17th
Annual Wine & Culinary Celebration
March 30, 2012 raised over $180,000
Chaired by Ken Stiles, Ryan Shea and Matt Olsen, the event
was made possible by the generosity of Bank of America. More
than 2,000 guests enjoyed tantalizing cuisine, music and a
bountiful silent auction. The Silent Auction was chaired by
Janet Buhl and Committee chaired by Nila Do.
The Wine, Spirits & Culinary Celebration showcased a sequence
of wine with food pairings, each bound to delight, educate
and entertain guests and their pallets. And this year, for
the first time, the Celebration featured an array of spirits
and craft beers.
More than 40 of South Florida’s top restaurants
and chefs were represented, as well as wines from around the
world, courtesy of Southern Wine and Spirits. The event also
featured a silent auction, special presentations, culinary
and wine pairing seminars in the new learning labs, and a complimentary
Riedel wine glass for every guest.
The evening began with an exclusive VIP Martini Reception from
6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
VIP guests enjoyed a champagne tasting
with champagne expert, “Champagne Wayne” Ballard.
This year’s featured Chef Spotlights included Chef Angelo
Elia of Casa D’Angelo, Chef Sean McDonald of ilios at
the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort, and Chef Chi Chan
of Truluck’s. The VIP evening concluded with exclusive
access to the ultra chic Hilton Fort Lauderdale VIP Lounge,
themed “Seven Deadly Sins”, where guests ate, drank
and danced under the stars from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Highlighting the evening were the following South Florida top
restaurants:
3030 Ocean, A Thierry’s Catering and Event Design, Anthony’s
Coal Fired Pizza, Big City Tavern, Bistro Mezzaluna, Bravo
Ristorante, Bouillabaise, Café a la Carte, Café Vico,
Capital Grille, Casa D’Angelo Ristorante, Cookies by Design,
Crepemaker, East End Brasserie, Fritz & Franz Bierhaus,
Grateful Palate, Hey Cupcake!, Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-six,
ilios @ Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort, Johnny V’s,
Las Olas Wine Café, Market 17, The Melting Pot, Michele’s
Dining Lounge, PL8 Kitchen, Publix Aprons Cooking School, Rocco’s
Tacos, ROK:BRGR, SA1A, Sea Level Restaurant and Ocean Bar,
Sette Bello, Solita’s, Steak 954, Susie’s Scrumptious
Sweets, Tarpon Bend, Texas de Brazil, Timpano, TK Oriental
Fine Foods, Inc., Tower Club, Truluck’s, Tundra, Via Luna,
and Yolo Restaurant.
This year’s “People’s Choice Awards” winners,
voted on by attendees: 1st Place Capital Grille, for the second year in a row, featured
lobster sliders 2nd Place Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-six
served mango margarita shooters, agave shrimp, and Adobo braised
pork 3rd Place ROK:BRGR with its mini tuna and min pork tacos
