Photographs by Bob Quesada of the ARC of South Florida Summer Spree Auction

The Arc of South Florida held their Summer Spree Auction on Friday May 18th, 2018 at the Marriott Miami Airport.

Auctioneer Michael Guyer, was in charge of the live auction. There were also hundreds of silent auction items.

The auction featured a wealth of vacation packages and short getaways, great restaurants, passes for cultural and sporting activities and events, wonderful goods and pampering services and much more.

Every dollar raised at the event (tickets sales, auction proceeds) will go directly to The Arc of South Florida programs for Adults and Children with Intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The Arc of South Florida is a local chapter of The Arc, one of the largest volunteer organizations in the U.S. Founded in 1953 by a group of concerned parents, The Arc of South Florida serves the over 60,000 Miami-Dade County citizens with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Arc of South Florida two-fold purpose is to ensure the rights of all persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities through ongoing advocacy, and to provide specialized programs and services to help individuals lead meaningful and fulfilling lives. The Arc of South Florida has programs in ten locations throughout Miami-Dade County, employs over one hundred seventy individuals, and serves hundreds of participants and their families on a daily basis.

For more information visit their website www.arcsofla.org

Here are a few images:

 

Photographs by Bob Quesada of The 13th Annual Rotary Key Biscayne Wine and Food Fest

The Rotary Club of Key Biscayne Foundation recently completed its XIII Annual Wine and Food fund raiser on Friday, January 26th. The event sold out quickly and turned into another resounding success with the help and support from the Rotary Club of Key Biscayne, The Nobis Foundation, The ARC of South Florida, our long standing partner Manos del Sur and community members at large.

Thirteen participating restaurants from our community prepared food delicacies to match the wines. Twenty four wineries competed for the recognition of Best in Show White and Red.

According to five independent judges, the winning white wine was B de Chanzy, a Rose from Provence, France, a delightful blend of Grenache and Syrah.

The winning red wine was a Merlot from Deerfield Ranch in Sonoma Valley, CA.

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SoBe Seafood Festival is Back!

USE PROMO CODE Q305 AND GET 20% OFF!

The 5th Annual South Beach Seafood Week is back to kick off Miami’s globally-recognized stone crab season October 17-21, 2017 in the best way South Beach knows how!

This is not your typical Seafood Festival, but a high-end experience that showcases the talents of South Florida’s leading chefs and culinary masterminds via a diverse group of events, benefiting a great cause: CI Foundation’s EAT SMART program.

 Saturday’s beachfront event, South Beach Seafood Festival, brought to you by Kendall Jackson and presented by Coca-Cola and Jack Daniel’s, spans four blocks and welcomes over 13,000 seafoodies to enjoy a day of fun in the sun in the Sobe Chic way. And this year, it’s all about the UPGRADE!

This is not your typical Seafood Festival – come prepared to indulge at pop up cafes featuring Miami’s leading restaurateurs serving the freshest seafood. Choose your dishes as you please and pair them with complimentary all day open bars for 21 and over!

This year’s event site entrance will be at 14th and Ocean Drive. Guests will enjoy a day with their toes in the sand at #sobeseafood fest which spans all the way from 10th and Ocean to 14th and Ocean!

So much more than just food, Saturday’s festival includes:

  • Jackson Family Wine pairing experiences,
  • Live music at the Main Stage,
  • iHeart Radio DJs at the Jack Daniel’s Beach Club,
  • Life-size beach games,
  • Chef demonstrations in the Whole Foods Market Culinary Showcase,
  • VIP Experiences in the Land Rover N&S Dade Hospitality Village featuring the GOYA Culinary Pavilion,
  • The Coca-Cola Dance Club,
  • Casa Herradura,
  • Celebrity Cruises “The Edge” showcase,
  • Jackson Family Wines sensory garden experience, and so much more – right on the sand!

And for the VIPs, the hospitality village will stay open for a VIP-only After Party from 7-9 PM where you can dance the night away.

Photographs by Bob Quesada of The 12th Annual Rotary Key Biscayne Wine and Food Fest

The 12th Annual Rotary Key Biscayne Wine and Food Fest was held this past Friday at Fairways on the Key.

Thirteen different wines from the New World competed against the same varietals from the Old World to earn the recognition of “Best of Show” in each class. A lovely Italian Prosecco greeted all the patrons upon their arrival in order to “season the palate” for the wonderful wines to follow.

Shari Gherman, president of the American Fine Wine Competition & Charity Wine Gala, served as wine director. Four other noted wine professionals, Patrick Sullivan, wine educator; Wendy Rosano, Sommelier and wine director at Terra Fiamma in Delray Beach; Roberto Colombi, Sommelier and GM of The Blue in the Boca Raton Resort, and Henry Barrow, Wine Educator, completed the professional Judging panel.

The evening’s proceeds went to benefit the Rotary Club of Key Biscayne Foundation (RCKBF) and affiliated charities for adults and children.

The Rotary Club continues to collaborate with the Arc of South Florida, a Miami-based non-profit helping adults and children with mental disabilities.  Their members organized the details of the evening and received part of the proceeds to fund its programming.

Additionally, the Rotary Club of Key Biscayne Foundation has designated proceeds to benefit Fundacion Manos del Sur’s educational work with programs to promote healthcare and disease prevention offered through Fundación Stamboulian and the Rotary Club in Argentina.

Rather than each organization holding an independent fund raising event, The Arc of South Florida and Fundación Manos Del Sur worked together with Rotary to offer attendees not only a wonderful evening, but an opportunity to support different efforts in our community. The Rotary Club is pursuing matching grants from the local Rotary District and Rotary International to further leverage the charitable impact of this event.

And the winners of the “Best of Show” title are:

In the Red Category: “Unmask” a red blend from Vineyard 36, Napa

In the White Category: “Champagne Laculle” Blanc de Noir, France.

Here are some images from the event:

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