Arts & Seafood Fesitval

Dania Beach, FL: One lucky attendee of the 2019 Dania Beach Arts and Seafood Celebration got more than just a taste of Chef Johnny Alarcon’s mouthwatering recipes – she was awarded an entire skillet of cooked paella. Chef Alarcon, the new executive chef at Luxe (located inside the Casino and Dania Beach), headlined along with three other chefs that also cooked up some of their favorite seafood dishes at the Chef Showcase, sponsored by Dania Pointe.

Close to 20,000 people attended the seventh annual, award-winning free festival, held on March 30 and 31, which was made possible with the generous support of major sponsors, Dania Pointe and the Casino at Dania Beach, 25 other sponsors, media coverage including Dania Beach Press and South Florida TV stations WTVJ/6 and WPLG/10, and 90 volunteers.

Dania Beach Mayor Lori Lewellen said it best, “The event is a reflection of our residents, our businesses, and our hospitality. We take great pride in presenting this award-winning event each year. It attracts audiences from near and far to catch a glimpse of the best of what Dania Beach has to offer.”

There was always a generous mix of visual, culinary and performance arts over the two-day celebration -- 78 artist booths, seven live bands, 22 food vendors and food trucks, four chefs, nine featured street artists creating paintings and sculptures live, a Kids Funville, and 50 tons of sand for the signature sculpture.

“I had a great lobster roll and with Shane Duncan Band in the house, there was great country and rock and roll music!” said Jackie Yanks Gonzalez, who opted to attend the Dania Beach event over other events that weekend. She was very happy with her decision and will be back again next year.

The Dania Beach Arts and Seafood celebration is produced by the City of Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) with the support of City Administration. The CRA is currently planning for the eight annual event next year, which promises to be bigger and better than this year.

For a list of sponsors, vendors, participants, and information for next year’s event, visit www.daniabeachartsandseafoodcelebration.com.

Dania Beach, FL- This year’s 6th annual Dania Beach Arts and Seafood Celebration held on Saturday May 19th from 11AM - 8PM and Sunday May 20th from 11AM – 6PM, is the ultimate destination for friends and families of all ages seeking live art and entertainment. This year’s live performance art curated by Art N Soul will tie into Dania After Dark, a new event slated to take place in the heart of downtown. “Art N Soul enhances environments and enriches communities by curating exhibitions that support the city’s brand and culture. We work with various forms and media to ensure the proper placement, pricing and acquiring of such art while providing knowledge on the media, style and historical context or the art,” states Al Huggins from Art N Soul.

Four talented and local artists will create distinctive art in real time over the two-day celebration,capturing the unique charm of Dania Beach. Once completed, the masterpieces will be installed on various walls in downtown Dania Beach to be viewed as an outdoor gallery and unveiled during the Dania After Darks kick-off event, enlivening the community by connecting people to their surroundings.

“Arts-based Placemaking is an integrative approach to community building that will stimulate our local economy and promote  cultural diversity, civic engagement, and community pride . We are excited to launch these pieces in the heart of downtown,” states Rickelle Williams, Dania Beach CRA Executive Director. This year’s performance art brings together four of the area’s most well-known artists to showcase their artistic talent featuring Robert Moreschi, Marco Conde, Stephanie Dorsainvil and Luis Valle.

In addition to live art, this year’s annual Chef Showcase, sponsored by 3 Sons Brewery Co., brings together the area’s most well-known cooks and caterers to showcase their favorite dishes, featuring fourexceptional local Chef’s. These Chef’s will be serving up samples of the classic dishes that put them on the map. Stop by The Chef Showcase tent to receive delectable bites, paired craft beers, and one-of-a-kind recipes by these top chefs. The lineup is as follows:

Saturday May 19th:

2:15PM - Chef Nicolay Adinaguev – 3 Sons Brewing Co
4PM – Chef Patrick Nicholas – Sea Salt
6PM – Chef Jonathan Gar – Brass Tap

Sunday May 20th:

1PM – Chef Chris Stachowski – Tarpon River Cafe
2:30PM - Chef Nicolay Adinaguev – 3 Sons Brewing Co
4PM – Chef Shanna Benson – Benson Bakery

Chef Nicolay Adinaguev developed a unique taste and love for food at a very early age.  Raised by his loving and supportive mother and grandmother, some of his earliest childhood memories include the summers he spent along the Pacific Ocean, where he and his mother would shuck sea urchins and eat them fresh out of the cold blue sea. A native of Lima, Peru, Adinaguev moved to America in 1990, beginning to work in restaurants at the young age of 14. “My diverse background will guide my direction moving forward as I focus on deep flavors from my Peruvian roots as well as seasonal Florida ingredients. This will be emphasized in the dishes I prepare for the Arts and Seafood Celebration,” states Adinaguev.

