While foodies masturbate (or masticate, take your pick) over the prospect of rubbing aprons with Giada De Laurentiis or Rachael Ray at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, people who actually like to eat probably prefer the Deering Seafood Festival. Held in the back yard of one of the countys oldest and most historic homes, the Deering Estate at Cutler, the festival also boasts renowned chefs, such as Dean Max of 3030 Ocean, Jouvens Jean of SAWA, Sean Bernal of Sushi Samba, and straight from the Bahamas, chef Tricia Ferguson. And at this shindig, they actually prepare good eats instead of just bask in their celebrity. The chefs and a bounty of local seafood restaurants, including Rodbenders Raw Bar & Grill, Black Point Ocean Grill, and Paella Party, cook up everything from fried conch and grilled dolphin to lobster, blue crabs, and more shrimp than Bubba can name. And the food is only part of the festivities. Bahamian junkanoo musicians play amid the crowd, while a concert stage showcases a variety of bands and sounds throughout the daylong event, which begins at 11 a.m. Sunday. Bring the kids and ship them off to the Lil Shrimp Kids Zone, or the whole family can jump on a pontoon boat ride to Chicken Key.
Sun., March 27, 11 a.m., 2011