MIAMI SPICE RESTAURANT PROGRAM CONTINUES THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30th –The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) continues its highly successful Miami Spice Restaurant Program for its 14th year, bringing local and visiting foodies exclusive dining discounts for a limited time. Running through September 30th, nearly 200 local restaurants, including 53 new participants are offering three-course meals priced at $23 for lunch and $39 for dinner. The reduced pricing does not include tax and gratuity. Some of the newest additions include Tamarina, Fooq's, Beachcraft, Vagabond Restaurant & Bar, Piripi, Gang Miami and Bistro Cassis.  For more information, please visit www.iLoveMiamiSpice.com. For teasers on all of Miami's Temptations, visit www.MiamiTemptations.com

AMERICAN AIRLINES ARENA TURNS UP THE HEAT - Pincho Factory, Miami's own fast casual restaurant, announces its newest and hottest endeavor yet: a food & beverage partnership with American Airlines Arena. The team behind Pincho Factory are cousins and business partners Nedal Ahmad, Otto Othman and Nizar Ahmad. The crew will be serving their creative burgers and kebabs inside the popular arena for the entire 2015-16 Miami HEAT basketball season. The American Airlines Arena outpost is one of the many expansion plans the Pincho Factory team has in the works. A third corporate establishment is set to open fall 2015 in the neighborhood of Hialeah. The restaurant's burger-making foundation helped lay their concept and led to the “People's Choice Award” win at the 2015 Amstel Light Burger Bash, part of the annual Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival.  Some food faves include the Pincho Burger, Tostón Burger and Sweet Potato Tater Tots; as well as the brand's own brew, 627 Ale, locally brewed by Wynwood Brewery. For more information visit www.PinchoFactory.com.

THE BETSY HOTEL AWARDED ACCOLADES – The Betsy hotel was recently noted as the only Miami hotel to be voted amongst the 'Best Hotels For Book Lovers That Changed Literary History' by Checkin.Trivago.com. The Betsy takes their literary homage seriously; the Writer's Room at the Betsy is a studio, opened in 2012, where more than 200 writers and creators have stayed to put their pen to the page. Born out of a PACE (philanthropy, arts, culture, and education) business model, the boutique hotel also has a small library of books in each room, and turndown service includes a bookmark inscribed with a poem. Hotel owner, Jonathan Plutzik is son of three-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Poet Hyam Plutzik who was inspired by his father's career to make more than just a boutique hotel. The luxury hotel is dedicated to not only offering a stunning sojourn home to visitors, but also acting as a space dedicated to furthering Miami's cultural programming. Also, recently USA Today named The Betsy Most Romantic Boutique Hotel in the eastern United States. It is #3 in the country. For more information, visit www.TheBetsyHotel.com .

LABOR DAY PICNIC AT PAMM – The Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) will open on Monday, September 7th, 2015 for a special Labor Day Picnic on its waterfront terrace. Guests will be able to enjoy live music by Magic City Hippies and purchase food and drinks specials from 11am-3pm. The museum which is typically closed on Mondays, will have all art exhibits open including: Project Gallery: Bik van der Pol, Poetics of Relation, and more. The galleries will be open from 10am-6pm for all to enjoy. For admission information and to purchase presale tickets visit, http://bitly.com/PAMMLaborDay.

WYNWOOD KITCHEN & BAR NOW OPEN ON SUNDAYS - Wynwood Kitchen & Bar, Miami's hottest destination for globally-inspired tapas with unparalleled views of murals painted by world-renowned artists, is now open for lunch service on Sundays that includes a rotating menu of brunch dishes in addition to its regular selection of small plates. The menu crafted by Venezuela-born Executive Chef Miguel Aguilar, features a variety of delicacies inspired by traditional Latin breakfast staples.  With the addition of the new Sunday service, guests can enjoy an authentic Latino brunch including some of the chef's favorite dishes from his homeland like cachapas (sweet corn cakes smothered in cheese) and arepas. To accompany the savory new menu, the restaurant is offering a new selection of brunch cocktails including unique sangrias, prosecco cocktails and a comprehensive wine list with 70 reasonably priced vintages. For more information, visit www.WynwoodKitchenandBar.com.

A CREATIVE BATTLE AGAINST ILLITERACY - Alfalit International and Dance With Me Studios present One Week, One Cause, featuring exclusive performances of the stage show spectacular “SWAY: A Dance Trilogy.” TV dance personalities Maksim & Valentin Chmerkovskiy, Tony Dovolani, with guest star appearances by Olympic gold medalist, Meryl Davis, and other special guests, join on stage for a theatrical production produced by Dance With Me Studios to benefit Alfalit International's battle against illiteracy. This all-star production is set to premiere on Thursday, December 3rd, 2015 at The Olympia Theater at Gusman Center in downtown Miami during Art Basel week. Audiences can expect spectacular visuals, original choreography, a fusion of multiple dance styles, and incredible performances from Dance With Me professionals. This star-studded engagement of SWAY will feature five (5) stunning shows running from December 3rd to December 6th, a fundraising gala, golf tournament, and an educational dance camp—all to benefit One Week, One Cause, a weeklong fundraising effort to support Alfalit's work to end illiteracy around the world. Founded in 1961, Alfalit International, Inc. is a non-profit organization that provides literacy, basic education, pre-school, community development, health, disease (HIV/AIDS, Cholera, Malaria and TB) prevention, nutrition and job skills and vocational training programs. Alfalit currently serves 120,000 men, women and children in 24 countries throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Europe and the United States.  The organization has been recognized at both the 2006 and 2007 White House Conferences on Global Literacy, and received honors as well as the First Price in Adult Literacy Programs from UNESCO. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.SwayShow.com.

