Why Was Batali Even Up There?
Alvaro Beade from Valladolid, Spain, the chef at Ideas Restaurant in Coconut Grove would have been a fine choice, but so would Philippe Ruiz, Pascal Oudin, Edgar Leal, Doug Rodriguez or any number of our talented toques. And I bet they could have handled the proceedings without having to use the word fuckwads.
The problem is that ever since the Food Network took over, the Festival has not been about locals. If the SBWFF folks are intent on having Mario Batali and the Food Network buffoons represent our city, then instead of inviting Manny Diaz and Charlie Crist to attend the dinners, they might as well fly in former Governor Blagojevich to do so at next year's ceremonies instead. His language, we're sure, would pair well with Batali's.