MOSI celebrates 18TH annual Einstein on Food & Wine festival, Tampa

Hello fellow Tampa foodies and wino's!! On February 2nd, MOSI will celebrate it's 18TH annual Einstein on Food & Wine festival. I will be joining the celebration after spending 3 days in Atlanta for a company event. I am literally jumping off the plane and heading straight to MOSI.

I am a culinary geek  at heart. Anytime I hear the words science and food mixed into the same event, I am front and center. If you are like me, a lover of food, wine, music and science, this event is perfect for you. Wait, it gets better, Top Chef Fabio Viviani will be there!

Give me a second to swoon. I am a Top Chef geek extraordinaire. I remember when Fabio was voted off the block. I voted for him to get fan favorite, and he ended up winning. I always wished I could have Fabio cook for me. Now is you chance: Fabio is kicking off the weekends event with the inaugural Annus Mirabilis* dinner on Friday, Feb. 1, at 7 p.m. Tickets are available for those wishing to enjoy an intimate dinner, culinary demonstrations and a customized menu the one and only Fabio in a private home on Bayshore Boulevard. If I wasn't in Atlanta on Friday night, I would be there. Click here for more information.

If you aren't around for Friday nights intimate dinner and want a chance to meet Fabio, grab yourself a VIP ticket. VIP's have early access beginning at 6 p.m. and can rub elbows with Viviani in the VIP lounge. If I wasn't 10,000 feet in the air at 6pm, I would be there with my bells on.

You can also get discounted tickets to The Einstein on Food and Wine through Living Social by clicking here. General Admission tickets normally go for $80 each and you can get two for $80 for a limited time!

The Einstein on Food and Wine's host sponsor, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, will feature more than 50 vintners with a variety of wines, including reds, whites, champagnes, domestic and imported. I cannot wait to get off the plane from Atlanta to enjoy this night out with my Mom! Talk about a girls night out :)

Delicious food and desserts from more than 30 different local restaurants will be featured including Chart House, BJ’s, TC Choy Asian Bistro, Brio, PDQ, and Blue Bell ice cream, along with a variety of food trucks like Not Your Ordinary Food Truck and Michelle Faedo on the Go. In addition to the array of food and wine, a silent auction will be held with proceeds to benefit MOSI’s educational programs.

From the press release: This year MOSI is adding a new and exciting element to Einstein on Food & Wine for its participating restaurants. Restaurants who participate will have their food judged by Fabio Viviani of Bravo’s Top Chef and MOSI guests in a quest to find the best food at Einstein on Food & Wine. All voting will be done by secret ballot and all ballots will be tabulated during the evening.

Winners will be announced in MOSI’s Grand Lobby prior to the closing of our silent auction.
 Prize categories are as follows: 
-First Place will receive $1000 and a plaque
-Second Place will receive $750 and a plaque
-Third Place will receive $250 and a plaque
-People’s Choice will receive a plaque and bragging rights

 Einstein on Food & Wine tickets are $60 for members, $70 for nonmembers and $80 when purchased the week of the event. The event begins at 7 p.m. and guests must be 21 years or older to attend. VIP tickets can be purchased for $125, which includes valet service and early access to Einstein on Food & Wine at 6 p.m. Tickets for the inaugural Annus Mirabilis dinner, which includes an intimate dinner, culinary demonstrations and a customized menu by Viviani, are $200 per person or $350 per couple. Both evenings benefit the education programs at MOSI.

For more information or to purchase tickets, call 813-987-6000 or visit MOSI.org.

About MOSI (Museum of Science & Industry) MOSI is a not-for-profit, community-based institution and educational resource dedicated to advancing public interest, knowledge, and understanding of science, industry, and technology. With a total size of over 400,000 square feet, MOSI is the largest science center in the southeastern United States, and home to the only IMAX® Dome Theatre in the state of Florida. Kids In Charge! The Children’s Science Center at MOSI is the largest children’s science center in the nation. Disasterville, featuring Bay News 9 WeatherQuest, combines education and 10,000 square feet of interactive exhibits on the science behind natural disasters. MOSI’s newest permanent exhibition, The Amazing You, presented by MetLife Foundation and sponsored by Florida Blue, explores the fascinating world of birth through end-of-life. Conquer your fears and experience an adrenaline rush like no other on MOSI’s permanent attractions, the Sky Trail® Ropes Course and Zip Line. Also, guests can now Dream it – Make it – Do it in MOSI’s technology playground & inventor’s studio, Idea Zone. MOSI is the proud winner of the 2009 National Medal for Museums by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the nation’s highest honor for museums. For more information on MOSI, visit www.mosi.org. *Annus Mirabilis is a Latin phrase meaning “Wonderful Year” and was the title of a collection of articles written by Einstein in 1905 that included his theory of relativity.