Page 2A www.southfloridasuntimes.com • facebook.com/sfsuntimes • sfsuntimes@aol.com • (954) 458-0635 • Thursday, July 16, 2026
A-SECTION
Seafood Festival From Page 1A The festival kicks off Wednesday, October 21st, 2026 with Made in Miami, presented by GOYA Foods, an exclusive opening-night dinner celebrating the chefs whose creativity and vision helped shape South Florida’s dining scene. Hosted at Phuc Yea by Chef Cesar Zapata and Chef Jose Mendin alongside GOYA’s Chef Fernando Desa, the intimate evening will bring together six of the region’s most influential culinary leaders for a one-nightonly collaborative dinner honoring friendship, flavor and fearless innovation. More than just a dinner, the evening will continue long after the final course with surprise entertainment as the chefs step out of the kitchen to celebrate the start of another hospitality season together. The celebration continues Thursday, October 22nd, 2026 with An Evening in Miami Beach, a second evening of exclusive collaborative dinners at several of the area’s most celebrated restaurants, including Rao’s Miami Beach. Each intimate, multi-course experience will pair acclaimed chefs with premium wines and handcrafted cocktails, giving guests another opportunity to experience South Florida’s exceptional hospitality. Additional details on participating chefs and menus will be announced soon. From collaboration to competition, the festival turns up the heat on Friday, October 23rd, 2026 with the return of the fan-favorite Tequila Herradura VIP Chef Showdown presented by GOYA Foods. Featuring 20 chefs competing across 10 head-to-head seafood battles, this year’s showdown promises to be the most competitive in the event’s history. Representing a diverse range of seafood styles and culinary techniques, chefs will compete in the following categories: Taco, Crab, Sushi, Surf N’ Turf, Salmon, Shrimp, Ceviche, Seafood Pasta, Tuna and the always unpredictable Mystery Battle. Guests will sample dishes at each restaurant’s Battle Pavilion and cast their votes for the best of each duo. The action moves to the Jack Daniel’s Live Stage, presented by GOYA Foods, where competing chefs battle it out in front of a live audience with culinary industry leaders and media serving as the final judges to crown the winner of each battle. Returning alongside the chef battles are two fan-favorite bartender showdowns that spotlight South Florida’s top cocktail talent. In the Pacifico Beer Bartender Showdown, mixologists create original cocktails featuring Pacifico Beer while representing competing Chef Showdown restaurants, with the winner taking home $1,000 courtesy of Pacifico. The Tequila Herradura Bartender Showdown challenges bartenders to craft innovative Herradura-inspired cocktails before advancing finalists face a live mystery ingredient challenge for a chance to win $500 courtesy of Tequila Herradura. A live DJ set keeps the energy high throughout the evening as guests cheer on their favorite chefs and bartenders, enjoy unlimited seafood bites and cocktails, and explore immersive activations, including the Hendrick’s Gin Garden Party. The festival culminates on Saturday, October 24th, 2026 with its signature main event, the Seafood Slam, brought to you by Jack Daniel’s and GOYA Foods and presented by Tequila Herradura. Hosted by the City of Miami Beach, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Lummus Park transforms into an all-inclusive beachfront party featuring unlimited food and beverage tastings from more than 40 of South Florida’s leading restaurants. Guests can explore multiple seafood zones, sample ocean-fresh creations and vote on their picks for Best of the Fest, with top new and returning restaurants competing for the ultimate crowd-voted title. Throughout the afternoon, cocktail and wine pavilions
The festival kicks off Wednesday, Oct. 21. (Photo By The Louis Collection) and interactive activations from leading national brands keep the energy high, and the LIVE stage buzzes with the energy of culinary demos from the Milam’s Culinary Kitchen and the highly anticipated Home Chef Competition. Participating vendors and restaurants will be announced soon. General admission tickets are $160, open to all ages, with children 10 and under admitted free. “What makes this festival special is the community it represents,” said Valerie Roy, Director of Marketing and Client Strategy at CI Management. “From the chefs who have spent years building the foundation of South Florida’s culinary scene to the rising talents that are just starting to make their mark, the South Beach Seafood Festival is where you can find them together in one place. As we head into our 14th year, we’re more excited than ever about the caliber of chefs and restaurants this city continues to bring forward, and we’re proud to be the stage that showcases them all.” Previously named one of the “Top 5 Specialty Festivals in the Country” by USA Today, among the “Top 5 Things to Do This Fall” by Forbes, and “Best Seafood Festival in the U.S.” by the Travel Channel, the South Beach Seafood Festival remains a bucket-list event for seafood lovers across the country. In addition to celebrating the region’s culinary talent, the festival annually supports CI Foundation’s EAT SMART program, a 501(c)(3) NonProfit that provides healthy meals and nutritional guidance to the local community and Florida’s youth through programs in Miami-Dade County public schools. 