This March 12, Lori Wilson Park will be transformed once again into an international tasting village as part of the 2011 Cocoa Beach Wine & Food Festival.
The Festival will gather a diverse collection of 30 of Brevard’s most renowned chefs to prepare food samples from their establishments paired with a selection of wines selected by discerning sommeliers. This number of featured restaurants is up from the 13 who participated last year, and the wines chosen for the 2011 event have been whittled down to a mixture of four stellar red and white vintages. Legendary music group America, who are currently on tour as part of their 40th anniversary, will round off the day’s events with a live concert in the Park.
Proceeds from this year’s Festival will benefit the Children’s Home Society of Florida and Junior Achievement of the Space Coast, two charities that have always been close to Craig Technologies, Inc. CEO and Festival presenter Carol Craig’s heart.
1v7 plate The 2011 Annual Cocoa Beach Wine & Food Festival
Craig has long been involved with both charities, and Festival co-director Tony Hernandez III can attest to both organizations’ importance to the community. “As an attorney who practices family law and who has dealt with the Children’s Home Society,” says Hernandez, “I’ve found them to be very proactive in preventing child abuse… And that’s extremely important, because police officers are really not in the preventive business; they usually get involved after the fact. CHS is there before it happens, providing teaching, monitoring, counseling, and many other services to prevent abuse and neglect on all fronts.”
As for Junior Achievement, Hernandez sees them as operating at the other — and no less essential — end of the spectrum by fostering investment in our youth to better our community and, ultimately, the world at large. “It’s about helping mold teenage entrepreneurs,” Hernandez explains. “Kids learn from an early age how to sell their ideas and how to be convincing, passionate, and respectful — all those qualities that are necessary to becoming good businessmen and women.”
Since he conceived of the idea for the Festival over four years ago, Hernandez has been driven by a desire to give back to the local community. “When I came up with the idea, my first question to myself was whether it was something that was needed by the area. Will it add to the community economically, socially, culturally, and historically? I think it will on these and many other levels — and hopefully its effects will still be felt after we wrap it up for the night.”
1v7 Rubio The 2011 Annual Cocoa Beach Wine & Food Festival
With sponsors like Brighthouse Networks, Clear Channel, the Eye Clinic, Lite Rock 99.3 FM, Alpizar Law, Brandt Ronat + Co, and Space Coast Living, the Festival bolsters last year’s roster of participating restaurants with some intriguing newcomers, including Silvestro’s, the Chart House, the Melting Pot, Vintage 56, and Green Room Café.
Also new to the lineup are Matt’s Casbah; Petty’s Meat Market; Mary’s Downtown Salsa; Pizza Gallery; Mambo’s Beachside Bar & Grill; Asian Too; A Taste of Thai, and Charlie & Jake’s Brewery Grille. Making a welcome return to this year’s festival, along with Gregory’s, Fishlips, the Lobster Shanty, and Rusty’s, is Chef Peter Lin, whose Chameleon Fusion Bistro in Melbourne has won rave reviews for its fusion of European and Pacific Rim flavors. Lin made some stellar dishes in 2010, as did chef Javier Gonzalez of Rubio’s Cuban Café, Chef Trevor Dixon of the Caribbean-influenced Trevor’s Blue Toucan, and Brazilian Chef Boaz DaCosta of the Cocoa Village-based Brasas Grill.
Juice-N-Java Café will be returning with their excellent fresh-roasted coffee, along with the Bald Strawberry, which, with 2011 newcomer The Confectionery, will be offering an array of delicious sweets and baked goods. But perhaps the most surprising addition to the Festival will be the Cape Canaveral Hospital Restaurant, headed by Chef Will Hannon. Many locals, including Hernandez, rave about the food Hannan prepares at one of the best-kept culinary secrets in the area. “Not only do they have one of the cleanest restaurants in the business,” says Hernandez, “but you’d really be surprised by the excellence of their food. I think they make the best burger in town.”
1v7 ladies The 2011 Annual Cocoa Beach Wine & Food Festival
After the Tasting Village, which will be operating from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. surrounding a centrally-located wine tasting bar manned by local celebrities like Mayor Skip Beeler, Health First CEO Mike Means, Sean and Skip Slater, and Carol Craig herself, the Festival will continue with live music from local band MoGeetz, a series of raffles, and the opening of food, beer, and wine vendor booths. The day is capped off by a performance from ’70s band America — responsible for such hits as “A Horse with No Name,” “Sister Golden Hair,” and “Lonely People” — from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The 2011 Cocoa Beach Wine & Food Festival takes place March 12 from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Lori Wilson Park in Cocoa Beach, about 1 and 1/2 miles south of S.R. 520. Tickets are $45 and are available for advance purchase through the Festival website — www.cocoabeachwinefoodfestival.com — at both Petty’s Meat Market locations, Lexus of Melbourne, and any community credit union. Ticket price includes admission to the food and wine tasting event and the finale concert. Admission is $50 at the door, but tickets are limited. Due to the nature of the Festival, attendants should be 21 years of age or older. For more details, visit www.cocoabeachwinefoodfestival.com, or call 799-3971.
{Feature in the Beachside Resident March 2011}
