SOBEWFF Adds a Sweet New Night with Emeril’s Sugar Shack

The 2008 South Beach Wine & Food Festival’s program introduced Emeril’s Sugar Shack, a dessert-focused event scheduled poolside at the Raleigh Hotel on February 22. Emeril Lagasse’s name gave the evening a recognizable host, while the format placed sweets and music at the center of a separate festival gathering.

The wider February 21–24 program included the second Burger Bash and an event celebrating women in the food and wine industries at the Biltmore. Together, these selections show a festival developing distinct identities for different evenings rather than relying on one large tasting format.

That variety changes how visitors can approach the weekend. Someone interested in pastry can choose a different entry point from a guest drawn to a chef competition or a discussion of food’s broader role. The new Sugar Shack concept is a particularly direct example: a specialist part of the kitchen becomes the reason for an entire event, with a Miami Beach hotel supplying the setting.