Patrick Nicolas is the Executive Chef at Sea Salt Fish Market in Fort Lauderdale Florida. As the Executive Chef at a fish market, he manages the commercial kitchen where he is responsible for the procurement of fresh, local catch and ocean harvest.  Chef Patrick and his team create take-home entrees that showcase the freshest seasonal seafood.  They also serve take-out lunches, smoke fresh fish, prepare dips, salads and sauces. Chef Patrick’s passion for cooking began at an early age cooking with his mother and grandmother. Native to the Caribbean, he learned to value the simplicity of fresh ingredients. Growing up in New York City and traveling the world gave him the opportunity to expand his palate testing global ingredients and flavors. You can catch Chef Patrick on “The Weekly Fisherman Show” on 940WNZ where he is the resident Chef, providing listeners with delicious, easy and unique recipes they can try at home.

Jonathan Garr, the Executive Chef of The Brass Tap in Fort Lauderdale, has spent more than half of his relatively young life (33 years) in the restaurant business. A sous chef from Soyka, one of Miami’s most popular restaurants, was also a line cook at the Mayfair and told Jonathan that they needed another sous chef. Although he lacked the experience, he was given the opportunity and shined. “It was there (Soyka) that I learned one of the most important culinary lessons in my life…” Jonathan stated. ”Chef Louis Lopez told me to never be afraid to break culinary rules because if you don’t break the rules, you’ll never do anything special or different.” This sparked Jonathan’s creativity and he began to develop his own style of cooking. His culinary journey has since taken him to the landmark Hyatt at Pier 66 and the famous Surfcomber Hotel on South Beach. He competed in the Best Chefs of the Americas Competition at the Miami Beach Convention Center and took 5th place overall, receiving a silver medal from the American Culinary Federation. His newest challenge is to develop and oversee the Brass Tap’s first gastropub style concept, which will be located in Ft. Lauderdale, pairing from-scratch food with craft beer and cocktails.  

Shanna Benson’s passion for food and baking began in a tiny dorm room just off campus at Florida State University. Not one to eat cafeteria slop, Shanna got creative and started cooking “home cooked” meals with a forbidden hot plate and toaster oven, concocting everything from steak and mushrooms to brownie a la mode.  Several years later, stressed out and armed with every kitchen gadget known to mankind, Shanna began baking to decompress from the stress of running her own Marketing firm - often baking several hundred cupcakes in one day and bring them to clients to “butter them up.” One Wynwood client was so buttered up, they asked Shanna to enter a charity “cupcake wars” competition on their behalf, and to everyone’s surprise the amateur baker from Broward won the title award for Best Cupcake for her signature Coconut Cupcake, and was featured across the Miami Blogoshere as the underdog who surprised all. Thousands of stress decompressing cupcakes later Benson’s Bakeshop was officially launched as a cottage industry cupcake bakery specializing in homemade goodness. In January of 2017 -thanks to the support of family, friends, coworkers and community Shanna left her job in pursuit of her ultimate dream of owning a brick and mortar shop and plans to open the doors to Benson’s Bakeshop in early 2018.  Benson’s Bakeshop currently carries of 25 flavors of cupcakes that include special dietary needs such as vegan, gluten-free and sugar-free and can accommodate orders from one dozen to 1,000.

To learn more information about the chefs and artists visit www.daniabeachartsandseafoodcelebration.com.

About the Dania Beach Arts and Seafood Celebration

Art and seafood enthusiasts! Don’t miss out on a FREE family fun-filled weekend at the 6th Anniversary Dania Beach Arts and Seafood Celebration on May 19th and 20th! Bring your appetites to feast on an array of delicious seafood and specialty treats as you groove to live entertainment all weekend long. Experience hands-on arts & crafts while admiring and purchasing your favorite creations from artist vendors. Witness local artists as they paint masterpieces during live street art performances. Kids can enjoy exciting and fun activities at Dania Beach Kids Funville while watching the 100-ton sandcastle come to life. Plus, get ready for a tasty competition at the 4th Annual Chef Showcase. Dance to live music featuring Hit Tribute Headlining act Jaded Aerosmith and Deep Fried Funk! Admission and parking are free. Parking is located at either the Casino at Dania Beach. Open Saturday, May 19th from 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, May 20th from 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Located at Frost Park 300 NE 2nd St. Dania Beach, FL 33004. Visit daniabeachartsandseafoodcelebration.com or call 954-924-6801 for more information.

Guests are not permitted to bring pets, coolers, or beverage. Thank you, we appreciate your cooperation.