Earlier today I sat down with the friendly and talented Lee Schrager, the man who created the South Beach Wine and Food Festival.
by Katie Sweeney
Earlier today I sat down with the friendly and talented Lee Schrager, the man who created the South Beach Wine and Food Festival. This weekend marks the 10th anniversary of the food industry's Spring break, and Schrager has much to celebrate. In the past 10 years, the event has grown from a couple hundred attendees to over 20,000. Here's how our conversation went down.
YumSugar: How will this year's SOBE be different?
Lee Schrager: It's our 10th year and we have some events that we've created just for the anniversary. The official anniversary party is tomorrow night — yes, you should wear sequins! — and it's hosted by Martha Stewart and Emeril. It's called Let Them Eat Cake and we have 15 cakes that have been created by amazing cake artists in New York City. A special cooler FedEx truck went around this morning to pick up each of the cakes and is driving them down for the party tomorrow.
YS: Why do you think the festival has become so popular?
LS: Well, clearly the rise of the culinary scene in general. The Food Network's popularity, the rise of the celebrity chef and the culinary personality. The consumer is more educated about food than they were 10 years ago. They're more sophisticated, they're looking for that sophisticated experience. Also, I always say some people are into golf, others are into tennis, but who doesn't like good food and good wine?
To see what event Lee is most excited for, keep reading!
This weekend marks the anniversary of a special event, and we're not talking about the Oscars — we're headed to the 11th annual Food Network South Beach Wine and Food Festival! Last year, we heard insights from Jamie Oliver, discovered we'd been making cocktails all wrong, learned how to prep onions the Scott Conant way, and got in on Anne Burrell's secrets to making pasta. Stay tuned for more lessons from Food Network chefs and celebrity wine educators, tasting tent trendspotting, and, of course, the winner of this year's South Beach Burger Bash!
