Part Two: My Preview of The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival

Today is the second installment of my preview of the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival, undoubtedly the best fest in the country. With four days full of good eats, hot parties, and can't miss events, you need a guide of sorts, to spend your time(and money) wisely, that's where I come in! In this blog, I want to focus on the first two days of the event( Feb 20th & 21st), and the events I will be at, and so should you.

Right off the bat is an event I have never missed, and IMHO, one of the fest's best, Moët Hennessy's The Q presented by Creekstone Farms sponsored by MIAMI magazine hosted by Michael Symon featuring the 2014 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Models. Located on the beach in front of the Delano Hotel, this ultra chic beach party is housed in a massive tent, decorated so elaborately you forget the ocean is only a few steps away. Three hours of tasting gourmet bites from over 20 Food Network and world recognized chefs, champagne & cocktails, live music, and  most importantly, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Models! The people are beautiful, the food impeccable, and a night you won't soon forget.

                                             The Q 2013

                                             Curtis Stone & Live Dancers

On Feb 21st, there are a number of hot events going on(must are sold out), but one that still has a few tickets left is Fontainebleau Miami Beach presents Wine Spectator's Best of the Best sponsored by Bank of America & Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. Located in the beautiful Fontainebleau hotel, The Best of The Best offers a chance to eat some gourmet bites cooked on the spot by some of the worlds best chefs, and drink as much high end wine as one person could possible dream of. There is also an entire room dedicated to delectable desserts that would satisfy even the biggest sweet tooth! Last year I chatted up Alex Guarnaschelli while she was preparing veal cheeks, and shared a drink with Justin Warner of Next Food Network Star fame. This event is a chance to get a little dressed up, eat and drink like a king, and participate in one of the better events at #SoBeWFF.

Next week I will continue my preview of the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival with more can't miss events from the hottest fest of the year!

Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival is Almost Here!

The best wine & food show in the country is right around the corner, the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival. I have attended this fest four years in a row now, and between the food celebrities, parties, demos, events, and weather, you don't need to convince me any further to leave Chicago in the middle of the winter for this foodie paradise event!

This will be the second year I am covering the event for Flavor City, last years video can be seen here, and is loaded with food network celebs, and all access footage. http://youtu.be/mzIsp165SI8

There are many wine & food shows across the country now, but here are the reasons why you NEED to be at #SoBeWFF.

The Events/Parties: These events are not just about the tasty food, you can also meet a wide variety of A-list food celebs, be dazzled by live music and an atmosphere that screams fun, and party with some of the most beautiful people you can imagine in South beach. The tickets to these events are a little pricey, but they are well worth it for the amount of bang you get for your buck.

The Food: Imagine eating gourmet bites from many of the worlds top chefs, drinking fine champagne and cocktails, and experiencing the flavors of the world in one location...well all of that is possible at many of the #SoBeWFF events. From the Burger Bash to The Q,  you can indulge in as much top tier food your belly desires.

South Beach: The weather is perfect, the people are hot, and with all the #SoBeWFF activities going on, there is no other place on earth I would rather be Feb. 20-23rd.

I will be blogging about #SoBeWFF in the coming weeks, and let you know which events are looking hot this year. Here are some photos from last year.

                                           Guy Fieri

                                           Michael Symon

                                           Jeff Mauro

New Flavor City Episode from Montreal

Last week I released a new FlavCity from Montreal, Canada. I visited there back in June 2013 and was blown away by everything the city had to offer. The food scene is second to none, and when it comes to seafood, I have NEVER had better.

I had the opportunity to meet and interview celebrity chef Chuck Huges at SoBe wine & food show last February. Not only is he a dynamite chef, but he is too funny and a great guy to hang with. I told him I was looking forward to checking out his two restaurants, Garde Manger & Le Bremner, in June, and he told me to hit him up when I was there. Both restaurants really impressed me with their atmosphere(old world hip) and food. Both restaurants take advantage of the insanely fresh seafood available to the Quebecois, and cook straightforward dishes with flavors that will sucker punch you they are so good!.

The diversity of the city is really something you need to experience. In the old port 'hood, you feel like you are transported back in time, walking down cobblestone streets and horse drawn carriages galloping alongside, and then you head latin quarter, and you so hipster dufus and freak city galore! Walking through the city you feel like you are in Europe, but with none of the jet lag. While we were there, an outdoor art & music festival were going on, and you can tell the Quebecois take advantage of the nice summertime weather bc it sure doesn't last long!

Here is the link to my Montreal Video:

New Year, New Credit Cards, and Perks Galore!

2013 was a great year in travel and food for Flavor City. After starting my online cooking and travel show back in February, I shot episodes in 3 countries, made TV appearances, and did a live cooking demo at a Chicago fest. It was incredibly rewarding to see all the hard work payoff, and to see that people connect with my passion for all things food and travel. I am working on some exciting projects for 2014(think Food Network!), and am kicking off my travels in a couple weeks with a trip to Los Angeles.

Part of the reason I am able to travel and have the food experiences I have always dreamed of, is because of the insane credit card points/miles I get just for making every day purchases. I have dedicated large parts of this blog to educate everyone on how to get airline/miles/points credit cards and take advantage of huge sign-up bonuses that can be redeemed for free travel all over the world. A prime example is the Southwest family of Credit cards. Visa offers 4-5 different Southwest business and personal cards, with sign-up bonuses of 50,000 points each. This year I got 2 of these cards(100,000 points), and spent well over $10,000, because of this, I earned something EXTREMELY valuable called the "Southwest Companion Pass." When you earn 110,000 Southwest Rapid Reward points in one calendar year, they give you the companion pass, meaning I can designate one person(my wife obviously) who can fly for FREE with me all of 2014, yes free! Whether I book my airfare with cash or redeem Rapid Reward points, my companion flies free with me all of 2014. This is a HUGE money saver considering how much I travel, and since I book most of my travel with points, it is going to save thousands of points I would have used to book a second ticket for my wife. I already used the companion pass to book free travel for my trips to Los Angelos and South Beach coming up soon.

I strong encourage you to check out the Southwest Family of Cards below, and sign up if you are in the market for a new card, with these kinds of perk, you can't afford not to!
https://creditcards.chase.com/southwest

                            My WGN TV appearance July 2013

                  My NBC TV appearance September 2013