Broward and Palm Beach Chefs Impressed at Best of the Best (Photos)

South Beach Wine and Food Festival brings some of the best and brightest culinary talent from around the country. From Top Chef contestants like Stephanie Izard and Fabio Viviani to celebrities like Anthony Bourdain and Giada De Laurentiis to restaurant legends, such as Danny Meyers and Rick Bayless, the creme...

By Sara Ventiera

February 24, 2014

[
        {
          "name": "GPT - Billboard - Slot Inline - Content - Labeled - No Desktop",
          "component": "16971022",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "15769925",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "16575154",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "GPT - Rectangle 2x - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
          "component": "15782206",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "16575154",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "GPT - Leaderboard to Tower - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
          "component": "15782207",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

South Beach Wine and Food Festival brings some of the best and brightest culinary talent from around the country.

From Top Chef contestants like Stephanie Izard and Fabio Viviani to celebrities like Anthony Bourdain and Giada De Laurentiis to restaurant legends, such as Danny Meyers and Rick Bayless, the creme de la creme of the culinary world descended upon South Florida this past weekend.

While the festival offered guests tons of events to chose from, one is known for top chefs pulling out all the stops to impress; the Best of the Best.

Among more than fifty chefs, a handful of Broward and Palm Beach county chefs brought their A-game to one of the festivals most elite events.

More than 65 winemakers from around the world poured top rated wines while more than 50 chefs from South Florida and the rest of the country served signature dishes.

Clay Conley chef/partner of Buccan and Imoto, Jason Smith of Steak 954, Angelo Elia of Casa D'Angelo, Andres Avayu of Piccolo Ristorante, and Peter Vauthy of Red, the Steakhouse in Boca Raton and Miami Beach were among the Broward and Palm Beach participants.

Other noteworthy out of town participants included Top Chef Stephanie Izard of the Girl and the Goat, Little Goat, and the Flavor in Chicago; Terrance Brennan from Picholine in New York; Ethan Stowell of Ethan Stowell Restaurants in Seattle, Washington; and Alon Shaya of Domenica in New Orleans.

For the $350 ticket price chefs were going full force with indulgent ingredients. Shaved black truffles were abundant; caviar was heavily placed on top of dishes; lobster came in every form imaginable.

It was all topped off with a buffet of handmade chocolates and flavored marshmallows at the end of the night.

Best of the Best took place at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, located at 4441 Collins Ave. in Miami Beach. Visit sobefest.com, or miaminewtimes.com/shortorder for event coverage.

Follow Sara Ventiera on Twitter, @saraventiera.

Follow @CleanPlateBPB

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of South Florida, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.