MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — The South Beach Wine & Food Festival is turning 25 -- and they’re going big.
“We have so many things going on this year to celebrate our 25th anniversary,” festival Director Ashley Shapiro said.
For a quarter century, the four-day food fest has taken over the beach, mixing top chefs, big names and serious flavor.
“It’s a huge undertaking, but it’s so worth it at the end of the day when we get to see this amazing event we put on the beach,” Shapiro said.
Shapiro started as an intern in 2005 and worked her way up to director. Along the way, the event has raised more than $45 million to support over 1,500 students at Florida International University’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management.
As an FIU alum, she said that impact makes the long hours worth it.
“Everything we’ve done over the years to not only raise money for the school, but also to provide networking and real-life experience for students in the hospitality business -- it’s unmatched,” she said.
The festival may look like four days of food and fame, but it takes a full year to pull off.
“We have a good team of about 10 to 12 people that work year-round on the festival, and then of course it balloons up to hundreds and hundreds of people that work the week of,” Shapiro said.
“A lot of sleepless nights go into putting this all together, but once it’s here, it’s a really amazing feeling of accomplishment,” she said.
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