By the time I made it to Sunday, my brain was swimming with all the fantastic moments that had happened throughout the weekend. The 2011 Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival had proven to be a spectacular event, with my first trip to Miami an adventure that did not disappoint. As an easy close to my busy festival schedule, I ventured out for the afternoon’s Grand Tasting. The expansive Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting Village spread across the beach with stages, book signing booths, and sponsors galore, alongside …

Cruising down Collins Boulevard near the shores of South Beach, in surely the most stylish of city cabs, I arrived early to the W South Beach for Saturday’s afternoon seminars. Heading inside the hotel, my first stop featured television drinky-drink man, Zane Lamprey, host of on-air barhop, Three Sheets. Focusing on the use of fresh fruits and vegetables in your cocktail, Lamprey’s From Garden to the Glass cocktail clinic included five great, garden-inspired drinks – including an avocado daquiri from Portland’s Lucy Brennan – along with laughter and witty banter. …

Exhausted wasn’t even the word to use when I arrived in Miami on Thursday night. Though a traveler through and through, hours on a plane, particularly coast-to-coast, always takes it out of me (don’t get me started on flying through LAX). I couldn’t have been happier when I finally made it to my sunny destination  – my first visit to the popular South Florida coast – just as the sun was setting, and the festival’s beloved Amstel Light Burger Bash with Rachael Ray was taking off.
After a quick check-in at …

Marc Forgione was visibly stunned when he was announced as the winner of last season’s The Next Iron Chef. The 32-year-old, an already accomplished chef, had survived the series by defeating nine other highly-skilled, award-winning competitors, securing his spot on Food Network’s Iron Chef America.
It’s admittedly still sinking in.
“It still hasn’t really hit me that this is all happening,” says Forgione. “I feel very humbled when people in the restaurant ask for my autograph or I’m stopped for a picture on the street. At the end of the day, I …

Phew! And we’re back to news…
Prior to Green Bay’s well-played win at Sunday’s Super Bowl XLV, Nation’s Restaurant News reported that while spots in last year’s advertising lineup were popular with some heavier hitters in food service, none of the usual suspects bought space for this year’s Super Bowl. In an article late last week, it was a notable change to from last year’s advertisers that included national food brands like Papa John’s, Denny’s, and Taco Bell, with this year’s $3M-per-30-second bottom line detouring many. Pizza delivery chain Papa John’s …