Before he arrives in town to headline the Visit Lauderdale Food & Wine Festival in January, SoCal celebrity chef Richard Blais plans to spend the holidays soaking up some Florida sunshine.
“I think this year we will be hopscotching around Florida where we have lots of family and also a few restaurants,” he says, referencing his Michelin-recommended Four Flamingos kitchens in Key West and Orlando. “We may springboard over to the Caribbean for the New Year but we’re still figuring that out.”
That “hopscotching” will surely entail a holiday feast — and that’ll likely involve a go-to dinner for the James Beard-nominated cookbook author and TV personality.
“I usually will make a roast,” says Blais, co-host of Fox’s Next Level Chef and winner of Bravo’s inaugural Top Chef All-Stars. “One year it might be prime rib, the next some duck or a pork shoulder. Recently we started building on the traditional roast dinner, getting the whole family involved the following day in turning the leftover duck into some hand-pressed, homemade tacos.”
Another of Blais’s holiday dining traditions is perhaps less, um, traditional: mashed rutabaga.
“It’s incredibly simple,” says Blais, who trained at The French Laundry, Daniel and other culinary epicenters. “Boil chopped and peeled rutabaga in salted water and then crush it with a potato masher. Add some white pepper and salt and that’s it! You can certainly add a little butter, but I’ve found that, with an assortment of other creamy and buttery things on the holiday table, the rutabaga fills a better role without the added butter.”
He has the restaurants, cookbooks and TV shows, but the chef has his fingers in lots of other pies as well: Trail Blais, his culinary consulting group; the Food Court and Starving for Attention podcasts, which he hosts; and his brand of “Stand-Up Cooking” performances, which draw enthusiastic audiences across the country.
“Chefs can be too serious sometimes,” Blais says. “I like studying stand-up and I enjoy having fun, so I like to showcase a bit more of my ‘whole human’ side. Nate Bargatze is a favorite and I’ve been a fan well before he popped. I think it probably started because my dad loved Steve Martin and I grew up listening to his albums. So there is probably some deep-rooted reasoning to why I enjoy comedy writing so much.”
South Florida Sun Sentinel
People gather at the Grand Tasting for Visit Lauderdale Food & Wine Festival at Las Olas Oceanside Park on Saturday January 18, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Expect a few punchlines when Blais performs his cooking demonstration at VLFWF’s Grand Tasting event, which he says will offer a taste of his two Florida restaurants.
Of course, he’ll have plenty of celebrity company at the Fort Lauderdale festival, held just as we get our post-holiday feasting second wind, Jan. 19-25. In tandem with such other national culinary stars as Eddie Jackson, Nancy Fuller, Jason Smith and more, the festival will celebrate the region’s top chefs, restaurateurs, and food and beverage innovators, including Michelin-recognized restaurants and James Beard-nominated talent. The event will attract foodies and regular old food-lovers from throughout South Florida and across the country for a weeklong celebration of tastings, dining experiences and chef showdowns.
“This seventh-annual celebration is our biggest yet, highlighting the incredible talent, flavors and creativity that make the destination a premier culinary hub,” said Stacy Ritter, president and CEO of Visit Lauderdale. “Accompanied by national celebrity talent, the festival continues to showcase what makes Greater Fort Lauderdale unique.”
In partnership with Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, VLFWF’s menu of diverse epicurean experiences includes culinary classes and an exclusive dining series as complements to these signature events.
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Lola Malyska gets truffles shaved iron her mouth by Executive Chef. TRP Taste/ Rooftop @1WLO during the Grand Tasting for Visit Lauderdale Food & Wine Festival at Las Olas Oceanside Park on Saturday Jan. 18, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
WOK ‘N ROLL
Thursday, Jan. 22, 7-9:30 p.m., Las Olas Intracoastal Promenade, tickets $150.
Hosted by pastry chef Clarice Lam, this evening of Asian-inspired cuisine is accompanied by live music.
BBQ AT THE BEACH
Friday, Jan. 23, 7-9:30 p.m., Las Olas Intracoastal Promenade Park, tickets $150.
Hosted by Food Network star Chef Jason Smith with special guest Ron “Captain Ron” Dimpflmaier, the 2025 BBQ champion, this event features live entertainment against the backdrop of Fort Lauderdale Beach and a friendly competition to crown the new champ.
Visit Lauderdale Food & Wine Festival / Courtesy
The Grand Tasting at Visit Lauderdale Food & Wine Festival, returning in January with events around Broward County. (Visit Lauderdale Food & Wine Festival/Courtesy)
THE GRAND TASTING
Saturday, Jan. 24, 1-4 p.m., Las Olas Oceanside Park, tickets $180.
This festive beachside main event features unlimited tastings of over 100 food and beverage offerings, DJ music, wine/cocktail seminars and celebrity chef cooking demonstrations by Richard Blais, “Captain Ron” Dimpflmaier and former NFL player and Food Network personality Eddie Jackson. A VIP Experience (tickets $350) includes the shaded Delta VIP Lounge with special food and beverage offerings and such additional perks as noon admission.
PICNIC IN THE PARK
Sunday, Jan. 25, noon-4 p.m., Las Olas Oceanside Park, free.
A family-friendly affair with food trucks, kid-friendly cooking demonstrations by Remy Powell and Dario Stephen, live entertainment, the JDCH Kid’s Zone and local artisan vendors.
BEACHSIDE BRUNCH
Sunday, Jan. 25, 1-3:30 p.m., the Lawn at Las Olas Oceanside Park, tickets $150.
Hosted by Food Network star Chef Nancy Fuller, with Eddie Jackson as special guest, the brunch serves up fare crafted by some of the region’s top culinary talent.
For tickets and more information, please visit vlfoodwine.com.