Stars hitting South Beach for Food Network bash

As extravagant and decadent and star-choked as the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival has become in the past nine years, organizer Lee Schrager continues to pour more glitz and glamour into the mix of events.

Held only yards from the Gulf Stream on the sand of Miami Beach's South Beach neighborhood, the extravaganza runs today through Sunday and is the can't-miss event for the culinary set.

All the big names drop by: Rachael, Mario, Emeril, Giada, Alton, Bourdain. The big parties are a must, including the Champagne-soaked Bubble-Q and Burger Bash. But Schrager added more this year for good measure.

On Saturday, there will be a Wine By Design walking tour of restaurants in South Beach's trendy Design District. Every 50 minutes, 100 patrons will switch restaurants.

Saturday night features a Dim Sum Party hosted by Ming Tsai, as well as an Interactive Dinner at the Biltmore Hotel where patrons will cook dinner along with Italian food maven Lydia Bastianich and her son, Joe, who will discuss wine pairings.

To atone for those food excesses, there will be a Gospel Brunch Sunday hosted by Food Network star Paula Deen at the Loew's South Beach hotel. Food Network personality Claire Robinson and original "Top Chef" host Katy Lee also will participate.

Schrager, a Southern Wine & Spirits executive who started the event to fund Florida International University's hospitality program, said the location is a key to the festival's success.

"You're talking about South Beach, Florida, in the dead of winter everywhere else in the country," he said.

"I also think the talent and personalities we have are key," Schrager said. "We were fortunate to develop relationships very early on with a lot of the talent before they became superstars. We have very loyal friends, and it's like whether they want to be there or not, they don't want to be left out."

The glitziest shindig may be the closing party hosted by Food Network's Guy Fieri.

"We have the most amazing mix of pop culture personalities cooking along with some of the greatest culinary talents in the country," Schrager said. "It's really the Academy Awards and Super Bowl of the food world."