Beyond the ‘glitz and glam’ of Miami is an exciting food scene—one that’s creative, diverse, passionate and bequeathed with a lot of (hidden) talent and soul. As the late Anthony Bourdain had reflected on his time in the southern Florida city, “”[A]cross the causeway, there are other worlds, older worlds, I think it’s safe to say, better ones.”
There is a lot of talent within this thriving food scene. We spoke to eight local, “in-the-know” food people on their “Miami chefs to watch”—rising stars and up-and-coming talents who have either just moved to the city or are working at or running relatively new restaurants that have opened within the last year—who should definitely be on your radars, too.
LUCIANA GIANGRANDI AND ALEX MEYER OF LA POLLITA
(Recommended by Evan Benn, editor in chief, INDULGE by Miami Herald)
“I’m really ecstatic that chefs Luciana Giangrandi and Alex Meyer have planted roots in Miami with their La Pollita taco cart in the Design District. Luci and Alex have worked in some of the best kitchens in the United States, including Animal and Son of a Gun in Los Angeles, and Eleven Madison Park, the Nomad, Scarpetta and Carbone in New York. Their pedigree and training shines through in everything that comes out of their humble mobile stand, from an absolutely outstanding fried chicken sandwich (seriously the best in town) to beautifully fresh and vibrant tacos. They’ve already made themselves part of the Miami food community, cooking alongside more established Miami chefs at local food events and working almost exclusively with local purveyors. So while I’d be happy to eat their tacos and tortas every day for the rest of my life, I’m also super eager to see what they have in store next for Miami and its hungry eaters.”
MIGUEL MASSENS
(Recommended by Filippo Mazzaia, sales manager, Acqua Panna & S. Pellegrino)
“Miguel Massens, former chef at Three Restaurant in Wynwood, is definitely a young, talented chef to watch. Few months ago, I had the opportunity to try his tasting menu at Three and I was pleasantly surprised by the unique proposal of authentic South Floridian fine dining. His main goal is elevating local cuisine through a tasting menu that is truly inspired by Miami origins: a gateway between the Americas.”
ANDREW ZARZOSA OF YUZU MIAMI
(Recommended by Cesar Remond, food enthusiast and entrepreneur)
“Chef Andrew Zarzosa of Yuzu Miami is unlocking the flavors of Asia to Miami. While there is a plethora of Thai and Japanese restaurants in South Florida, Zarzosa’s creative dishes such as his chicken and rice bowl, which can only be appreciated after the first few bites, is redefining [and expanding] the palate of Asian food. Recent specials from The Philippines and Indonesia on the menu are reasons to return to his inconspicuous counter inside St. Roch Market in the Design District.”
NIVEN PATEL OF GHEE INDIAN KITCHEN
(Recommended by Eric Saltz, partner at Itamae)
“Niven and his wife Shivani Patel have created something very special in Miami. Ghee, an Indian restaurant with traditional fare, using local and seasonal ingredients, is amongst the top restaurants in the city. From the farm in his backyard, ‘Rancho Patel,’ Niven is sourcing a good majority of his produce for both of his restaurants as well as holding strong relationships with local farmers to push the envelope further on Farm to Table dining. With the success of both his locations, which opened in the same year, Chef Niven most definitely has some thing up his sleeve for the future.”
FERNANDO CHANG OF ITAMAE
(Recommended by Andrea Baigorria, food journalist)
“If I’d have to choose one person to talk about in the Miami culinary scene that is definitely worth watching, it would be Chef Fernando Chang from Itamae at St. Roch Market! I may be biased because of my Peruvian roots, but I can definitely say that his menu is bringing the great Asian and Peruvian fusion that is still not necessarily well known in Miami or even around the world! Peruvian cuisine has had great exposure through amazing talented chefs all and Miami is not the exception. However, there’s so much more than the traditional ceviche and lomo saltado! Chef Chang [along with his daughter Valerie and son Nando -Ed.] is showing us the different aspects of Asian fusion in the Peruvian culture by bringing a great menu with Nikkei options for those consumers looking to explore my hometown’s cuisine a little further.”
SETH BLUMENTHAL OF ALTER
(Recommended by David Morales, real estate and hospitality attorney)
“I met Seth Blumenthal [Alter’s chef de cuisine] when he first moved to Miami; he lived with Brad and Soraya [Kilgore] for the first long while. He is dedicated to his craft, to the processes and to the creativity. For Seth to get his own dishes on the menu, when you have a chef as creative as Brad is a testament to his hard work and passion. I’ve seen him and Brad working together and also separately, and it’s great to watch. Seth can definitely cook to Brad’s palate and his ability to run the Alter kitchen has been amazing in freeing up Brad to take on all the other responsibilities and opportunities that come his way. The first dish I recall that Seth created for Alter’s menu was this handmade soba, tamago egg and ‘carbon’ara plate. Seth worked on it for months before even showing it to Brad, who tasted it, and put it on the menu the next day.”
CARLOS GARCIA OF OBRA
(Recommended by Camila Basmagi, co-founder of Recipes for Change)
“Chef Carlos Garcia moved to Miami this year and opened Obra. He is one of the most important chefs in Latin America [his Alto in Caracas, Venezuela was consistently on the Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants List -Ed.] and he has a new proposal for Miami—the kitchen table is a place to be in contact with the cooks; they can enjoy talking with them, asking questions, and of course, enjoying a great meal for a fair price. The idea of Obra is that you can feel like you’re in your own kitchen, that’s why he offers every two weeks a special menu with seven different dishes (no tasting menu, singular dishes), and also the customer has the option of the regular menu. But if you go every two weeks, you will find seven special dishes. He is also involved with Social Gastronomy, a platform that helps fight inequality and poverty through food.”
PABLO ZITZMANN OF NO NAME CHINESE
(Recommended by Eleanor Hoh, cooking teacher and creator of Wok Star Kit)
“Chef Pablo Zitzmann, Executive Chef at No Name Chinese may be Colombian but he’s got a talent for Asian flavors which can be tricky if you’ve not tasted them before but he somehow nails them. His ingredient driven technique reflects my whole philosophy about cooking. Go Pablo!”
*I first wrote this on my Forbes column entitled, “Miami’s Best Kept Secrets: 9 Chefs You Need To Know Right Now” published on July 31, 2018
