2022 SWFL Wine & Food Fest is this weekend: What to know Leave a comment
Fourteen years ago, Ed and Rachel Bell received life-altering news.
Their son Jack, then 2, was diagnosed with hepatoblastoma, a rare tumor that originates in the liver. The Bells faced a grueling course of treatment. Their only silver lining: They could deal with much of it without leaving their Fort Myers home.
“Dr. Emad Salman, who became the medical director of Golisano Children’s Hospital, he and I had a long conversation,” Ed Bell said. “He assured me Jack’s treatment here would be no different than going to Tampa or Miami, that we would get the best possible care here in Fort Myers.”
When Jack beat his cancer, Ed vowed he’d pay forward the time and care his family received at Golisano. This week, he’s doing exactly that as board president of SWFL Children’s Charities, Inc., host of the 2022 SWFL Wine & Food Fest which takes place Friday and Saturday at venues around the area.
“I’m in a position now to help out,” Ed Bell said. “The hospital changed my child’s life. He’ll be 17 in June.”
Jack Bell is one of hundreds of thousands of local children who’ve benefited from having a state-of-the-art pediatric hospital in their backyard. And much of the funding for that hospital has come from the SWFL Wine & Food Fest, which has raised $25 million in its 14 years for local pediatric health initiatives.
MORE:2021 SWFL Wine & Food Fest goes virtual, raises more than $1 million
AND:The gift of wine: 10 supremely slurp-worthy gifts for the wine lover on your list
The festival’s organizers are celebrating that fundraising milestone as the theme of this year’s event: “25 Million Reasons to Sip Sip Hooray.”
The 2022 wine fest will kick off Friday night with chef-vintner dinners at private homes across Southwest Florida, pairing renowned chefs with world-famous winemakers for a one-of-a-kind dining experience. While last year’s festival held a virtual auction due to the pandemic, this year’s auction will return to an in-person format Saturday outside in the gardens of Florida SouthWestern State College in south Fort Myers. It will once again include a “Grand Tasting” of foods from chefs such as Harold Balink, Benjamin Voisin and Norman Love, among many others.
The dozens of auction lots include luxurious trips to Tuscany, Iceland, and the Turks and Caicos, as well as rare and highly rated wine collections, wine adventures through California’s Napa Valley and much more.
“We have a lot of people coming back from past years,” Ed Bell said. “We’re very blessed with this community in Fort Myers, where everyone’s so giving.”
Despite being virtual in 2021, the event raised $1.1 million, to go with the $1.4 million raised in 2020 and the $1.9 million in 2019. The event had a record year in 2015 when it raised $3.35 million.
The 2022 funds will benefit the new SWFL Children’s Charities Eye Center of Golisano Children’s Hospital, the largest pediatric ophthalmology office between Tampa and Miami. Funds will also go toward the new pediatric neurosurgery initiative at Golisano, as well as nursing programs at Florida SouthWestern.
Ed Bell said the 14-plus years since his son’s diagnosis have flown by, thanks in large part to their ability to receive quality treatments not far from home. He said his goal, a goal shared by his board members and trustees, is for all children to have access to that same level of care at Golisano, whether their condition be related to cancer, ophthalmology, neurology or anything else.
“As parents, of course, we’ll go wherever we need to go to take care of our kids,” Ed Bell said. “To get the same treatment here without worrying about travel or lodging, while being able to have our family network to support us, that made all the difference.”
Annabelle Tometich is a staff writer for The News-Press and Naples Daily News. Connect with this reporter: atometich@news-press.com; @abellewrites (Instagram); @atometich (Twitter).
The 2022 SWFL Wine & Food Fest
What: A series of chef-vintner dinners kick things off Friday night at private homes across Southwest Florida. The festivities continue Saturday with a “Grand Tasting & Live Auction” to raise funds for local pediatric health initiatives.
Where: The tasting and auction will take place at Florida SouthWestern State College, 8099 College Parkway, south Fort Myers; exact location to be determined by weather
When: The tasting begins noon Saturday followed by the live auction at 2:30 p.m.
Tickets: Weekend tickets are $1,500 per person; tickets for Saturday’s events are $1,000 per person. Find them at swflwinefest.org.
More: 239-433-4260 or info@swflwinefest.org
SWFL Wine & Food Fest fundraising totals
2021: $1.1 million
2020: $1.4 million
2019: $1.9 million
2018: $2.9 million
2017: $3.16 million
2016: $2.5 million
2015: $3.353 million
2014: $2.52 million
2013: $2.5 million
