Seafood Festival
SAVE THE DATE: 2009 SEAFOOD FESTIVAL
SUNDAY, MARCH 29
They came from all over south Florida for the 2008 Seafood Festival and were greeted by a fourteen-foot tall stilt walker dressed in purple and green who danced to the melodic rhythms of the Symphony of Steel band. The fun was just beginning. Many of the 5,500 people who attended the 2008 Deering Seafood Festival had never been to the Deering Estate at Cutler, and were overwhelmed by the beauty of the Miami-Dade County park, with its’ natural preserves, historic homes and rolling lawn that opens on to Biscayne Bay. The setting was perfect for the 4th annual event, and even a small group of manatees participated, as if on cue, and played in the boat basin throughout the day.
“Once again, we were blessed with beautiful weather and tremendous support from our community.” says Mary Pettit, Executive Director of the Deering Estate Foundation. “It is truly the combination of many resources that make this event possible; a very enthusiastic and committed Foundation Board of Directors along with the support of our members, Miami-Dade County, the Deering Estate at Cutler staff, the Village of Palmetto Bay, our valued sponsors and media partners, participating restaurants, caterers and chefs, the entertainers and artists and the over 300 volunteers who give their heart and soul to providing a quality experience to our guests. The Seafood Festival is one of our signature annual events that enables us to raise public awareness of the Estate while also helping to raise funds to support its preservation and the enhancement of the educational and recreational programs offered.”
From the tiniest tots to seniors, there were on-going activities to entertain and educate.
Celebrity local chefs conducted cooking demos to standing room only audiences. The line-up began with David Bracha (The River Oyster Bar) who shared techniques in preparing crab cakes; Chef Damian Gilchrist (Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo) made spiny lobster sushi and pink shrimp empanadas; and Cindy Hutson (Ortanique on the Mile) prepared her famous East Indian Curried Shrimp. To the children’s delight, there was a hands-on demo led by Ariana Kumpis (Ariana’s Etiquette) and they made and ate fish cookies and chocolate-filled green turtles.
Patrons had no-wait lines for restaurant and seafood market vendors, who prepared everything from stone crabs and grilled dolphin to fresh crawfish and seafood paella. Golden Rule Seafood, the title sponsor, offered a bountiful menu that included their signature shrimp, a raw bar, and even a boatload of live garlic blue crabs adjacent to their booth.
In the Li’l Shrimp Kids Zone, specialists from the Estate’s educational department taught children the ancient Japanese art of Gyotaku - making fish prints, and also had creative activities scheduled to discover the archeology, learn about wildlife and the preservation at the Deering Estate.
The choices of activities were numerous with continuous trips aboard the Pelican Island Skipper that sailed around Chicken Key, an Artists Village filled with creative and beautiful works for sale or for many, to relax on the biggest backyard on the bay and take in the sights and sounds of the Bahamian Junkanoo, the Ruffhouse Jamaican Reggae Band and good old rock & roll by local band Mr. Nice Guy. However people chose to spend their day – it was a win, win for both the festival goer and the Foundation.
Special thanks to Golden Rule Seafood and the many sponsors that made the event possible including Miami-Dade County, the Village of Palmetto Bay, Palmetto Ford, 1st National Bank of South Florida, Jackson South Community Hospital, Miller Lite, Palmetto Bay Village Center, Sunstate Bank, Whole Foods Market, Leide De Valdevielso Realty, Paradise Embroidery & Silkscreen, Morris & Reynolds Insurance, Heritage House, Dr. June Gentle, Creative Hands Design Technologies, Love 94, South Florida Parenting, NBC 6, Community Newspapers, Thunder Country, Reflections Productions, Publix, Signature Trees & Palms and the Breder Companies.
For more information on the Deering Estate Foundation please call 305-235-1668 x 263.