In celebration of its 10th year, the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Food & Wine is thrilled to honor world renowned chef Alain Ducasse at the Tribute Dinner presented by Bank of America on Saturday, February 26, 2011 at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel.
“It is fitting that during a milestone year for the Festival we honor a culinary icon,” notes Festival Founder and Director Lee Brian Schrager, who also serves as Vice President of Corporate Communications & National Events at Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc., which hosts the Festival. “Chef Ducasse cooked at the Festival’s very first Tribute Dinner and honoring him for our 10th year is a true symbol of how the Festival has come full circle.”
Ducasse–who began his career at just sixteen – has worked for renowned chefs such as Michel Guérard, Gaston Lenôtre, Alain Chapel and Roger Verger, and today holds the distinction of having three of his signature restaurants – in Monaco, Paris and London – each honored with three Michelin stars, and for all of his restaurants collectively, he currently holds 20 Michelin stars in total. In 2009, he opened École de Cuisine Alain Ducasse, his first culinary school for non-professionals, in Paris, France. Overseeing establishments around the world, including New York, Las Vegas, Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong, London, and Saint-Tropez, Ducasse also recently entered into collaboration with the esteemed Clinton Global Initiative. A master of Riviera cooking methods, which he has elevated and promoted through cooking schools, cookbooks, and his more than two dozen restaurants, the innovative chef continues to seek new challenges.
“It is extremely gratifying to be honored at this year’s Tribute Dinner,” says Alain Ducasse. “I still remember cooking at the very first Festival, and to watch it grow to what it has become today and to return 10 years later with such an incredible group of talented chefs is a great thrill.”
The celebration will take place at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel, the Festival’s host hotel, and the evening will be hosted by actress and winemaker Carole Bouquet. The Neuilly-sur-Seine, France native is the famous face of Nº5, the Chanel fragrance, and perhaps best known internationally for her role as the Bond girl, Melina Havelock, in the 1981 movie For Your Eyes Only.
Prior to the dinner, guests will be treated to a Krug Reception where guests will enjoy a glass of Krug Grande Cuvée accompanied by hors d’oeuvres prepared by executive chefs from some of Ducasse’s own restaurants. The following chefs will prepare the evening’s cuisine, which will be paired with some of the finest wines in the Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida portfolio:
Reception Chefs:
* Sébastien Rondier (miX on the beach – The W Retreat & Spa – Vieques Island/Puerto Rico)
* Didier Elena (Adour Alain Ducasse at The St. Regis, New York, NY)
* Philippe Bertineau (Benoit Bistro, New York, NY)
Dinner Chefs:
* Frederic Delaire (Loews Miami Beach, FL)
* Laurent Gras Food & Wine Best New Chef Winner
* Alex Stratta (Alex at Wynn Las Vegas, NV) Food & Wine Best New Chef Winner
* Charlie Trotter (Charlie Trotter’s, Chicago, IL)
* Frederic Robert (Wynn, Las Vegas)
Past Festival honorees encompass a veritable who’s who of the wine, culinary and hospitality industry, including: the Robert Mondavi Family, Alice Waters, Jeffrey and Linda Chodorow, Jonathan Tisch, Francis Ford Coppola, Baron Eric de Rothschild, Ferran Adrià, Martha Stewart, Eric Ripert and Maguy Le Coze, Jamie Oliver, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Emeril Lagasse, and Daniel Boulud.
All proceeds from the Festival benefit the Florida International University School of Hospitality and Tourism Management and the Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center. The complete program for this year, tickets and more information is available online at www.sobewineandfoodfest.com or by calling the box office at 877.762.3933. Get daily updates on the Festival all year long by following Festival Founder and Executive Director Lee Brian Schrager on Twitter – www.twitter.com/Lee_Schrager.