A Glorious Feast

Our only complaint about the fabulously decadent fifth annual South Beach Wine & Food Festival is that it’s just not big enough. Yes, last year organizers did add an extra tent on the beach -- brimming with even more food, wine, and liquor samples -- but the tickets sell out too quickly and most of us are left outside the fence, crying into our hot dogs and sodas. Since we don’t want to be excluded from the foodie fun, we did some digging and found that the festival, which kicks off today and runs through Sunday, does have a few offerings for those who didn’t score a golden ticket into the circus tent of gluttony.

Celebrity chef (aren’t they all celebrity chefs?) Cat Cora, of the Food Network’s design show Kitchen Accomplished, is hosting the Barilla Interactive Cooking Lunch with Andrea Curto Randazzo on Saturday from noon to 2:30 p.m. at the Biltmore Hotel Country Club (1200 Anastasia Ave., Coral Gables). Tickets cost $150 for this special event that will have you cooking your lunch alongside these creative culinary experts. You can expect Cora’s Greek and Southern roots to add a unique kick to your meal.

If you are looking to obtain some serious sommelier smarts, you may want to sign up for Saturday’s Wine Spectator Wine Seminars from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Hotel Inter Continental Miami (100 Chopin Plaza, Miami). For $300 you can spend your day sipping through six minicourses and receive a pair of Riedel Vinum Burgundy glasses. In “You Say Syrah, I Say Shiraz,” you’ll be introduced to the delicious grapes from vineyards in France, California, Washington, and Australia, while the “Marqués de Riscas: Historic Rioja Tasting” section will take you to Spain for a sentimental journey through the top vintages.

Although you might not expect a film screening during a food fest, fans of the controversial and often imitated chemistry lab chef Ferran Adrià won’t want to miss Decoding Ferran Adrià: The Film Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at the Wolfsonian FIU (1001 Washington Ave., Miami Beach). Admission is free to see this almost pornographic display of gastronomic delights that will take you into Adrià’s bizarre world of food foam and essences. Visit www.sobewineandfoodfest.com for a complete list of events.
Feb. 24-26