The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts is the setting for two brilliant and innovative series:  “Celebrity Chefs” and “Cabaret & Cocktails.”  Both series began in 2009, but there’s one “chef” and two “cabaret” singers to go.  Now how can an evening DWNTWN that focuses on “entertainment & food” or “entertainment & cocktails” be anything but wonderful?

CELEBRITY CHEFS

In partnership with Johnson & Wales University, Downtown Miami’s most delicious series returned to the Knight Concert Hall with an enticing new lineup of your favorite chefs!  Engagements feature intimate interviews with Celebrity Chefs, who share their personal culinary journey, conduct a live cooking demonstration, and take questions from the audience.

On January 9, the series ends with a Bam!  Emeril Lagasse – celebrity chef, restaurateur, television star, bestselling author, James Beard Award winner, Johnson and Wales University graduate, and creator of the “New New Orleans” cajun and creole cuisine.  The “Emeril Empire” of media, products and restaurants generates an estimated $150 million annually in revenue. A prolific author, his latest book takes you outdoors with “Emeril at the Grill: A Grilling Book for all Seasons.”  Emeril will demonstrate some of his favorite recipes featuring South Florida ingredients.

CABARET & COCKTAILS

With magnificent performances in the intimate Carnival Studio Theater in the Ziff Ballet Opera House, three of Broadway’s most beloved leading ladies:  Sherie Rene Scott (October), Karen Akers and Christine Andreas entertain DWNTWN.  For these engagements, the Carnival Studio Theater is transformed into the Carnival Studio Cabaret, a cozy jazz club setting with cabaret cocktail tables and food and drinks available for purchase during each performance.

January 21-24 – “Perfection! Her voice has never been more lustrous.” – claims the New York Times of Karen Akers.  One of America’s most arresting and successful concert and cabaret stars sings the well-known melodies of Jule Styne, whose shows and songs include Gypsy, Bells Are Ringing, Funny Girl, Just in Time, Make Someone Happy, Time After Time, People, Everything’s Coming Up Roses, and The Party’s Over.

April 22-25 –  “You will not see a greater female talent here or on any other world stage! – Sunday Mail, Sydney, Australia says of Christine Andreas.  The acclaimed star of the Adrienne Arsht Center’s very first Broadway musical, The Light in the Piazza, returns with her lushly romantic and riveting cabaret entertainment. Singing songs ranging from contemporary pop to beloved classics of stage and screen, Christine Andreas has a “distinctive, gorgeous voice that illuminates the mood and meaning of each song through her considerable acting skills” – Miami Herald – and “a mesmerizing musical presence” – Los Angeles Times

Adrienne Arsht Center
for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County
1300 Biscayne Blvd
Miami, FL 33132
305-949-6722
www.arshtcenter.org