2014 Food And Drink Festival Preview

With the start of the new year, the country's culinary connoisseurs are anticipating the 2014 lineup of food and drink festivals that you won't want to miss. From fried food in the South to fresh fish in Cancún to world-class rum in Barbados, these annual festivals showcase some of the country's and the world's top culinary talent.

Food & Wine Festivals Preview (Slideshow)

As some of the most celebrated food and drink events of the year, these festivals offer the best food and drink experiences from celebrity chefs, culinary personalities, and top wine and spirit purveyors with tastings, one-on-one meetings, VIP dinners, parties, and more.

Every year at the Cayman Cookout, amateur chefs are invited to compete Top Chef–style in a series of cooking competitions judged by celebrity chefs. This year, at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, José Andrés will host an 18-whole celebrity chef golf tournament with food, wine, and spirits. And at the Barbados Food & Wine and Rum Festival, guests can learn the recipe for Barbados' famed national cocktail Rum Punch and will be given the opportunity to meet Mount Gay rum ambassador Chesterfield Browne.

These are just a few of the food festivities to come this year. And so that you don't miss out on any of them, here's a preview of this year's best food and drink festivals that you should put on your radar.

Haley WIllard is The Daily Meal's assistant editor. Follow her on Twitter @haleywillrd.