Where to eat great food, drink great wine and beer – and raise money

It’s not every day you can get a cooking class from an actual “Top Chef.”

Then again, VeritageMiami is not your everyday food and wine festival. The event, which runs Oct. 5-9, is a unique opportunity for lovers of great food and drink to feast on some of South Florida’s best fare, while also benefiting United Way of Miami-Dade.

Now in its 21st year, VeritageMiami has raised more than $12 million. Events range from $55 to $500.

The events offer something for everyone, from a champagne Sunday brunch with a wine auction as the finale. In between, “Top Chef” winner Jeremy Ford will lead an interactive dinner.

Tickets are available at www.veritagemiami.com.

The highlights:

• Oct. 7 at the JW Marriott Marquis: “Top Chef” winner Jeremy Ford, the head chef at Jean George’s Matador Room, will host an interactive cooking event, where guests will prepare a three-course meal of dishes he makes daily in the high-end restaurant.
• Oct. 9 at the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne: The event’s big finale is Sunday’s first-ever brunch, pairing Perrier-Jouët Champagne with a family-style Southern brunch with the fried chicken that put Yardbird (and now the new Spring Chicken) on the map.

READ MORE: A food and wine event with a heart

This story was originally published September 29, 2016 at 12:09 AM.