Easter Seals threw its 25th edition of Festival of the Chefs to help raise money and awareness for its Easter Seals South Florida’s Culinary Arts High School, a vocational training program for students ages 16 through 22 with autism and other disabilities. The grand event took place in Coral Gables and was tremendously festive. Celebrity chef Ingrid Hoffman hosted and some of the best restaurants and dessert shops from Miami served up their culinary treats. We will highlight our favorites below:

Chef Kareem Anguin of Oceanaire Seafood Room had the best dish of the night with his Smoked Scallops and BBQ Short Ribs. The scallops were cooked to perfection, thick cut and juicy enough that a bib should ALMOST have been required. The short ribs were perfectly balanced with sweetness and a slight kick. Bravo, Chef Kareem!

Chef Luis Lopez of City Hall Restaurant was our next favorite dish with his big supremely flavorful BBQ Brisket Sliders. The brisket was sweet, drenched in sauce and the bun perfectly complimented this scrumptious sandwich.

Ched Norman Van Aken of Tuyo Restaurant served up a savory dish of alliteration with his Brazilian Creamy Cracked Conch Chowder with saffron, coconut, orange and star anise. We really enjoyed this rich and creamy take on chowder.

Chef Jorge Montes of Roho Kitchen had a solid Short Rib Empanada with Truffled Aioli. This delicious baked concoction was quite a treat.

We had stuffed our faces soooooo much that we did not believe we had room for dessert… that is until we went upstairs and the mere whiff of the intoxicating dessert scents wafting through the air reset our appetites so we could squeeze some tasty sugar into our already bloated bellies.

Our two favorites were:

The Donut Divas enchanted us with deep fried red velvet oreos. We were stuffed to the freaking gills, but still managed to down three plates of this debaucherous confection.

The Nothing Bundt Cakes table was out of control with about 10 different versions of its decadent cakes that had the soft crisp texture of real cake but when one bites into the piece it is ridiculously juicy, wet and flavorful. Truly magnificent cakes!

The event was a smash with gallons of wine and champagne flowing, a silent auction with great prizes and good, down to earth and astute people that were a pleasure to meet and converse with. We can not wait until the 26th edition.

 Check out the pics below or click here for the high quality pictures here.