1st Annual International Wine & Food Festival is Huge Success
St. Pete Beach, FL (August 15, 2007) Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida and the Abilities Foundation are proud to announce that the 1st annual Tampa Bay Wine & Food Festival exceeded expectations in drawing huge crowds and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity. The Tampa Bay Wine & Food Festival graced the white sand beach at the beautiful Don CeSar Beach Hotel, a Loews Hotel in St. Pete Beach, from May 17-19th and featured noted winemakers, premier wines, and local and internationally acclaimed chefs preparing fabulous dishes.
Hosted by Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida and Abilities Foundation, the first-year festival brought international recognition to the culinary scene in the Central Florida/Tampa Bay area. “This Festival most assuredly enhances our area’s image as home to a world-class event,” said Gene Sullivan, Vice President and General Manager for Southern Wine & Spirits Central Division. Attendance at the three-day event topped 5,000 patrons. Comparatively, the South Beach Wine and Food Festival, Tampa Bay’s sister event, drew 5,000 in its third year.
The festival raised $250,000 for its co-host and charitable beneficiary, the Abilities Foundation. “We are very pleased and extremely grateful,” said Frank De Lucia, President and CEO of the Abilities Foundation. “Southern Wine & Spirits has been a long-time supporter of the Foundation, and this event helped raise awareness for our services benefiting people with disabilities.”
Next year’s festival dates have already been set, May 15-17, 2008 and it promises to be bigger and better, according to festival director Tonya M. Valdez of Southern Wine & Spirits. “The 2nd Annual Tampa Bay Wine and Food Festival will be an extravaganza,” Valdez said. “We are in the process of adding more celebrity chefs, expanding our tastings, and creating a new feature that we will announce shortly.”
Visit the Festival website at www.tampabaywineandfoodfestival.com or call 866-630-5615. For more information about Southern Wine & Spirits go to www.southernwine.com.
The Abilities Foundation is a Clearwater-based private, nonprofit that has helped thousands of Floridians with disabilities obtain mainstream employment and affordable housing. For more information about the Abilities Foundation, visit www.abilitiesfoundation.com.
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Media Contacts:
Rob Sumner, The Carter Group, 727-821-8578, robsumner@thecartergroup.net
Bob Carter, The Carter Group, 727-898-3008, bobcarter@thecartergroup.net
Sue Snyder, Tampa Bay Wine & Food Festival, 813-623-1288, x1252, stsnyder@southernwine.com