Food Network and South Beach Wine & Food Festival Announce New Title Sponsorship

Food Network and South Beach Wine & Food Festival Announce New Title Sponsorship

'Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival' February 23-25, 2007

Network to Produce First-Ever 'Food Network Awards' Show

NEW YORK, June 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Food Network announced today it will partner with the South Beach Wine & Food Festival to become the festival's title sponsor in 2007. The resulting combination -- the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Food & Wine magazine, will take place Friday, February 23 - Sunday, February 25, 2007. Hosted by Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida and Florida International University (FIU), the festival now in its sixth year, will continue to take South Florida's gastronomic culinary scene to even greater heights with the support of Food Network.

"There is no comparison to an international event like the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. All of our chefs are in one place, and consumers can reach out and touch them," said Brooke Johnson, President, Food Network. "The festival allows viewers to experience the network, our stars and most of all, have a great time."

Some of the world's greatest culinary superstars and wine and spirits personalities will again converge in South Beach for three days of non-stop food and wine indulgence. Confirmed Food Network chefs include Michael Chiarello (Easy Entertaining), Giada De Laurentiis (Everyday Italian), George Duran (Ham on the Street), Bobby Flay (Iron Chef America), Emeril Lagasse (Emeril Live), Tyler Florence (Tyler's Ultimate), Dave Lieberman (Good Deal), Rachael Ray (30 Minute Meals), Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh (Party Line with the Hearty Boys). This proven festival provides a unique business opportunity for the network to showcase its talent to advertisers, clients and press.

"Food Network partnering with the South Beach Wine & Food Festival couldn't be a more natural development," said the festival's founder and director, Lee Brian Schrager. "We couldn't be more fortunate than to have the invaluable support of two of the industry's most recognized and well respected names -- presenting sponsor, Food & Wine magazine and now title sponsor, Food Network."

Food Network will also host its first-ever awards show at the festival. The Food Network Awards, held on Saturday, February 24 from 8-10pm, will include categories such as The One Food You Must Eat Before You Die, Best New Food Technology or Gadget, Top Food Lovers Destination, and Food Network Hall of Fame - Lifetime Achievement Award. Food Network stars will present the awards with special live presentations and performances to be confirmed. Following the presentation, the network will host attendees at a sumptuous after party. In addition, the network plans to shoot an All Star BBQ Party show early on the week of the festival.

Other new events for the 2007 Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival include the Burger Bash on Sunday featuring an assortment of winning burgers from NBC Today Show's "Best Burger Contest." Plans are also underway to introduce Hollywood and Vine, an event combining film with food and wine with the support of the Miami International Film Festival.

Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival Announces Program of Events

On Friday, February 23, Food Network chef, Al Roker (Roker on the Road) will host one of two opening night events of the Festival, the Moet & Chandon BubbleQ held beachside at the chic Delano. That same night, Fontainebleau Resort will present Wine Spectator's Best of the Best, bringing together some of the best wines from around the world accompanied by some of the best cuisine from around the country.

The festival will also offer a diverse selection of wine seminars for both aficionados and novices alike. The Wine Spectator Wine Seminars will feature two, comprehensive packages of wine seminars each led by experts and winemakers from notable properties including Caymus Vineyards, Far Niente Winery, Perrier-Jouet Champagne, Louis Roederer Champagne, Chateau Haut-Brion, Chateau Margaux, Chateau d'Yquem, Chateau Cheval Blanc and Maison Louis Latour. Other free standing wine seminars will be headed by Master Sommelier Alpana Singh and wine authority Anthony Giglio as well as a fun, interactive blind tasting led by a panel of Master Sommeliers.

On Saturday, February 24 and Sunday, February 25, the festival's signature event, the Grand Tasting Village will delight guests with a myriad of activities to choose from including wine, spirits and gourmet tastings under two American Express Grand Tasting Tents, and cooking demonstrations and book signings by some of the biggest industry names. Kids will also have the opportunity to share in the fun with the Kidz Kitchen culinary seminars geared towards young aspiring chefs on Saturday and Sunday and led by Food Network's Giada De Laurentiis (Everyday Italian), Bobby Flay (Iron Chef America), Emeril Lagasse (Emeril Live), and Rachael Ray (30 Minute Meals).

On Saturday night, the festival will pay tribute to Michelin three-star chef Eric Ripert and partner Maguy Le Coze of Le Bernardin at a Tribute Dinner prepared by Daniel Boulud (Daniel, New York), Laurent Gras (Formerly of Fifth Floor, San Francisco), Elena Arzak (Restaurante Arzak), Marc Ehrler (Loews Miami Beach), Tony Esnault (Alain Ducasse at the Essex House), and Le Bernardin's own pastry chef Michael Laiskonis. On Sunday at the Tribute Brunch, the Festival will recognize three more industry luminaries for their outstanding contributions and achievements.

All events of the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival are supported by the students of FIU's School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. Each year, more than 500 students volunteer to assist organizers with sponsorship fulfillment, restaurant and exhibitor recruitment, logistics, inventory as well as working alongside some of the world's greatest celebrity chefs and winemakers. In addition to receiving a first-rate education in one of the country's most diversified hospitality and tourism markets, these students are provided the opportunity to work hands-on with some of the industry's greatest leaders through the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival.

Hosted by Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida and Florida International University, the festival benefits the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management Teaching Restaurant and the Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center, both located at FIU. For a complete listing of events and for more information, please visit the Festival website at http://www.sobewineandfoodfest.com/ or call 877-762-3933. For more information about FIU visit http://www.fiu.edu/ and for more information about Southern Wine & Spirits visit http://www.southernwine.com/ .

FOOD NETWORK ( http://www.foodnetwork.com/ ) is a unique lifestyle network and website that strive to be way more than cooking. The network is committed to exploring new and different ways to approach food -- through pop culture, competition, adventure, and travel -- while also expanding its repertoire of technique-based information. Food Network is distributed to more than 89 million U.S. households and nine million website users. With headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit and Knoxville, Food Network can be seen internationally in Canada, Australia, Korea, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Monaco, Andorra, Africa, France, and the French-speaking territories in the Caribbean and Polynesia. The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE:SSP), which also owns and operates Home & Garden Television Network (hgtv.com), Do It Yourself (diynetwork.com), and Fine Living (fineliving.com), is the manager and general partner.

Source: South Beach Wine & Food Festival

CONTACT: Carrie Welch, Food Network, +1-212-401-2420, or
cwelch@foodnetwork.com; or Lisa Palley, South Beach Wine & Food Festival,
+1-305-642-3132, or lpalley@bellsouth.net; or Patrick Jong, FIU - South Beach
Wine & Food Festival, +1-305-627-1275, or patrickjong@southernwine.com

Web site: http://www.sobewineandfoodfest.com/
http://www.foodnetwork.com/
http://www.southernwine.com/
http://www.fiu.edu/

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