the end of SBWFF 2009, some wishing they had four stomachs like the bovines.  Well it’s back so prepare for an influx of culinary gastro fiends to invade our turf and enjoy the chef-lebrity sightings.  Here is a run down to help you organize your week as you prepare your medicine cabinet with antacids and digestive aids to get you through.

On Thursday, February 25, Rachael Ray will be hosting the Amstel Light Burger Bash at the Ritz-Carlton South Beach.  The festivities take place from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m., where guests get the chance to vote for their favorite burger. Defending 2009 Burger Bash People’s Choice Award Winner, Spike Mendelsohn, (Washington, D.C.), will be fighting to keep his title.  Making its competitive debut this year is New York City’s critically acclaimed Bill’s Bar & Burger with Chef Brett Reichler at the grill.  Also joining the Bash, are heavy hitters Bobby Flay, Marcus Samuelsson, Stephanie Izard, and Masaharu Morimoto just to name a few. A portion of the VIP preview reception proceeds will benefit Rachael Ray’s nonprofit Yum-o!® Foundation.

 On Friday afternoon, the honorable Pierre Vimont, French Ambassador to the United States, will officially open the “Celebrate France!” tent during Wine Spectator’s Trade Day.  The ribbon cutting will take place at 12:30 p.m. on 13^th and Ocean, giving the phrase “Viva la France!” a whole new meaning.   Food Network star Sunny Anderson, the Cooking for Real host, will also be appearing at the VIVA booth from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Read the rest here »

Vizcaya was a page out of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby on Saturday night for the glitzy and glamorous, Lingerie Miami, the only such showcase of lingerie in the United States. Aglow in pink lighting, the palace was reminiscent of Versailles, its beauty rivaled only by the gorgeous crowd of 500, who braved the uncharacteristically chilly weather, forking out $1,000.00 a head to support the 7Bar Foundation, a charity aimed at helping impoverished women around the globe. The event, hosted by actress Eva Longoria Parker and co-hosted by supermodel Veronica Webb, former Apprentice, Sean Yazbeck and spiritual leader and author, Deepak Chopra, (strange bedfellows indeed), was nothing short of spectacular, right down to the gold-gilded goblets, Swarovski-encrusted Moet & Chandon bottles and the raciest, sexiest lingerie this side of a Paris bordello. European lingerie designers, Fifi Chachnil, Carine Gilson and Agent Provocateur produced unique, sensual fashion shows, proving that lingerie is couture.

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When the chips are down, you can count on nightlife impresario and entrepreneur, Michael Capponi.  Over the  past several years, he’s helped countless numbers of  underprivileged and afflicted people during disasters such as the Tsunami, and Hurricane Katrina and has hosted events to benefit the United Way, Red Cross, Make-A-Wish and Bay Point Schools, to name a few, not to mention the homeless food drive he hosts every Thanksgiving. So it came as no surprise that Capponi took action once again to help the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. In addition to loading a private jet with emergency personnel, doctors and supplies just a few days after the quake, and heading to Haiti, Capponi threw an exclusive party  a few weeks ago, “Save Haiti Saturday,” along with a few of his influential friends, at his beautiful Sunset Island home- Villa Capponi  to benefit Project Medishare, which provides medical assistance to earthquake victims. Read the rest here »

The Super Bowl blew through town last week, taxing my endurance, bank account and liver (Forget the guest list, just add me to that transplant list will you?). And in addition to the game, there were celebrity appearances, concerts and parties, parties, parties!  Since the helicopter and speed boat were in the shop, I couldn’t make it to EVERYTHING, but managed to put together a “short” recap of who was where and what they were doing.  Unless otherwise noted most of the A-list celebrities (and B and C for that matter) spent most of their time at the parties they attended just hanging and milling about, as if they were a display at the Museum of Natural History.  The biggest bashes in terms of shear number of guests (Bashes for the Masses) were thrown by ESPN, MAXIM, TAO and Playboy.  Notable concerts included: Rhianna, Marc Anthony at the Icon Brickell, JLO in a cat suit at LIV, Ne-Yo at ESPN at the Fontainebleau, Wycleff Jean and Snoop Dogg at the 944 Hotel on separate nights, and an impromptu concert by Wycleff Jean at the Florida Room during which Queen Latifah and Robin Thicke jumped on-stage.   Read the rest here »

Earlier in the week, a chic crowd of over 700 gathered for the official opening of the Webster rooftop, the majority of which wasn’t even aware that there had been a football game played in Miami a few days before.  Guests clamored into the stairwell to access the minuscule, (1,100 square foot, do the math- it was a tight squeeze) chili rooftop of the boutique. Upstairs, patient attendees enjoyed Grey Goose cocktails, small bites from Kaspia, and music by DJ Jeffrey Tonneson.  The VIP list, included Barbara Becker, Sam Robin, Jonathan and Criselda Breene, Merle Weiss, Iran Issa Khan, Susie and Walid Wahab, Markus Ketty, Tui Pranich, Jeffrey Koffman, Glenn Albin, Juan Carlos Arcille-Duque, Ambra Medda, Jamie Jo Harris, Jillian Jacobson-Altit, Susan Birbragher, James and Samantha Wall, Lolo Sudarsky, and Webster owners:  Laure Hériard Dubreuil, and Frederic Dechnik.  The Webster rooftop is open 6 days a week, Tuesday through Sunday, serving lunch and dinner from Kaspia and full bar service. Bottle service is also available.

The New World Symphony took over the Gusman Center on Valentine’s eve presenting Vivace: “Great Loves of the Silver Screen” better known as “catnip for romantics.”  Brilliant musical performances by the orchestra accompanied some of Hollywood’s most memorable movie scenes from love stories, starting with the Titanic anthem “My Heart Will Go On”. The handsome and charming, Academy Award-winning director, David Frankel (The Devil Wears Prada, Marley & Me) served as emcee and made snarky and funny comments before and after each performance.  For instance, Frankel proclaimed he was “King of the World” after the Titanic number and described Madame Bovary as “a film about frustrated peasant woman who slept around and then committed suicide- Perfect for Valentine’s Day.”   Other favorite music and film clips included Dr. Zhivago and A Time for Us.  Following the performances, guests many of whom channeled their inner Golden-Era film legend, crossed the street on a red carpet to the Alfred I. DuPont Building, which had been transformed into a 21^st century speakeasy. A jubilant, energetic vibe permeated the entire evening.  Attendees included Martin Rozenblum, Claudia Cisneros, Rita Cabasés, Gordon Myers, Lourdes & Timothy Collett, Lin and Sarah Arison, Neisen & Ana Kasdin, Howard & Mary Frank, Gerald & Jane Katcher, Mario & Lourdes de Armas, Woody and Judy Weiser, Matthew & Jennifer Buttrick,  Stanley & Gala Cohen, Edward Shumsky & Sue Kronick,  Adam & Chanin Carlin, Bob & Diane Moss, Jody Wolfe, Diane Sepler, Sheldon & Florence Anderson, Sari & Dr. Arthur Agatston, Beau Beasley, Anne Owen & Alan Roth, Vanessa & Gary Ressler, Lisa Schejola Kin & Jeffrey Akin and Irene & Rod Sintow, David Restainer & Sandra Hernandez, Florencia Ximenez-Marcos & Xavier Gonzalez, Orlando Gonzales, Marcia Martinez & Michael Laas, Aaron Resnick, Chad Turner and Alia Dia.