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30 MIAMI LIVING the construction of a mini-city on the beach for the Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting Village. "It's a great experience for them," said Schwartz, who on Feb. 27 will co-host the Wine + Dine + Design event with a few other Design District powerhouses, "and I usually end up learning a thing or two also." For Katie Lee, the cookbook author and lifestyle contributor to CBS' Early Show, the festival is the best weekend of winter. "It's a great time to catch up with my peers, and the people who attend are just so much fun to talk to. It's a get-together," she told Miami Living in an exclusive phone conversation last December. "Miami always has something going on. It's a true American city with so many cultures and flavors." Lee, whose second book, The Comfort Table: Recipes for Everyday Occasions, was released last October, will participate in the first Cocktail Clinic Tent hosted by Sandra Lee, with master mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim and Claire Robinson, at the Grand Tasting Village on Feb. 27-28. She also will be on hand at BFF Paula Deen's Kiss My Grits Sunday Jazz Brunch at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel, so be sure to stop by and ask her for her fried chicken recipe, which she says she always loved growing up in West Virginia, or just how to perfect deviled eggs, another favorite of hers. SoBe's highlights The festival's success, of course, comes from the summation of its parts, which includes fan favorites such as the BubbleQ, the Best of the Best, and the two-day Grand Tasting. Up first is the popular Amstel Light Burger Bash, hosted by Rachael Ray, on Feb. 25 at the Ritz-Carlton, South Beach. Rach will be joined by Bobby Flay, Stephanie Izard, David Burke, Tim Love, Marcus Samuelsson, Spike MendelSohn, Rocco DiSpirito, among others, at this fun-filled party of the weekend. Taking on hosting duties this year for the Perrier-Jouët BubbleQ on Feb. 26 at the Delano Hotel is Emeril Lagasse. The "Bam!"-tastic chef will be happy to have you over for barbecue and champs at the event, which will feature the skills and flavors of Todd English, Tony Neely, Adam Perry Lang, and Miami's own Michelle Bernstein and Jonathan Eismann, among others. Wine Spectator's Best of Best, sponsored by Bank of America at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, also on Feb. 26, will indeed offer just that. The world's finest chefs, including Sean Brock, Masaharu Morimoto, Tim Cushman, and several South Florida superstars, serve dishes complemented by the world's top Champagnes in honor of French Ambassador, the Honorable Pierre Vimont, who will represent his country at the festival. SPECIAL EVENT: 2010 WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL