The Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest has announced its lineup of restaurants and chefs participating in the upcoming weekend event to be held on Friday and Saturday, February 27 and 28, 2009. The chefs will join 16 wineries and wine distributors in the event, which features Chef Vintner dinners at select homes on Friday evening, February 27, and, for the public, a Grand Tasting and Auction on Saturday afternoon, February 28 at Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club. The Wine & Food fest benefits children’s charities.

“The pairing of wine and food is an important culinary concept and is the cornerstone of the Wine & Food Fest,” said Steve Machiz, M.D., Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest founding chairman. “We are thrilled by the caliber of our chefs and restaurants, the diversity of their culinary styles and their interest in serving the community.”

Visiting chefs Keegan Gerhard and Xavier Salomon join the event this year. Chef Gerhard was named one of the nation’s top 10 pastry chefs of 2002 and 2004 by both Chocolatier and Pastry Art & Design magazines and can be seen on TV as emcee and host of the live Food Network Challenge Series for the Food Network. Chef Salomon is from the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay near San Francisco. Gerhard will join Norman Love of Norman Love Confections at the Grand Tasting and Auction’s dessert station on Saturday. Both Gerhard and Salomon will be preparing as part of the Chef Vintner dinners on Friday.

From Fort Myers and the beaches, chefs Norman Love from Norman Love Confections, Michael Ragusa from the Sandy Butler, Jayson Rydell from Flipper’s on the Bay/Lovers Key Resort, Todd Johnson from Artisan Bread Company, Richie Wilim and Josh Zeman from Cru and Shannon Yates from Bacchus will be featured in the Grand Tasting and Auction on Saturday. Wilim, Zeman and Yates join chefs Harold Balink from H2, Sean Boller from Sanibel Steakhouse, Gloria Cabral-Jordan from La Trattoria Napoli and Melissa Talmage from Sweet Melissa’s in preparing Chef Vintner dinners on Friday. 

From Bonita Springs and Estero, chefs Nick Costanzo from Angelina’s Ristorante, Caroline Hostettler from 55 degrees, Jeffrey Lucas from Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Vincent Mazzoli from The Grape, Andreas Singer from the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point and Thomas Pedit from Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club will be featured in the Grand Tasting and Auction on Saturday. Pedit will join chefs Nick Costanzo from Angelina’s Ristorante, Danny Mellman from Danny Mellman Catering, Kristina San Fillipo from Robb & Stucky Culinary and Wade Lowe from Roy’s in preparing Chef Vintner dinners on Friday.

From Naples, American Culinary Foundation member/chefs Frank Setera, Ralph Serraco, Wilhelm Gahabka and Chris Jones will participate in the Grand Tasting and Auction on Saturday. Chefs Brian Roland from M Waterfront Grille and Derin Moore from the Ritz Carlton Naples Beach Resort will be preparing Chef Vintner dinners on Friday.

Northern Trust Bank is the main sponsor of the 2009 Wine & Food fest. Along with Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club, other supporters of the event include Lee Memorial Health System Foundation, Grandeur Magazine, Saks Fifth Avenue, Specialty Risk Management and Private Client Insurance Services, Oswald Trippe, Pure High Net Wealth Insurance, Edison State College, Bank of Florida, Norman Love Confections, Angelina’s Ristorante, Palm Printing and Strategic Solutions.

The Wine & Food Fest Grand Tasting and Auction will be held in the Beach Clubhouse at Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club and its outdoor waterfront venue. Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club is a residential waterfront resort community with over 700 acres of contiguous aquamarine freshwater lakes, three miles of private, white sandy beach and “Signature” championship golf. Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club is located in Miromar Lakes, just north of Naples.

The Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest is a signature event of the SWFL Children’s Charities, Inc., a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides funding to local charities serving local children.  The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida is this year’s beneficiary and secondary charity is Edison State College’s pediatric nursing program.

For more information about Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest: www.swflwinefest.org or information on sponsorship or ticket sales, call 239-432-9722. 

Available for public viewing at Saks Fifth Avenue January 21, 2009

 (January 14, 2009 — Fort Myers, FL) – If winemaking is an art then the SWFL Wine & Food Fest has taken that a step further combining world class art with world class wine in a piece that will satisfy a wide range of aficionados; Internationally acclaimed artist Romero Britto is lending his support and talent to the Wine Fest’s fundraising event by painting a 6 liter bottle of Silver Oak, vintage 1996.  Silver Oak Cellars is the signature vintner for the SWFL Wine & Food Fest.  It will be among many other special wine and art offerings up for bid at the Wine & Food Fest Grand Tasting & Auction on February 28, 2009.  The “Britto Bottle” will be on display at Saks Fifth Avenue in the Bell Tower Shops from January 21 to February 19, 2009.

 The bottle of Silver Oak, donated by SWFL Wine & Food Fest Trustee Marshall Hanno, was adorned in acrylic paint by Britto and is packaged as a live auction lot with a 6 bottle vertical of Silver Oak in a collector’s box and a tour of the Napa Valley winery.  Other auction items include large format and unique wines from a variety of special wineries, trips including destination packages to the French Laundry, Jonata Ranch, Domaine Serene Vineyards, as well as experiential auction lots like Formula One Racing, tickets to the Master’s Golf Tournament, a cruise on a 100 ft. yacht with a 10 bottle vertical of Dominus for 8 people, and much more.   Proceeds of the auction and the weekend of Wine Fest events will benefit The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida.   Tickets are now available.

The Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest will be held February 27 & 28, 2009. The event begins on Friday, February 27 with Chef Vintner dinners at select area homes and continues on Saturday afternoon, February 28 with a Grand Tasting and Auction at Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club. The event is presented by SWFL Children’s Charities, Inc. and will benefit the Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida and the Pediatric Nursing program at Edison State College.   