14th Annual South Beach Seafood Festival Event Schedule: Wednesday, October. 21st, 2026: MADE IN MIAMI presented by GOYA Foods An exclusive collaborative dinner celebrating the chefs who helped define South Florida’s modern dining scene. Hosted at Phuc Yea by Chef Cesar Zapata and Chef Jose Mendin with GOYA’s Fernando Desa, the evening brings together several of the region’s most influential culinary leaders for a one-night-only multi-course experience. Guests can also expect a few surprises after dinner as the celebration
continues beyond the final course. Tickets: On sale soon Time: 7:00 p.m. | Location: Phuc Yea, 7100 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, Florida 33138 Thursday, October 22nd, 2026: AN Evening In Miami Beach The festival continues with an evening of special programming, including collaborative dinners at Rao’s and additional participating restaurants, leading into the weekend’s signature events. Additional details and ticket information will be announced in the coming months. Tickets: On sale soon Time: Various times | Location: Multiple locations Friday, October 23rd, 2026: Tequila Herradura’s VIP Chef Showdown presented by GOYA Foods South Florida’s most electric culinary night returns bigger and more competitive than ever. Twenty of the region’s top chefs battle head-to-head across ten showdowns while guests sample, sip, and vote to decide the winner. Tickets: $175* All Inclusive Experience Time: 7:00 p.m. | Location: Lummus Park, 1130 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, Florida 33139 Saturday, October 24th, 2026: Seafood Slam presented by Tequila Herradura At the festival’s main event, more than 40 of South Florida’s top restaurants take over the sands of Miami Beach for an allinclusive afternoon of unlimited food and drink tastings, live music, culinary demos, and the crowd-voted Best of the Fest competition presented by the official bank of the festival, First Horizon Bank. Ticketed guests roam seafood zones tasting a variety of coastal creations from beloved vendors and acclaimed restaurants, as well as visit cocktail and wine pavilions. The list of participants will be announced soon. General Admission: $160* All Inclusive Experience (children 10 and under are free) Time: 1:00 p.m. | Location: Lummus Park, 1400 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, Florida 33139 In addition to individual event tickets, a multi-day festival package with host hotel,
Loews Miami Beach, is also available, including a two-day VIP weekend pass for two for Friday and Saturday for $1,150*. The festival is hosted in partnership with Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority and brought to you by entitlement sponsor Tequila Herradura; title sponsors Jack Daniel’s, Breakthru Beverage Florida, and GOYA Foods, which also serves as a presenting sponsor and Culinary host. The event is hosted with assistance by the City of Miami Beach and host hotel, Loews Miami Beach. Additional hosting sponsors include Cerveza Pacifico Clara, MiamiDade County, Halperns’, Cadillac, Hendrick’s Gin, Milam’s Markets, High Noon, Tartufoistria and Fresh from Florida. For a list of corporate and media sponsors, please visit: https://sobeseafood fest.com. Mark your calendars and secure your tickets now for the most anticipated culinary event of the year. For more information and to purchase tickets to the 14th Annual South Beach Seafood Festival, please visit: https://sobeseafoodfest.com. Follow along on Instagram at: @sobeseafoodfest. And on Facebook at: @SOBESeafoodFest. Recognized as one of the nation’s premier seafood celebrations, the South Beach Seafood Festival returns for its 14th year Wednesday, October 21st, 2026 through Saturday, October 24th, 2026, bringing together local chefs, restaurants, bartenders and culinary talent who have helped shape South Florida into one of the country’s most dynamic dining destinations. Brought to you by Tequila Herradura and Jack Daniel’s and presented by GOYA Foods, the annual celebration on the sands of Miami Beach marks the official kickoff to Florida’s storied stone crab season and the start of Miami’s hospitality season. Hosted in partnership with Breakthru Beverage Florida, the festival’s exclusive wine and spirits provider, the 2026 festival will spotlight both the culinary pioneers who helped define Miami’s dining culture and the next generation of rising talent through a series of collaborative dinners, chef and Seafood Festival, Page 3A