Centerplate Hosts Celebrity Chefs and Florida International University Students at Miami Beach Convention Center for South Beach Wine & Food Festival

STAMFORD, Conn., Feb. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Centerplate, the largest hospitality provider to North America's premier convention centers and entertainment venues, announced today its support for the South Beach Wine & Food Festival in Miami Beach from February 25 to 28, 2010. The 10th annual South Beach Wine & Food Festival, which last year hosted over 50,000 guests, is a distinguished, open-air event showcasing the talents of the world's most renowned chefs and personalities including Rachel Ray, Bobby Flay and Anthony Bourdain. As part of its support, Centerplate will donate its kitchen and facility resources at the Miami Beach Convention Center (MBCC) to celebrity chefs and Florida International University (FIU) students in preparation for the festival's marquee Perrier-Jouet BubbleQ event, a celebration of barbeque and champagne pairings. Centerplate will also build its own branded installation on the sand in the Grand Tasting Village, exhibiting Florida-flavored dishes from Centerplate's esteemed chefs, including MBCC Executive Chef Jonathan Barnett's menu that was showcased at the James Beard House last month.

Celebrity chefs like Emeril Lagasse, Todd English and Tony and Pat Neely will take over the gourmet kitchen at Centerplate's partner venue, the MBCC, teaming up with culinary students at FIU to execute menus for the popular Perrier-Jouet BubbleQ party on Friday, February 26. Because of Centerplate's expansive kitchen facility, this will be the first year that all participating chefs will be able to prepare their BubbleQ dishes under the same roof. Select BubbleQ dishes include Michelle Bernstein's Kobe Beef Short Rib Taco, Tim Love's Lamb Belly BLT and Emeril Lagasse's Creole Pulled Pork Sandwich with Spicy Coleslaw. Centerplate will also execute the set-up and delivery of each dish to BubbleQ's private beach location.

"Our partnership with Centerplate allows our students the opportunity for interaction with great role models like Executive Chef Jonathan Barnett," said Michael Moran, Chef-Instructor at Florida International University and Culinary Coordinator to the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. "Being able to work together with Centerplate and their team in a state-of-the-art facility is an example of the hospitality industry at its best." FIU's School of Hospitality is a direct beneficiary of proceeds from the BubbleQ and the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, which to date has raised over $8 Million for the University.

At Centerplate's installation at the Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting Village on Saturday, February 27 and Sunday, February 28, Centerplate's local culinary talent including Jonathan Barnett and Marcia Brooks of the Miami Beach Convention Center, Orlando Morales and Dan Filarecki of Sun Life Stadium and Peter Koralewicz of the Bank Atlantic Center, will offer items from Barnett's menu at the James Beard Foundation's recent "Unconventional Chefs" dinner in New York City. Guests to Centerplate's booth will enjoy Chorizo-Spiced Duck with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Toasted Cornbread Croustade and Valencia Orange Glaze and Freshwater American Snapping Turtle Soup with Spinach, Rainwater Madeira and Yuca Crisp, both dishes that reflect Barnett's penchant for local flavors and techniques.

"We are proud to open our kitchen at the Miami Beach Convention Center to the chefs and students at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival," said Bob Balsam, General Manager at the Miami Beach Convention Center. "Centerplate has long given our facility a reputation for culinary excellence and we look forward to showing off the resources and menus that keep our guests raving."

"This is an amazing opportunity for Centerplate to showcase our culinary talent for an audience of the country's gourmet elite at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival," said Eric Bayne, Centerplate's General Manager at the Miami Beach Convention Center. "Chef Barnett's James Beard House menus show the level of expertise and service we offer our clients every day."

This announcement follows other recent Centerplate accomplishments, including acting as official food service partner to the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding as well as well as playing a significant role in hosting the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver during which the company expects to serve over 900,000 meals.

About Centerplate

Centerplate crafts and delivers "Craveable Experiences. Raveable Results." in 250 prominent sports, entertainment and convention venues across North America. Centerplate has provided services to 12 Super Bowls, 19 World Series, key events for the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, the South Beach Wine and Food Festival, Art Basel Miami Beach, 15 official U.S. Presidential Inaugural Balls and the largest plated dinner in history at the Alpha Kappa Alpha Centennial Celebration. Visit the company online at www.centerplate.com.

SOURCE Centerplate