A Gulf Coast foodie event is making its Space Coast debut.
Uncorked -- known in Clearwater -- is here as Cocoa Beach Uncorked this weekend. Taking place at Alan Shepard Park (on the sandy beach!), guests can nosh on 20 kinds of bites and sip on 36 various libations underneath a huge tent.
Fans of the TV show "MasterChef" will know the event's special guest. Season 7 winner Shaun O'Neale will be there for meet 'n' greets.
We met up with him Thursday at Publix Apron Cooking School at Dr. Phillips, just an hour before a class he was hosting.
"I hated school," he laughed. "But for some odd reason, I liked to read cookbooks."
Winning MasterChef means winning over well-known intimidator, Gordon Ramsay.
"If you go on one of these shows, you're basically telling Gordon Ramsay you think you're the best," he told us. "If you go on there and don't show him that, he's going to let you know."
At Uncorked, Chef will be there signing his new cookbook (My Modern American Cookbook) and demoing his Salmon Crudo recipe. He may even give you tips, too, about margarita-making, like, if the only limes available are hard.
"Put it in the microwave about 10 seconds," he said. "It loosens all those juices."
You may not have known that the Las Vegas resident is also a DJ.
"Food and music go hand in hand," he smiled. "I've never read a cookbook that doesn't say, 'I strap on my apron, I turn on my music and I go to work.'"
He's rockin' out at Cocoa Beach Uncorked Saturday starting at noon. The event is 1-4 p.m. (VIP admission starts at noon).
Tickets start at $35.
Here's the parking info:
Just 1/4 mile west of Shepard Park along SR 520, next to Sunrise Diner, is a large parking area with $10 parking provided by Brevard Humane Society. There is complimentary air conditioned shuttle service courtesy of Victory Casino Cruises, running from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., to and from Shepard Park. All proceeds benefit the Brevard Humane Society.
For your GPS, key in the address for Sunrise Diner: 365 W Cocoa Beach Cswy, State Route 520, Cocoa Beach.