Nathan and I had the incredible opportunity to attend a couple of events at this year’s South Beach Wine & Food Festival (SOBEWFF) in Miami. As foodies and big fans of Food Network, this festival is always a dream come true!

The first event we attended was Alex vs. Miami, a fun twist on the show Alex vs. America. Around 25 local chefs prepared their best dishes to compete against celebrity chef Alex Guarnaschelli. The judging panel featured Kardea Brown, Jeff Mauro, Aarti Sequeira, and Geoffrey Zakarian, while Eric Adjepong hosted the event.

One of the best parts? As attendees, we got to sample every dish! There were some truly outstanding plates, but in the end, Cheese Burger Baby took home the win. Beyond the competition itself, we also spotted several other chefs we’re huge fans of, making the night even more exciting.

The second event we attended was the Tournament of Champions showcase—an amazing Christmas gift from Nathan! We are massive Tournament of Champions fans and closely follow many of the chefs who compete. Getting to see them in person was an absolute thrill.

The event was set up with four teams, each led by a past Tournament of Champions winner: Brooke Williamson, Maneet Chauhan, Tiffani Faison, and Mei Lin. Each team had six chefs, and attendees tasted every dish before voting for their favorite. The team with the most votes won a donation for their lead chef’s chosen charity.

Maneet Chauhan’s team took the win! Nathan and I didn’t completely agree on a favorite dish, but ironically, both of our top picks were from Maneet’s team.

We had an amazing time indulging in incredible food and meeting some of our favorite chefs. For all the foodies out there, check out the collage below of all the chefs we follow and got pictures with—how many do you recognize?

Also, don’t forget—Tournament of Champions premiered last night! If you haven’t watched it yet, you definitely should.