Go Fish. That card game that we played as kids. The South Beach Seafood Festival? That’s no game, by the way. SoBe’s ultimate celebration of our finny friends gets underway this week. Deco’s diving in with all the deets. South Florida foodies will be chowing down this week, at the 12th annual South Beach Seafood Festival. Valerie Roy: “We have 60-plus restaurants coming out from all over South Florida to really celebrate our local chefs, and that’s why we love to do this. We love to produce it, to really kind of highlight South Florida.” The festival shines a spotlight on one of SoFlo’s tastiest attractions. Valerie Roy: “Why people travel all throughout the year to come to South Beach and to come to South Florida is to enjoy our culinary talents, our fresh fish, our fresh seafood.” Just hearing what they’ve got planned is enough to make you extremely hungry. Valerie Roy: “We’ve got dinners throughout the week starting Wednesday. Thursday, our new host hotel is at the Loews, and then we hit the sands for Friday Chef Showdowns. Saturday, there’s a new Seafood Slam.” The showdown is going to have some extra star power to go along with great dishes. Valerie Roy: “We have some excitement coming with Chef Robert Irvine hosting our Chef Showdown, which we love.” Chef Robert Irvine: “Seafood is in. Everybody loves seafood, so you know, when you go to Florida, you better have a good game, otherwise you got no chance, especially when I’m judging you.” Chefs, listen up. Here’s some advice to remember before you prepare your dish for the big battle: Chef Robert Irvine: “Be unique, but not too unique. Don’t cook out of your comfort zone. Cook it well. You know, sometimes they say ‘simplest is the best.’ I don’t agree with that, but close to simple, but put your twist on it.” The Rusty Pelican in Key Biscayne is represented by Chef Fiorella Cornejo. She’s defending her Surf and Turf title. What she’s making for the battle is a secret. But she did give us a hint. Chef Fiorella Cornejo: “We have something special with lobster. I cannot reveal our entire dish, but something with lobster.” When it comes to pairing seafood and meat, Chef is a total pro. She can’t wait to show off her skills at the festival. Chef Fiorella Cornejo: “It’s really cool, it’s really cool. It’s a new environment, it’s new people, new customers. Everybody’s welcome to South Beach.” Chef Brad Phillips from Even Keel Fish Shack in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea is a newcomer to the Surf and Turf Throwdown. Chef Brad Phillips: “The opportunity came up, and we decided it’s a great challenge personally to go against a great chef from Rusty Pelican.” His go-to dish will make its world debut at the competition. Chef Brad Phillips: “We’ve used the products that we’re going to be using at the dinner together. We’ve never actually paired them together when it comes to the surf and turf aspect.” The South Beach Seafood Festival drops anchor next week. Now’s the time to get your tickets! FOR MORE INFO:South Beach Seafood FestivalOct. 23-26 2024Tickets: SOBE Festival Tickets