The 17th Annual Deering Seafood Festival will delight foodies with cooking demonstrations by top Miami chefs

On Sunday, March 26th, The Deering Estate Foundation will welcome guests of all ages to the acclaimed 17th Annual Deering Seafood Festival at the historic Deering Estate. As it does every year, this wildly popular event will have food from some of Miami’s best restaurants and caterers, a kids zone, a beer garden, live entertainment, Biscayne Bay boat rides and - one of the highlights of the day - the highly-anticipated Chef Demonstration tent, which will feature five esteemed chefs, from local fan favorites to revered South Florida names with James Beard and Michelin Guide nods. 

Sponsored by Amerant Bank, this tent will feature six one-hour seafood cooking demos from five top South Florida chefs and a winning pair of students from the annual Deering Seafood Festival Culinary Student Competition, which took place at the FIU Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management on March 9, 2023. To ensure these chefs are well supported, 10 FIU Culinary students will serve as sous chefs for the cooking demonstrations.

This year’s participating chefs represent the diversity of South Florida and its thriving restaurant scene. The esteemed chefs include Chef Fiorela Cornejo (Rusty Pelican), a dynamic chef duo (Suviche), Chef Eileen Andrade (FINKA, Barbakoa by FINKA and Amelia’s 1931), Chef Michael Bolen (Lion & The Rambler) and Maria Cummins (The Real Food Academy). Our featured student winners are Leo Soto and Malwina Romaniuk. Within their allotted hour, each professional and student chef will do a 45-minute cooking demonstration of a seafood dish and have 15 minutes to distribute sample tastings of his or her dish and clean up. During that time, audience members will get to ask the chef questions about their dish, their restaurant and cooking in general. Seats are first come, first served and max out at 100 guests. 

On March 9th, the Deering Seafood Festival Culinary Student Competition featured eight students challenged with making and presenting an original recipe featuring Key West pink shrimp paired with an original cocktail - all in 45 minutes. The winners of the competition will not only get to cook their dish live at the Deering Seafood Festival, but will also receive $1,000 in college scholarships. The winners, Leo Soto and Malwina Romaniuk, won for Soto’s inventive creation of Angel’s Envy Bourbon-Glazed Key West shrimp with a roasted pineapple sesame purée and a key lime pie “aioli.” The dish was paired with Romaniuk’s tasty Peach Spring in Tulum cocktail. 

The 17th Annual Deering Seafood Festival will take place on Sunday, March 26th, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Deering Estate. Deering Estate is located at 16701 S.W. 72 Ave., in Palmetto Bay. Festival attendees are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance online. Tickets for adults are priced at $25 in advance and $30 at the gate, and tickets for children ages 4-14 are priced at $7 in advance and $10 at the gate. Admission is free for Deering Estate Foundation Members, but members must obtain a ticket online which is required for entry. Members will be prompted to add their member number when reserving their free tickets online. 

Ticket prices include admission and most activities, but exclude food, drink, boat rides and vendor purchases. All proceeds will benefit the Deering Estate Foundation and are used to provide funding, advocacy and support for Deering Estate and its initiatives. For more information about the event, please visit www.deeringseafoodfestival.org. Click here to view past photos of the festival by All Star Event Photography. 

As a nonprofit organization, annual events like this can’t happen without the help of generous support from the community. The 17th Annual Deering Seafood Festival was made possible by over 35 sponsors, including: Eric's Outboard; Shield Pest Control; Golden Rule Seafood; Shaka Kai; Sports Grill; Miami-Dade County Mayor Danielle Cava; McLusky, McDonald & Hughes; Amerant Bank; Gordon Food Service and Eagle Brands. Media and in-kind sponsors like Kiddos Magazine, Community Newspapers, Community Health of South Florida, Florida International University, and Miami International Airport also make this massive festival a reality. Finally, we couldn’t do this without thanking the Miami-Dade County Tourist Development Council, Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, Cultural Affairs Council and the Board of County Commissioners for their unwavering support.

Deering Estate is open daily for guests of all ages to enjoy its open space, wildlife viewing, bay vistas and self-guided access to onsite museums. Check out the upcoming events and programs at Deering Estate. For more information, updates and new content, please visit www.deeringestate.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

About the Deering Estate Foundation
For those who treasure the Deering Estate, who advocate for its preservation and wish to invest in its future, the Deering Estate Foundation provides opportunities for individuals and corporations alike to partake in membership, signature events, and one-of-a-kind experiences, all in service of providing vital funding and support to the Deering Estate. Through these efforts, the foundation fulfills its mission to uphold the legacy of Charles Deering's cherished 1920s-era property, to provide funding for the cultural, educational and recreational experiences it offers, as well as its significant scientific and archaeological endeavors to conserve its diverse flora, fauna and the eight native ecosystems that thrive on its 450 acres, and to ensure its longevity as a prized American heritage site. Established in 1989, The Deering Estate Foundation, Inc. is a community-based charitable 501(c) 3 Florida Corporation and the philanthropic partner of the Deering Estate. Interested individuals can become a member here. 

About Deering Estate
Deering Estate, located at 16701 SW 72 Ave. in Miami, is a 21st Century house museum, cultural and ecological field station, and a national landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places, owned by the State of Florida and managed by Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department. Deering Estate is designated as one of seven Miami Dade County “Heritage Parks” which have a vital role in our community’s history, environment and in providing recreational and cultural experiences.