In an effort to marry food and fashion, Toscana Divino in Mary Brickell Village will fly in sommeliers and designers and then pair them with chef Marco Stabile for Wine & Fashion Florence Week, October 8 through 12.
Organizers of the five-day event -- combining authentic food, wine, fashion, and Italian art -- hope it will become as popular as the South Beach Wine & Food Festival and Smith & Wollensky's Wine Week.
It will be the first wine and fashion event that Toscana Divino has put on. "This is a new beginning of what is going to be a great Miami tradition," says Tommaso Morelato, owner of Toscana Divino.
The timing of the event coincides with the peak of grape-harvesting season in Chianti Rufina and fashion week in Milan.
Chefs Julian Baker and Marco Stabile created the L'accademia della Cucina Italiana menu specifically for Wine & Fashion Week. Traditional, organic dishes and Tuscany's finest wines can be expected. The sommeliers flown in from Tuscany for the week will provide pairings to go with the Italian menu, and each evening will start with Aperitivo Italiano -- or social hour with complimentary bites and cocktails.
In addition to the wining and dining, however, come the art and fashion of the event.
Designers, flown in from Florence as well, will create handbags on the premises. Tailors from one of Florence's top luxury leather producers, Scuola di Pelletteria di Firenze, will be there as well.
Artist Maestro Alessando Reggioli, who creates contemporary Tuscan-inspired art, will create original art Tuesday and Thursday evening. He said the themes for Wine & Fashion Florence Week will be Leonardo da Vinci's The Flight and The Heart.
Here is the schedule of events:
October 8-12: daily from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Aperitivo Italiano social hours and
Chef's Tasting Dinner
October 8 ,9, 10, and 12: Informal fashion shows and creations of handcrafted
handbags by master tailors from Scuola di Pelletteria di Firenze
October 9 and 11: Art creations by Maestro Alessandro Reggioli
RSVP with specific dates at [email protected]. For more information, visit toscanadivino.com.
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