THE DUTCH MIAMI NAMES NEW EXECUTIVE CHEF – The Dutch at W South Beach Hotel & Residences has announced the appointment of Adonay Tafur as its new executive chef. Tafur, who originally joined the resort's dynamic food and beverage team in March 2014 as sous chef, quickly rose through the kitchen ranks in the Miami outpost of acclaimed Chef Andrew Carmellini's NYC roots-inspired American restaurant. Chef Tafur (29), a Brazilian native, moved to Colombia at a young age before coming to the United States as a teenager. The aspiring toque began his culinary career in Spain, honing his craft at a series of internships at Michelin star restaurants, before continuing to perfect his skills at Gotham Steak House at Fontainebleau Miami Beach and later Gotham Bar and Grill in New York City under culinary giant and James Beard award winning Chef Alfred Portale. Now, in his role as executive chef at The Dutch, Tafur will continue to deliver the high-quality cuisine for which the critically-acclaimed South Beach dining destination has become known.  For more information, visit www.TheDutchMiami.com.

FONTAINEBLEAU MIAMI BEACH UNVEILS SINATRA PHOTO GALLERY – Fontainebleau Miami Beach will be celebrating the legacy of Frank Sinatra and his centennial birthday with the unveiling of The Frank Sinatra Photo Gallery, a curated selection of original, authentic, and rare photos of Frank Sinatra on September 1st. The genuine photos will be brought in from various sources including the Sinatra Family Archive, the Capitol Records and Warner Bros. Records archives, photos from renowned photographer Terry O'Neill and the estate of Ben & Bernice Novack, the original owners of Fontainebleau. In addition to launching the gallery, this event marks the beginning of Fontainebleau's 100-day celebration in honor of Sinatra's centennial year, culminating on what would have been his 100th birthday on December 12, 2015. For more information, visit www.Fontainebleau.com.

WYNWOOD WELCOMES NEWEST HOTSPOT – Adding to Wynwood's national notoriety as Miami's hippest zip code, a new restaurant concept will emerge September 2015 in Beaker & Gray. Conceptualized by chef/owner Brian Nasajon and bar manager/owner Ben Potts, the restaurant is a 120-seat eatery with an inventive, playful, globally-inspired menu and vibrant after-hours bar. Named after two elemental culinary tools – the Beaker, used by bartenders to mix drinks, and a Gray Kunz spoon, used by chefs to execute dishes, Beaker & Gray will be a new destination for Wynwood's artsy environs. Entertaining the 'Beaker' aspect of the venue, the bar program will be spearheaded by Ben Potts, formerly of Broken Shaker and Blackbird Ordinary. Potts's bar program will be divided into three key sections – Shaken, Stirred and Strange. Aligning with Nasajon's vision of making refined dishes approachable, complex cocktails will be created with familiar ingredients and simplified descriptions of flavor profiles. The 3,600-square-foot restaurant will feature ample indoor and outdoor seating, including an elegant main dining area seating up to 75 guests, a 13-seat marble bar that welcomes imbibers and diners, and seating on the balcony for those wishing to dine al fresco. For a more interactive dining experience, patrons can sit at the kitchen counter and watch the chefs at work. Additionally, B&G will offer more than 20 private parking spaces – a rarity in bustling Wynwood. For more information, visit, www.BeakerandGray.com.

MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT LAUNCHES MASSIVE ENERGY SAVING PROGRAM – This summer Miami International Airport (MIA) and FPL Services (FPLS) are dramatically lowering the airport's energy expenses, thanks to the Sustainability Project at MIA. MIA and FPLS recently unveiled the project, which is one of the largest energy-saving programs ever in the state of Florida and in the eastern U.S. Over the next two years, the project will install $32 million worth of air conditioning and ventilation upgrades, water conservation retrofits, energy-efficient lighting, and other green initiatives at MIA that will save the airport more than $40 million in utility costs over the 14-year agreement with FPLS. In terms of environmental conservation, the project will reduce annual carbon emissions at MIA by the equivalent of 5,110 automobiles and water consumption equal to 28 million gallons of water (or 43 Olympic-size swimming pools). In addition to achieving massive energy savings, the project will create more than 300 new jobs during installation. MIA is one of the largest energy consumers in Miami-Dade County, so they are implementing measures like the Sustainability Project to be an efficient consumer. According to airport officials, the $40 million in savings will help MIA decrease operating costs and lessen the financial burden passed on to current and prospective airlines, which in turn supports growth and the local economy. For more information, visit www.MIAEfficiency.com.