Events
A Night of Decadence: Desserts, Duff and Delicious Stories
Sweet Dreams Are Made of This: Duff Goldman, Decadent Desserts, and a Dash of Nostalgia at SOBE Fest.
February 22nd, 2025
The Miami Beach Bandshell was the perfect, intimate location for Duff Goldman‘s singular event. From 9-9:30pm, before Duff took the stage, attendees strolled around sampling drinks and some wonderfully decadent desserts.
Some of the late-night bites were an absolute mastery of blending multi-layered flavors and textures at a high-end level. The best was created by Culinary Director Mercedes Kozlowski from Prime One Twelve (who even saved Duff Goldman with her paring knife as he was having difficulty peeling apples). Her dessert was a coconut custard mixed with a purple Ube purée, complemented by a mango sauce, whipped cream, and an Ube crunch reminiscent of a graham cracker crumble. It was truly next level, as is everything you find at Prime One Twelve.
Mercedes Kozlowski at Dessert Party with Duff Goldman
A close second was literally art on a plate. It was called Sunset Passion and was made by Angelica Lenox from Sweet Guilt. This creation featured a coconut cake infused with passion fruit reduction and St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur, then topped with a tiny, perfect gold macaron.
Other notable treats included the Scotch Tiramisu Cake by Cakeology, served in a small jar, the (so good it should be outlawed) Mini Churrocone filled with Dulce de Leche Ice Cream, and Cry Baby Creamery’s S’more Baked Alaska which featured a Graham Cracker sponge cake, milk chocolate ice cream, and a torched meringue on top.
The next two hours were all about Duff Goldman and his ‘One Man Show.’ He spent the time making his Grandma Esther’s (or Mamo’s, as he called her) secret Apple Strudel recipe, while sharing stories of his life and culinary journey. Celebrity Chef Duff Goldman is one of the most beloved personalities on the Food Network. His down-to-earth, humble nature really draws you in like a friend.
It was this stylistic nature (or lack thereof) that set him apart from other one-man shows I had seen before with Alton Brown and Guy Fieri. Duff Goldman just walked onto the amphitheater stage, casually donning a pair of camo shorts and a Lego t-shirt. Even with so many television shows under his belt, like Ace of Cakes, Charm City Cakes, Kids Baking Championship, and Buddy vs Duff, stardom never went to his head like other celebrity chefs. He is just a simple Jewish man who plays bass guitar and loves to bake.
Tonight, he was making his Grandma Esther’s secret Apple Strudel. He went through the process of peeling and cooking down apples, stretching the dough as thin as humanly possible, and adding a little bit of this and that to the mix. This could have been epically boring, but Duff kept the audience entertained through hilarious stories of his life and his Mamo Esther’s.
He recounted a story of how Esther once owned a successful hat shop and opened a second hat shop right across the street from the first one. If a person came into the store and said the hat was too expensive, Esther would tell them to go to the other hat store across the street.
Duff Goldman shared many stories about himself as well. One in particular was about a low-production cooking show that had him strip down to just wearing a mask and a cup as the small audience threw eggs at him. Duff then went through a string of failed cake baking competitions, but the camera loved him, and he built up an extremely talented bunch of artists who were now making cakes.
The Food Network hired Duff Goldman and his crew for the show Ace of Cakes, and the rest was history. Duff told us of one proud record he achieved from the network: he was the first person to ever get bleeped on one of their shows. Duff mentioned that whenever he misbehaved, fellow Food Network judge Nancy Fuller would tell on him, as she was actually a good friend of Duff’s mother.
with Antonia Lofaso at Dessert Party with Duff Goldman
Nancy was there for Duff Goldman’s One Man Show, as was a host of other celebrity chefs to support him and hang out. Some of them included Alex Guarnaschelli, Antonia Lofaso, Aarti Sequeira, Jet Tila and Amanda Freitag. They all stayed until the end and, of course, left with some of his Apple Strudel.
with Alex Guarnaschelli at Dessert Party with Duff Goldman
The event was casually fun, intimate and a great send-off to Saturday night. Sobe Fest is loaded with expensive, formal, packed events, so Duff Goldman’s event was the perfectly placed balance to all of that.
with Aarti Sequeira at Dessert Party with Duff Goldman
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Dessert Party with Duff Goldman
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Mercedes Kozlowski at Dessert Party with Duff Goldman
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with Alex Guarnaschelli at Dessert Party with Duff Goldman
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with Antonia Lofaso at Dessert Party with Duff Goldman
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Dessert Party with Duff Goldman
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Dessert Party with Duff Goldman
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with Aarti Sequeira at Dessert Party with Duff Goldman
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Luli Fama celebrates its Paradise Found Cruise ’27 swimwear and resortwear collection with a luxury Miami launch at its Dadeland Mall boutique.
