South Beach Wine & Food Festival Founder Lee Schrager Celebrates 22 Years of Eating, Drinking, and Educating

The South Beach Wine & Food Festival will celebrate its 22nd year of dinners, events, and seminars under the Miami sun this month. About 60,000 people are expected to eat and drink at the festival, which runs from February 23 to 26 this year.

For the past two decades, one man has been leading the charge, serving as founder and cheerleader of this festival and raising more than 34 million dollars for Florida International University's Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management. Lee Brian Schrager started the festival as a fundraising dinner 22 years ago, not knowing it would grow to be one of the country's leading culinary events. Schrager tells New Times that it's only now that he feels the festival is really hitting its stride. "We're going into the best years of the festival. The level of talent and the support of the community is better than it's ever been."

In the past 22 years, Miami's culinary scene has grown exponentially, with the festival mirroring the city's growth. "We can't take credit for Miami exploding into one of the most popular food scenes, but I think we can take credit for being a part of it," Schrager says. He shares that there are more than a few instances of chefs attending the festival only to open a restaurant in Miami sometime later. "Long before Nobu or Thomas Keller or Fabio Trabocchi opened restaurants here, they saw how great Miami is. It's been a boomerang effect. Miami is no longer a seasonal place. It's busy all year round," says Schrager.

The festival founder says he's constantly striving to improve the festival. One way is to shine a spotlight on the local chefs that are putting Miami on the world's culinary map. "There are so many extraordinary restaurants in Miami, it's very easy to focus on local talent," he says. For example, the Saturday evening Smorgasburg After Dark party will offer attendees the chance to sample food from vendors at the weekend food market — many of whom are striving to open restaurants. Miami chef Michelle Bernstein is hosting the weekend's salute to fried chicken, the Chicken Coupe, while venerable chef Allen Susser will host a Mangos and Mimosas master class during SOBEWFF.

Schrager and his team strive to ensure everyone has a seat at the table. He says that the 2023 South Beach Wine & Food Festival promises to be the most culturally diverse festival yet. "We've never had a year with as much diverse talent," says Schrager. New events this year include the Overtown Eat Up!, the Miami version of New York City's Harlem Eat Up!, considered the country's premier African American-focused festival that celebrates Harlem's rich culinary and arts culture and history. Proceeds from the Overtown Eat Up! will be designated as scholarship funding for students from Overtown.

In the past, the festival has recognized the growing part social media plays in the culinary world, collaborating with influencers such as Samantha Schnur (the Naughty Fork) and Gio Gutierrez (ChatChow). This year, the symmetry between social media and food will be explored further at Foodiecon. This one-day festival within a festival, held all day Saturday, February 25, at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel, will offer tips for fledgling influencers, book signings, and countless photo ops.

After nearly two decades of attending dinners, parties, and seminars, Schrager's fondest memory may surprise people. "I think what I'll remember the most is 2021 — what I call the COVID year. People didn't think we could pull off the festival. We scaled down and hosted everything outdoors. But it was important to have the festival and let people know we were back and supporting the industry."

Finally, when asked where he sees the festival in the future, Schrager is quick to answer. "I want it to continue to evolve. I want to continue to raise dollars and awareness for FIU. And I want to make it more inclusive than it's ever been."

The South Beach Wine & Food Festival. Thursday, February 23 to Sunday, February 26, at various locations throughout Miami, Miami Beach, and Hallandale. For a complete list of events, visit sobewff.org.