Back to the Beach

View from my terrace.

I know, I know...it's been a while since my last post. I sincerely appreciate the updates you've sent me and I'll belatedly share them with the readers. This summer was truly a whirl-wind experience!

It started off with business trips to the Hamptons.

Engaging in community service with my daughter as we had a great time joining Miami artist and studio owner, Addonis Parker, politicians and other volunteers in painting a mural on the MLK overpass.

Next, it was off to Paris with my hubby,where we hung out at our usual spots: Le Meurice, Hotel Costes, enjoyed scrumptious tarts at La Duree, enjoyed nightcaps at George V and mingled with french socialites during Sunday Brunch at Tajan.

But my special treat for this trip was the discovery of Paris' Drouot, the ultra popular auction center with multitudes of auctions ranging from medieval artifacts to vintage Hermes bags. Drouot averages around 15,000 visitors a day, if you're a serious shopper then this is a must-see!

Most of our summer was spent wheelin' & dealin' as we spent time traveling and yachting.

We ended our traveling spree with a trip to NYC, where we took our daughter to Broadway's Hairspray, had a tea party at The Plaza and rode the rickshaws (she loves NYC ). As usual we had: a yummy brunch at Sara Beth's on the Upper East Side, a solid shopping fix at Herve Leger and Giuseppe Zanotti, delicious meals at Les Halles and Mario Batali's Lupa and visited St. Regis, in addition to engaging in deep conversations over nightcaps at the Waldorf Astoria.

So, now it's finally back to our terrace in Miami Beach, where we gaze at the ocean and shape of the earth (literally)... I swear this is the best place in the world!

Life on the Beach: South Beach Wine & Food Festival

Chef Marcus Samuelsson

Chef Govind Armstrong


Chef Govind Armstrong


Aerial view of Emeril's Sugar Shack

Emeril's Sugar Shack

TV Anchor, Al Roker


John Legend and girlfriend, Christine Teigen with Chef Giada de Laurentis



Rachael Ray's Burger Bash



Rachael Ray's Burger Bash


The weather was perfect this weekend on the beach. The past few days have been such a whirlwind, my husband and I are still recuperating. This weekend was the South Beach Wine and Food Festival and majority of the culinary elite and Food Network personalities were on the scene.

My husband is a food and hospitality executive, so we had several friends and colleagues in town and attended numerous dinner parties and industry insider events the past few days. Some of the events during the festival were Emeril's Sugar Shack (where they ran out of sugar and champagne) poolside at the Raleigh hotel, Rachael Ray's Burger Bash (where Chef Marcus Samuelsson joined in the fun), Bubble Q (where celebs like John Legend and Al Roker hung out) and the celebrity chef after-party at Casa Casuarina (Versace mansion) to name a few.

My favorite culinary event was definitely the Publix Grand Tasting Tent. Celebrity chefs like Chef Govind Armstrong had live cooking demos and there were dozens of food and wine vendors to sample. I had the most delicious Andouille sausage and Duck gumbo, the Barbados tourism served their island's traditional tasty flying fish. Everybody at the tasting was feeling good and saucy with all the wine and liquor being served. The Lucid Absinthe was yummy and intoxicating, but my favorite was the MonteVina Winery's Terra d'oro Zinfandel, perfection!

I'll post some more photos of the South Beach Wine and Food festival in upcoming posts and let you know the deal with Chef Govind Armstrong from the popular Los Angeles/Miami restaurants Table 8.