For 25 years, the Meals Community South Seaside Wine & Meals Pageant introduced by Capital One has reworked Miami into a worldwide epicenter of taste, expertise, and indulgence. What started as a modest campus fundraiser has developed into probably the most prestigious culinary festivals on the earth, an annual celebration that displays not solely how far the competition has come, however how profoundly it has formed South Florida’s culinary identification.
This month, SOBEWFF® celebrates its twenty fifth anniversary, happening February 19–22, 2026, with a program that honors its origins whereas embracing its future. A whole lot of cooks, winemakers, mixologists, and cultural tastemakers will come collectively for a four-day expertise spanning Miami Seaside, Fort Lauderdale, Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, Wynwood, and past.
The competition’s roots hint again to 1997, when it launched because the Florida Extravaganza, a one-day wine and meals occasion held on the Biscayne Bay campus of Florida Worldwide College. Designed to showcase wine pairings and native delicacies whereas giving hospitality college students hands-on expertise, the occasion was intimate, instructional, and deeply mission-driven.
Every thing modified in 2002, when Lee Brian Schrager reimagined the idea and relocated it to South Seaside. The newly branded South Seaside Wine & Meals Pageant® expanded right into a multi-day affair, bringing meals lovers onto the sands of Miami Seaside and into eating places, resorts, and venues throughout the town. Attendance surged, nationwide consideration adopted, and the competition shortly grew to become a winter spotlight on the culinary calendar.
In 2007, the partnership with Meals Community additional elevated the competition’s profile. Celeb cooks, televised moments, and signature occasions had been launched and would quickly turn into annual traditions. Over the subsequent 20 years, SOBEWFF® grew steadily in scale and scope, welcoming among the most celebrated names in meals and wine whereas producing vital financial influence for the area and elevating hundreds of thousands of {dollars} for FIU’s Chaplin Faculty of Hospitality & Tourism Administration.
Right now, the competition is each a glamorous vacation spot occasion and a philanthropic powerhouse, with college students persevering with to play an important position behind the scenes. That twin mission of celebration and training stays central to SOBEWFF®’s identification.
This yr’s twenty fifth anniversary competition displays that legacy with greater than 100 occasions and over 500 cooks and culinary personalities. The lineup balances longtime favorites with new experiences designed to mark the milestone in memorable style.
Among the many most anticipated occasions is Wine Spectator’s Better of the Finest sponsored by Cunard, introduced by Fontainebleau Miami Seaside and Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Lengthy thought-about one of many competition’s most elegant evenings, the walk-around tasting brings collectively greater than 60 acclaimed cooks and over 65 premier wineries for a single evening inside the enduring Fontainebleau. Visitors transfer via the legendary property sampling refined dishes from James Beard Award winners, Meals & Wine Finest New Cooks, and Michelin-recognized culinary leaders, alongside curated pours from world-class winemakers. An unique Wine Wall affords attendees the prospect to take house a coveted bottle, including a tangible memento to an already indulgent night. With the Fontainebleau’s timeless glamour as its backdrop, Better of the Finest captures the spirit of SOBEWFF® at 25. It’s elevated, celebratory, and unforgettable.
The competition’s signature seashore occasions stay a significant draw. Mike’s Wonderful® Burger Bash introduced by Schweid & Sons® returns for its twentieth yr, hosted by Rachael Ray, bringing collectively prime cooks competing for burger supremacy as company pattern and vote alongside the shoreline. The occasion has turn into a joyful kickoff custom that blends culinary competitors with Miami’s relaxed beachfront vitality.
Man Fieri’s Event of Champions LIVE as soon as once more delivers high-octane pleasure. Elite cooks are pitted towards each other in a bracket-style showdown impressed by the hit Meals Community sequence. In the meantime, Masters of Hearth, curated by Tyler Florence, celebrates the primal artwork of live-fire cooking. Pitmasters and cooks who concentrate on daring flavors cast over flame come collectively for a very visceral expertise.
New additions underscore the competition’s evolution. Let Us Eat Cake!, hosted by Duff Goldman, brings desserts into the highlight with a playful and indulgent celebration of pastry and creativity. The anniversary finale, 25 Years of Legendary Bites & Iconic Sips, hosted by Andrew Zimmern with music by DJ Cassidy, serves as each a retrospective and a celebration. It brings collectively cooks and flavors which have outlined SOBEWFF® throughout its historical past.
All through the weekend, company may take pleasure in a spread of experiences that mirror Miami’s range and world affect. These embody Tacos & Tequila hosted by Aarón Sánchez and intimate dinners honoring culinary leaders and native icons. Occasions pay tribute not solely to nationwide figures, but in addition to Miami’s personal culinary voices, reinforcing the town’s standing as a severe meals vacation spot with a definite perspective.
Whereas the celeb appearances and marquee venues draw headlines, SOBEWFF®’s enduring influence lies in its connection to neighborhood and training. Annually, FIU college students achieve invaluable real-world expertise working alongside trade professionals, and competition proceeds proceed to assist scholarships and programming that form the subsequent technology of hospitality leaders.
As SOBEWFF® marks its twenty fifth anniversary, it stands as a mirrored image of Miami itself. The competition is formidable, numerous, celebratory, and at all times evolving. It has grown alongside the town, mirroring its rise as a world vacation spot the place tradition, delicacies, and creativity intersect.
1 / 4-century in, SOBEWFF® reveals no indicators of slowing down. As an alternative, it continues to refine its voice, increase its attain, and elevate its choices. Some traditions don’t simply endure. They get higher with time. This February, as cooks fireplace up grills on the sand, corks pop at elegant tastings, and the town gathers as soon as once more to eat, drink, and have a good time, SOBEWFF® invitations everybody to boost a glass to 25 years nicely savored and to many extra nonetheless to come back.
