| EVENT REPORT 02.27.08 3:56 PM |
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| The Queens of Taste |
| Top female chefs showcased their talents at the Biltmore Hotel during an all-woman event for the South Beach Wine and Food Festival. |
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The Biltmore Hotel was the site of an event that profoundly asserted female prowess in the kitchen. Samantha Shanken of Wine Spectator hosted the D'Vine Divas event on February 21 with two master sommeliers from the Biltmore Cellar Club, Yvonne Roberts and Laura DePasquale.
A virtual beach, designed to mimic the lounge area of the Pink Sands Resort in the Bahamas with white walls, projection screens and beach furniture, was created outside by the Vibe Agency for guests to walk through on their way into the hotel.
To start the evening off, local chefs created extravagant fare for the reception. Items served included ricotta gnocchi with Point Reyes blue cheese, balsamic glaze, and black mission figs from Maria Frumkin of French Bakery Café, as well as big eye tuna tartare with avocado and curried rabbit spring rolls with banana chutney prepared by Cindy Hutson of Ortanique on the Mile. In addition, Andrea Curto-Randazzo of Talula served up Wagyu beef carpaccio with parmigiano reggiano, baby arugula, Asian pear- balsamic vinaigrette, and lava salt.
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PHOTO GALLERY |
 | The Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables hosted the all-female culinary event.
Red Eye Productions |
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 | Elizabeth Falkner of Citizen Cake in San Francisco created dishes for the event.
Red Eye Productions |
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 | Some of Florida's top female chefs participated including Andrea Curto-Randazzo, Cindy Hutson, and Maria Frumkin.
Red Eye Productions |
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 | The tables were draped with dark garnet linens with gold accents and topped with compact arrangements of red and yellow roses courtesy of Deco Productions.
Red Eye Productions |
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 | Top female chefs showcased their talents at the Biltmore Hotel during an all-woman event for the South Beach Wine and Food Festival.
Red Eye Productions |
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The festival's guest chefs, Traci Des Jardins of Jardiniere in San Francisco, Suzanne Goin of Lucques in Los Angeles, and Susan Spicer of Bayona Restaurant in New Orleans, created the evening's main dishes. The menu included winter citrus marinated albacore with fennel and picholine olives for an appetizer, crayfish etouffée with Creole eggplant timbale, and braised veal cheeks with spring vegetables, risotto carbonara and black truffle butter, respectively. Elizabeth Falkner of Citizen Cake in San Francisco supplied the dessert made of egg-less lemon curd, candied kalamata olives, pistachio pesto, and vanilla streusel.
Just as every fine food needs its complement, the chefs were joined by some of the finest wineries, including Casa Lapostolle, Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte, Planeta, Landmark Vineyards, and Domaine Drouhin, with their top selections for pairing.
The evening concluded with an auction benefiting the Diabetes Research Institute, but those who weren't ready to call it a night had the opportunity to venture over to a Godiva-themed cigar lounge sponsored by the chocolatier, House of Grand Marnier, and Cigar Aficionado magazine with rich-chocolate brown furniture and a liqeur bar designed by Nuage Designs.
—Erick Cipau
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