{"id":183715,"date":"2026-03-09T02:53:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T02:53:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/183715\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T02:53:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T02:53:09","slug":"sip-sample-and-mingle-with-celebrity-chefs-at-the-newest-tampa-bay-wine-food-festival-vip-party","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/183715\/","title":{"rendered":"Sip, sample and mingle with celebrity chefs at the newest Tampa Bay Wine & Food Festival VIP party"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The annual Tampa Bay Wine & Food Festival has become one of the best and biggest annual foodie events, and this year\u2019s rendition has one of the best parties yet. TBWFF has announced plans for \u201cRock the Range,\u201d an exciting party with limited tickets, featuring celebrity chefs, exclusive cocktails, live cooking competitions, and some of the best food anywhere in Tampa.<\/p>\n

As part of the festival\u2019s five days of events, Rock the Range takes place on Thursday, April 9, at 7 pm at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (5223 Orient Rd). Taking place inside Hard Rock LIVE, the party is an exclusive VIP celebration with Chef Robert Irvine, world-renowned chef, restaurateur, and longtime host of Restaurant: Impossible. Tickets to the highly anticipated experience are on sale now<\/a>, and proceeds will support the Robert Irvine Foundation, benefiting veterans, first responders, and military families through impactful health and wellness programs.<\/p>\n

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Irvine, who is one of the driving forces behind the annual festival, will be joined for the night by celebrity Chef Beau Mac, \u201cThe Cake Girl\u201d Chef Kristina Lavallee, and Hard Rock Executive Chef Matthew Zappoli. If that weren\u2019t enough, the entire night is being hosted by Hendrick\u2019s Gin and Jack Daniel\u2019s Tennessee Whiskey. This is big names, big flavor, and big energy from start to finish. <\/p>\n

There are multiple portions of the evening, and you\u2019ll want to be there for every moment. The night kicks off as you sample bites and dishes curated by Executive Chef Matthew Zappoli, paired with unique cocktails, music, and meet-and-greets with the celebrity chefs. He may be intense on Restaurant: Impossible, but we can attest to Chef Irvine being a down-to-earth delight in person.<\/p>\n

The reception will be followed by a high-energy, interactive 60-minute edition of Robert Irvine LIVE with live cooking and on-stage challenges, including Chef Mac, inside Hard Rock LIVE. Following the cook-off, don\u2019t miss the after-party and over-the-top dessert experience with The Cake Girl to cap off the unforgettable night.<\/p>\n

The best part is that Rock the Range is a feel-good indulgence, with proceeds from the VIP experience supporting the Robert Irvine Foundation, which has a tremendous impact for Tampa Bay Area military veterans and their families.<\/p>\n

Rock the Range is set to be the must-experience night in the 2026 Tampa Bay Wine & Food Festival lineup. Learn more and get tickets here<\/a>. Rock the Range takes place on Thursday, April 9, at 7 pm.\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The annual Tampa Bay Wine & Food Festival has become one of the best and biggest annual foodie…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":183716,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":{"0":"post-183715","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tampa","8":"tag-tampa","9":"tag-tampa-headlines","10":"tag-tampa-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=183715"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183715\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/183716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=183715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=183715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=183715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}