Broward County is once again gearing up to host the much-anticipated Visit Lauderdale Food & Wine Festival, kicking off next Monday for its fifth consecutive year. A gastronome's paradise, the week-long event is set to feature a vast array of culinary highlights and wine-tasting opportunities that will showcase Broward's diverse food scene. "The 2024 Visit Lauderdale Food & Wine Festival is Broward County’s largest food and wine event," Rory Cooksey told WSVN. "You’re experiencing culinary creations from all over Broward County, so it’s not just Fort Lauderdale. It’s literally every city in the county."

Big names have a tendency to draw in large crowds, and this year is no exception, with celebrity chef Aarón Sánchez from 'Celebrity MasterChef' slated to appear. According to WSVN, this year's festival has also introduced new headline events, with a special mention of 'Wok ‘n Roll at Backyard' spotlighting the variety of Asian flavors found within Fort Lauderdale. Diego Ng, highlighting the diversity of the cuisine, stated, "We’re gonna be traveling from east to west, all over Southeast Asia, through all the restaurants that are here in Fort Lauderdale."

While the festival will feature various cuisines, specialty dishes are sure to steal the show. Diego Ng further piqued interest, as quoted by WSVN, "Every single restaurant is gonna be showcasing one of their signature dishes. Some of them are gonna be coming up with a lot of fun things." Among those, Ng specifically recommended not to miss out on the Kalua pulled pork bao buns - a dish promising to delight with its combination of shredded pork, bao buns, pickled vegetables, and a signature gochujang cream.

The event highlights will extend to include longstanding crowd-pleasers like the Barbecue Battle. In a nod to the evolving culinary approach of local restaurants, The Restaurant People (TRP) is set to venture into new territory with their preparations. "We are doing what we call a beach fireplace style of cooking," Chef Martin Verano disclosed to WSVN. With the seafood paella from Boatyard ready to exemplify TRP's latest cookery style, festival-goers can expect to indulge in an array of dishes that perfectly suit the coastal ambiance. "We’re super excited about the Food & Wine Festival happening again for the fifth time. We’re very excited to be part of it, and now getting bigger and better things going," Chef Verano said enthusiastically.

For those eager to sip and savor their way through the event, the Visit Lauderdale Food & Wine Festival runs through January 14, with the peak offerings to be found at Las Olas Oceanside Park. With such a robust lineup, the festival is ready to once again turn Broward into the center of Southern Florida's food universe, offering an experience for both locals and visitors alike to enjoy the culinary wonders of the area. For more details on the event, visit the Ground News and WSVN websites.