By Monica Parpal | Senior Editor

Swaying palm trees line the shore. Bright sunlight reflects a warm, healing glow on the gently lapping waves. From under broad umbrellas on the waterfront deck, guest enjoy bites of juicy watermelon salad and bright ceviche as they take in the view.

There’s no doubt that The Standard Spa is an idyllic retreat from the rest of the world. Set on the stunning Biscayne Bay with views of Miami Beach, it’s

Chef Mark Zeitouni

especially attractive to those who seek out healthy and well-being, taking advantage of the spa’s many therapeutic services. And at a hotel like this, a waterfront restaurant with fresh, healthful options year-round is only fitting.

That’s where Lido Restaurant & Bayside Grill comes in. Executive Chef Mark Zeitouni maintains enviable health, enjoying active hobbies and preparing (and eating) foods that are astonishingly nutritious (we’re talking sprouted quinoa, kale smoothies, and fresh-from-the-ocean seafood). He’s a perfect fit for the job, even though he admits that he found his way into the culinary industry by happenstance.

Dive into the juicy Watermelon and Falafel Salad with arugula, pickled onions, heirloom tomatoes, and a spicy yogurt dressing. Topped with shrimp or octopus, it’s an exciting lunchtime choice.

“I needed a job in high school, and I happened to start working in a doughnut shop. I excelled at it, and I enjoyed it. Cooking was something I was good at. But it wasn’t until years later that I looked at it as a career.”

Zeitouni later got a job in a Japanese restaurant, where he worked while attending art school. “I was having fun with painting and sculpture. At the restaurant, I liked to think that I was creating temporary sculptures with food every day. It was the restaurant owner who suggested I go on to culinary school.”

He did, and quickly built upon his experiential foundations. “Eventually, I got into high-end, cutting-edge French cuisine in Miami and Northern California,” he says. While building his skills and honing his career, Zeitouni also experienced an organic shift in his own diet. “Over time, my body became less and less tolerant of the dairy products and starches often used in French cooking, like butter and potatoes. So when I started becoming a chef in my own right, I started cooking lighter.”  Since then, he’s sprouted a gentle but pointed passion for vegetable-based, health-conscious eating.

For these reasons and more, Zeitouni was offered the executive chef position at The Standard Spa, Miami Beach, shortly after Lido Restaurant & Bayside Grill opened. “Here, it’s my job to make the food cohesive with the spa and services, which are primarily focused on the cultures of the Mediterranean. One of the reasons I work here is because the food I cook is the way I currently eat. So it’s part of my lifestyle.”

Broadly speaking, this health-conscious way of cooking and eating does reflect a Mediterranean diet. Zeitouni cooks with olive oil, herbs, fresh fish, sprouted grains and beans, and organic vegetables on a regular basis. But Zeitouni says that it’s more about what he’s not putting in the food. Many dishes exclude items like dairy products, white flour, starches, and gluten, and focus on ingredients that are light, crisp, and refreshing.

“People are surprised that they can find a raw vegan plate on the same menu as a steak and burger.” —Executive Chef Mark Zeitouni.

In particular, Zeitouni’s menus offer many bright, satisfying vegetable-based dishes reflective of West Indian and Mediterranean cultures. “We make a traditional Mediterranean side dish called Eggplant Caponata with roasted eggplant, pine nuts, capers, and raisins, which adds such a depth of flavor to the dish.” Served with local swordfish spritzed with lemon, this bright, flavorful dish is satisfying any time of year. Try it from their Grill Mix + Match menu. Or, dive into the juicy Watermelon and Falafel Salad with arugula, pickled onions, heirloom tomatoes, and a spicy yogurt dressing. Topped with shrimp or octopus, it’s an exciting lunchtime choice.

In addition, Zeitouni and his team have lately taken to sprouting their own grains. They soak quinoa, beans, and other grains until they sprout, as if they’re preparing to take root and grow. Sprouting grains, although a relatively recent nutritional phenomenon, spurs the plant’s enzyme activity and transforms the internal starches into simpler molecules.

Sprouted chickpeas

“When those enzymes start working, the food delivers a completely new benefit,” says Zeitouni. The food molecules become more easily digested by the new, growing plant—and by some people, too. Case in point? The Sprouted Grain Salad—made with greens, avocado, sprouted lentils, and sprouted quinoa, drizzled in carrot-ginger vinaigrette—has been a popular staple on the menu for years.

It might be easy to pin this type of health-focused diet on Miami’s fashion-forward, skin-baring beach community, where whittling the waistline is a common goal. But Zeitouni has another perspective. “The bottom line is that a healthier diet must include more vegetables,” he asserts. “That’s true all over the country, not just in Miami.”

One of Zeitouni’s greatest rewards is being able to offer a culinary sanctuary for diners with food intolerances, or specific vegetable-based diets. “Most of the guests come here with a healthy lifestyle in mind. As a result, people are able to stay here and enjoy our food without having to leave the hotel in search of another restaurant.”

That said, Zeitouni hopes everyone can find something they love on his menus. In fact, guests can come to Lido Restaurant and order a burger and fries if they wish. “People are surprised that they can find a raw vegan plate on the same menu as a steak and burger,” he says. “What I enjoy the most is that this hotel has always appreciated my menus and the way I cook. It’s cohesive with the spa, and that makes for a great experience all around.”

Just as a lentil or grain of rice needs a bit of soaking to sprout and grow, guests of Lido or The Standard Spa, Miami Beach are encouraged to stay a while, soak up the sun and ocean views, and be nourished by Chef Mark Zeitouni’s offerings. Spa or not, good food and great views can do the body wonders.