My SoBe, Pt. 4

With the 2010 Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival now all wrapped up, Blue & Gold blogger Jennifer Miller tells us what “SoBe” was like for her.

Among the highlights of Jennifer Miller's "SoBe"? Running a sample of her own brew to chef Anne Burrell.

The 2010 Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival is over.

Over, done, gone.

Let me be honest with you: I don’t know how I survived. Coming home after prepping for the BubbleQ, my feet were swollen, my legs sore, my fingers bandaged. I felt as if I had returned from war. The night (or better yet, morning) that I got home from working the BubbleQ, I fell asleep in the bathtub wearing my own chef’s uniform.

And that was not even the end of my week.

But I have to say pouring my own beer at the School of Hospitality Tent during Grand Tasting Feb. 27-28 was a rush. I loved how we had people come back again and again for a refill. It might have been our pouring size – we had large cups! – but we found some real beer drinkers in the wine crowd.

I spent those two days doing one of my favorite things: talking about beer. I received so much positive feedback on my beer recipes that they are going in the “keeper” pile. I even ran a beer over to chef Anne Burrell. I don’t know if she liked it or not, but hey, it was still cool giving her a brew.

And now that SoBe has come and gone, I am very relieved, but looking forward to next year. I am already thinking about what to brew and serve.

So while we are all breathing a collective breath of ease now that the festival is over, I will still be brewing, tasting and talking about beer, getting ready for next year and enjoying the next few months of calm.

And remember, everyone: Life’s too short to drink cheap beer.