Northern Trust is the main event sponsor and the News Press and Grandeur Magazine are the exclusive print sponsors.

For more information about Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest: www.swflwinefest.org or information on sponsorship or ticket sales, call 239-432-9722.

About Romero Britto

A modern day pop culture icon, Romero Britto is one of the premiere Pop Artists of our time. As the youngest and most successful pop artist of this generation, Britto has managed to create contemporary masterpieces that evoke a spirit of hope and convey a sense of warmth. Embraced by the international community, Britto’s paintings and sculptures are currently featured on five continents in more than 100 galleries worldwide, including the Saatchi Gallery in London, who recently incorporated his artwork as part of the stable for their new online gallery. In addition, Britto’s artwork is also included in some of the world’s most impressive private collections.

 A career highlight for the year 2008 is the exhibition of his artwork entitled “Journey” that will premiere on December 11, 2008 in the prestigious Salon Nationale Des Beaux-Arts 2008, in the Carrousel du Louvre, Salle le Nôtre, Louvre Museum.

 As a talented and creative child growing up in Brazil, Romero Britto often painted images on any medium he could find, including scraps of cardboard and newspaper. His inner passion and drive to excel served as an incredible asset for a young man with a longing to nurture his creative side and experience all that life had to offer. His innate love for learning and education inspired Britto to channel his focus and commitment to excellence into his artwork. This dedication is what has helped Britto become an international success during the last 18 years.

Private collectors of his artwork include: Eileen Guggenheim, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, Prince Albert of Monaco, Oprah Winfrey, Maya Angelou, Michael Jordan, David Rockefeller, Gloria Estefan and former United States Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush to name a few. Roger Federer, Columba Bush, Shakira, Ryan Seacrest and Martha Stewart all own Britto portraits. Romero did a portrait for legendary art dealer Ernest Beyeler , the founder of Art Basel and the Beyeler Foundation for which the portrait helped raise funds.

Romero has been commissioned and continues to collaborate with corporations worldwide such as: Pepsi-Cola, Movado, Evian, TAM Airlines, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Univision Television Network, NFL, Cirque de Soleil, Volvo, Microsoft, Nicole Miller, Bauducco and Disney.

Various museums around the world exhibit Romero’s artwork – Mola, Los Angeles; National Museum of Art, Rio de Janeiro; Evenson Museum, Syracuse; Coral Springs Museum of Art, Boca Raton; Museo de Artes Contemporáneo, Caracas; Museum of Art, Long Island; the Philharmonic Center for the Arts and The Von Liebig Art Center, Naples.

CAPE CORAL STUDENT SELECTED AS SIGNATURE ARTIST - Child Artist Helps Hospital that Helps Her

(Fort Myers – January 2, 2009) –Cape Coral middle school student Kishelly Brown created the signature poster for the 2009 Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest. The annual event to be held this February benefits children’s charities, including The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. Kishelly is an ongoing patient of the hospital.

“She has ulcerative colitis,” said Ingrid Trevino, Kishelly’s mother, of the disease which was diagnosed in January 2007. “It’s a disease of the colon that they don’t have a cure for, so it’s something we have to watch. She’s on medication the whole time, but she can get flare-ups whenever the disease starts to act up.”

Those medications, she says, have been as challenging as the disease. “Because of the medicine she’s taking, she gets a lot of headaches and dizziness,” said Trevino. “She was on steroids so long that she got osteoporosis. Then she was changed to a medicine that is like chemotherapy in a pill. And that caused her immune system to get so low that she was sick in the hospital for a whole month.”

The young woman’s frequent hospital visits might have played a role in her developing art interests. “Spending so much time in the hospital, she is always drawing,” said Trevino. “Miss Kelly from HealthPark was always bringing her crafts and art things to do because that’s what she likes to do in her spare time there. She likes painting things for other people, so that’s when Miss Kelly decided that she was the one to do this art for the Wine Fest.”

Kishelly’s original art for the 2009 Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest signature poster is a painting of a smiling teddy bear, seated in front of a blue vase filled with white, orange and purple flowers. She was guided by Fort Myers artists and Teacher Ellen Sheppard. “She is an amazing teacher,” Trevino says of Sheppard.

While Kishelly’s illness might be evident on a hospital chart, it is not so obvious in the patient. “She’s very easy-going,” said Trevino. “The nurses love her because she lets them do everything they have to do. No matter how much pain she’s in, she always has a smile on her face.”

Kishelly’s smile and personality have earned her a fan club of sorts. “She gets a lot of visitors,” said Trevino. “All the nurses want to go see her when she’s in; As soon as they find out she’s in, they have to go see her.”

Throughout her treatment and hospital visits, Kishelly has excelled in her school work, which she continues to do at Caloosa Middle School in Cape Coral.

Kishelly’s future art could be even more important than the piece she has designed for the Wine & Food Fest. “She is excited about it,” said Trevino. The only thing Kishelly wanted for Christmas was a paint and art set, because she wants to draw pictures like the one she drew for the Wine Fest to take to the kids in the hospital, her mother said.

The poster featuring Kishelly’s painting promotes the Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest, which will be held February 27 & 28, 2009 at Miromar Lakes Beach and Golf Club. The event begins on Friday, February 27 with Chef Vintner dinners on Friday night at select area homes and continues on Saturday afternoon, February 28 with a Grand Tasting and Auction at Miromar Lakes. The event is presented by SWFL Children’s Charities, Inc. and will benefit the Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida and the Pediatric Nursing program at Edison State College.   

Northern Trust is the main event sponsor and the News Press and Grandeur Magazine are the print sponsors.

For more information about Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest: www.swflwinefest.org or information on sponsorship or ticket sales, call 239-432-9722.