Chef Spotlight: Chef Monte

Rocco’s Tacos and Tequila Bar brings Mexican flavor and flair to Clematis Street in Downtown West Palm Beach. From their delicious guacamole prepared tableside to all you can eat Taco Tuesday’s and a tequila selection for days, Rocco’s Tacos is sure to bring some fun into your delicious meal. Learn a little more about Rocco’s Tacos head chef Monte and make sure to pay them a visit!

Monte grew up at the stoves in his father’s restaurant just outside of New York City. His career in South Florida has seen him running the back of the house operations for some of the premier restaurants including Max Coffee Shop, Gigi’s Tavern and Moquila.

For the past year Monte has been the chef at Rocco’s Tacos in West Palm Beach where he was reunited with long time friend and associate Rocco Mangel. Mangel has nothing but great things to say about Monte, “One if the most talented chefs I’ve ever met, but it’s his diehard take no prisoners work ethic, which places him at the top of his game, and inspires all our young cooks who work with him in the kitchens at Rocco's.”

When he’s not at Rocco’s, Monte likes to hang out with his two teenage boys and grill at home. “I love this career which gives me a chance to interact creatively with food, and teach young cooks the ropes of a professional kitchen and survival skills! But I really get excited talking to the guests after they’ve had a meal at Rocco’s , the looks on their faces tell me they had a great time , which for me is pure gratification”

We are so excited to have Rocco’s Tacos and Tequila Bar at this years Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival!

Chef Spotlight: Chef Akram Alex Awad

Located on the corner of Datura and South Dixie in downtown West Palm Beach is the home to today's chef spotlight. Leila, a Middle Eastern grille offers it's guests both a casual and contemporary atmosphere and dining experience. From hummus and falafel to tabouleh salad, Leila is sure to delight any visitor. Make sure to learn a little more about their head chef below!

Chef Akram Alex Awad was born in Damascus Syria and moved to Los Angeles in 1963. In 1990 Chef Awad was working in jewelry but loved to cook so, in 2003 he moved to West Palm Beach to open Leila with his cousin. His goal was to move the home kitchen to the restaurant with the same quality of food. Chef Awad is married to his wife Mireille and has two children, Constantine and Christine. His expertise and cooking style allows for restaurant guests to get a taste of Middle Eastern grille right here in West Palm Beach!

Make sure to stop by Leila and get a taste for yourself and visit them at the 2010 Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival!

Chef Spotlight: Chef David Hagan

Today’s Chef Spotlight is from City Cellar Wine Bar & Grill in City Place. Their menu will fit any palate with it’s varying flavors and it’s large dining room offers an elegant view of their wine cellar extending behind the bar. Learn a little more about Chef David Hagan below and make sure to stop by and pay him and the staff a visit!

Chef David Hagan grew up in Garden City, NY and later moved with family to Vero Beach, Fl at age 10. In 1997 David graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality administration.  Later, he graduated from Peter Kumps New York Cooking School, which lead him to work at several Manhattan restaurants including, Union Pacific, Eleven Madison Park, Cello, and March. After moving back to Florida David become Executive Chef of Sea Oaks Beach and Tennis Club in Vero Beach for three years before moving to West Palm Beach to join Big Time Restaurant Group as executive chef of City Cellar last December.

We are happy to have City Cellar and Chef David Hagan as part of our 2010 Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival this year!

Chef Spotlights

The 2010 Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival is only a few months away. For the next few weeks we will be spotlighting several of the local head chefs from participating restaurants. Make sure you stay updated on all the happenings the PBF&WF and become our friend on facebook, we look forward to seeing you there!

Don’t forget, tickets are on sale now!

PBFWF 2010 Tickets on Sale Now!

We are thrilled to announce the 2010 Palm Beach Food Wine Festival tickets are now on sale.  The event, taking place on Tuesday, December 7^th 2010, will be held in the beautiful Mediterranean-inspired courtyards and shopping plaza of 150 WORTH. This is a one-night event to not only enjoy food and wine pairings but to mix and mingle with Palm Beach residents, friends, top chefs, restaurateurs and winemakers.  Don’t miss out and purchase your tickets for this magnificent event! 

PBFW 2010 Beneficiary Announcement

The Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival is proud to announce its 2010 beneficiary: Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League. A portion of the proceeds this year will benefit this great organization. 

Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League (PARRL) is a limited-access humane society and provides services to over 8,000 cats, dogs, puppies and kittens each year. Operating continuously since 1925,  PARRL has been positively impacting animal welfare and addressing overpopulation in Palm Beach County through a variety of services.

PARRL's mission is to provide shelter to lost, homeless and unwanted animals; to furnish medical and other services for the care of companion animals; to care for, protect, and find quality homes for homeless and neglected animals; to advocate animal welfare, community involvement and education to further the bond between people and animals, for the mutual benefit of both. Through the adoption and spay/neuter programs, PARRL's vision is to ensure that there are no homeless animals and every animal has a home in Palm Beach County.

Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League, Humane Society of the Palm Beaches, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, receiving no state or federal funding. It is dependent exclusively upon private donations, grants, bequests and fundraising events to provide quality programs and services to the community. Your donations directly support the services and programs in place to help animals in need.

Odd Couple: Out of the Box Red Wine Pairings

The basics of wine pairing are usually meat with reds and chicken and fish with whites. However with the wide variety of wines and food options available to us from around the world there should be some flexibility in our wine and food pairings. Think of wine as something adding flavor to your food, like a condiment. We all know wine tastes completely different when paired with food than it does when it stands alone.

Lets talk great food pairings with reds.  A tasty combination is pan seared peppered tuna steaks with a light red wine.  Seafood doesn't have to be reserved for just whites. FoodandWine.Com suggest a Nero d’Avola or the berry-infused Gulfi Cerasuolo di Vittoria.

Reds are not just reserved for fancy meals consisting of a petite filet. A juicy light bodied red goes great with a wood-fired pizza, the red fruit will complement the sauce of the pizza and the lightness of the wine won't rival the flavor of your toppings. Reach for a bottle of Chianti or Barbera for your deep dish pairings.

Another great but odd red wine pairing is Mexican food. Instead of reaching for a margarita or Dos Equis with your taco, try a Pinot Noir or Durigutti Bonarda.


Keep your food and wine pairings adventurous but to get you off to the right start here are some basic principles:

1. Try to match the weight of the wine and the food your pairing
2. Balance the texture, intensity of flavor, and taste of your pairing.
3. You don't always have to match flavors, sometimes counterpointing the flavor is just as delicious.