Love is in the air this month, making it the ideal time for foodies to indulge their taste buds’ romance with cuisine and cocktails at Celebrity Cruises’ luscious Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by FOOD & WINE event, “A Taste of Modern Luxury.”

The hip new cruise ship, Celebrity Reflection, is the setting for foodies to taste, sip and sense why Celebrity Cruises is awakening palates, turning heads and making people crave more. “A Taste of Modern Luxury” on Celebrity Reflection offers a gastro-tour of six unique venues, where small plates from Celebrity’s onboard specialty restaurants, created by Celebrity’s James Beard-featured director of culinary operations, Chef John Suley , will be paired with cocktails by renowned mixologist Junior Merino , “The Liquid Chef.” Also James Beard-featured, Merino will showcase techniques such as liquid nitrogen, foams, airs, flavor building and spherification. These unique concoctions – some flowery, some spicy – are featured in “The Molecular Bar” on Celebrity’s five newest ships. One such pairing to be presented during the event is a gin, ginger elderflower and rosemary cocktail called “Gentle Reflection” and a Muscovy duck breast with almond-crusted French toast and raisin-apple compote.

“The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival is an ideal partner for showcasing our passion for extraordinary cuisine to people who appreciate it,” said Scott Steenrod , Vice President, Food and Beverage Operations, Celebrity Cruises. “From being the first in the cruise industry to cook dinner at the legendary James Beard House to being the first to launch land-based pop-up restaurants, most recently in New York City, we are constantly seeking new and innovative ways to bring elements of our onboard experience to modern luxury vacationers.”

“A Taste of Modern Luxury” takes place at 11 am on Saturday, February 23, at the Port of Miami. Pre-registration is required for participation. Tickets and more details are available at www.sobefest.com/celebritycruises. All proceeds from the Festival benefit the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Florida International University.