December 16, 2011

Scenes From This Week’s Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival

Photo: LILA PHOTO/??LILA PHOTO

Just last year, the Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival wasn’t much more than a three-hour gathering on Worth Avenue, but this year — the festival’s fifth anniversary — organizer David Sabin joined forces with Gilt City and the James Beard Foundation to transform the festival into a five-night celebration that lasted from Friday until this past Tuesday. There were no Burger Bashes here, but there were plenty of New York chefs like Daniel Boulud, John DeLucie, and Scott Conant in attendance. It’s not the South Beach Wine and Food fest just yet, but as you’ll see in our slideshow, it might be on its way to becoming SOBE’s posher, more exclusive sibling.

The kickoff event at The Four Seasons moved inside owing to a threat of rain. The hotel’s executive chef, Darryl Moiles, served up twenty-pound Florida Keys queen snappers along with Miami chef Michael Schwartz’s Greek lamb feast.

Several bubble dancers, meant to be floating on the hotel’s seaside pool, took their act to the carpet instead. Dancers rotated when they ran out of air.

A pre-dinner reception in the Breakers Florentine room, with John Mariani and the James Beard Foundation crew in the forefront.

Michael Schwartz and chef Michael Pirolo of Scarpetta Miami overseeing hors d'oeuvres in the Breakers kitchen.

David Burke, Breakers executive chef Jeff Simms, John DeLucie, Scott Conant, and Michael Schwartz prepared the Breakers meal together.

First Course of the Breakers dinner: David Burke’s Pretzel Crab Cake, prepped to serve.

Tara Halper, Jeeun Kim, and John DeLucie at the Breakers after-party.

Orchid ice balls: It took two weeks to prepare these ice balls, which contain orchids and serve as the center of mixologist Xavier Herit’s White Cosmo.

Uni, dashi, and cucumber: one of the delectable hors d’oevres offered up at Café Boulud’s cocktail culture event.

Daniel Boulud with James Beard Foundation’s Julie Marshall, who is sipping her White Cosmo.

Daniel Boulud and new Café Boulud Palm Beach executive chef Jim Leiken readying their Oysters Parisien, topped with spinach, ham, and breadcrumbs.

Daniel Boulud signing his book for guest Kavvy Sonhos.

Chef James Petrakis of the Ravenous Pig in Winter Park, Florida, prepping pig-ear appetizers.

Reception hour at Buccan, one of Palm Beach’s best new restaurant, and scene of the sold-out dinner on the festival’s fourth night.

Guests at the final night’s Grand Tasting on Worth Avenue’s 150 Worth shopping plaza were given specific instructions about how to twist off the top of restaurant Echo’s applewood-smoked hamachi tartar, which literally had smoke rising from the dish. They were then then told to follow it with a swig of house-infused Fuji-apple vodka with fresh lime.

Chef Scott Conant enjoying his role as a judge at the final evening’s Grand Chef Throwdown.

An overview of 150 Worth, where guests shopped in between tastings.

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Scenes From This Week’s Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival

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