August 20, 2026
Miami swimwear favorite Luli Fama is stepping into Cruise ’27 with Paradise Found, a new swimwear and resortwear collection inspired by tropical escapes, exotic prints and effortless vacation glamour.
South Florida Insider has already taken a closer look at the Luli Fama Paradise Found collection, and it feels made for Miami.
The new Cruise ’27 collection combines the bold, body-confident swimwear Luli Fama is known for with elevated resort pieces designed to move effortlessly from the beach and pool to cocktails and dinner.
On Thursday, August 20, Luli Fama will celebrate Paradise Found with an exclusive evening at its newest Dadeland Mall boutique in Miami, complete with fashion, light bites, personalized surprises, and a luxe espresso martini bar.
Inside Luli Fama’s Paradise Found Cruise ’27 Collection
Paradise Found is inspired by the feeling of discovering a hidden tropical retreat.
Think lush landscapes, warm golden hour light, exotic patterns, and silhouettes made for somewhere beautiful.
The collection features Luli Fama signatures, including flattering ruched details, seamless construction, adjustable fits, and statement swimwear, alongside an expanded selection of resortwear.
We especially love the pieces that blur the line between swim and ready-to-wear.
Flowing dresses, sleek coverups, and body-skimming silhouettes make it easy to transition from a sun-drenched afternoon to an evening out without losing that relaxed resort feeling.
It is sensual, polished, and unmistakably Miami.
Luli Fama Brings Luxury Resort Style to Miami
There is a reason Paradise Found feels so natural in South Florida.
In Miami, resortwear is not reserved for vacation.
A swimsuit can become part of an outfit. A coverup can take you to lunch. A flowing resort dress can carry you from an afternoon by the water straight into cocktails and dinner.
Luli Fama has always understood that lifestyle.
Paradise Found takes it a step further, creating a Cruise ’27 wardrobe that feels as appropriate for a tropical getaway as it does for a weekend in Miami.
The campaign captures that mood beautifully, pairing the collection with palms, lush greenery, tropical architecture and the kind of sun soaked setting that makes you want to extend your vacation indefinitely.
Paradise Found Comes to Luli Fama at Dadeland Mall
Luli Fama will bring the world of Paradise Found to life on Thursday, August 20 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at its newest boutique at Dadeland Mall in Miami.
The intimate celebration will bring together invited guests, influencers, celebrities and media for an early look at Cruise ’27.
Luli Fama is also dressing invited guests in pieces from the brand, allowing the new collection to be experienced the way it was designed to be worn: in motion, styled and out for the evening.
Luli After Hours Espresso Martini Bar
Fashion is only part of the experience.
For the Paradise Found celebration, Luli Fama is introducing Luli After Hours, an Espresso Martini Bar inspired by the glamour of the collection.
Guests will be able to sip three specialty espresso martinis created for the evening.
The Luli Babe puts a polished spin on the classic espresso martini, while Golden Hour pairs salted caramel with edible gold shimmer. Miami After Dark takes a richer approach with chocolate hazelnut and a cocoa dust finish.
Along with cocktails, guests can expect light bites, curated details and a special personalized surprise.
The result feels less like a traditional retail event and more like checking into a private resort for the evening.
A Miami Swimwear Brand Celebrates at Home
For a brand with such a strong connection to South Florida, launching Paradise Found in Miami feels especially fitting.
Luli Fama has built its identity around colorful, confident swimwear and resort fashion with a distinctly tropical point of view.
Paradise Found carries that identity into Cruise ’27 while giving it a more elevated, escapist mood.
And with Luli Fama’s newest boutique now at Dadeland Mall, Miami shoppers have another destination to experience the brand in person.
After getting our own closer look at Luli Fama’s Paradise Found Cruise ’27 collection, we can safely say the name fits.
Paradise has officially been found, and this time, it is in Miami.
Check out the collection HERE
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