Two of Miami’s top chefs will head west to the California coast this April—and they’re bringing a taste of their iconic Miami restaurants with them! From April 11-14, the renowned 12th-Annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival will once again bring together 100 of the world’s top celebrity chefs and 250 acclaimed wineries to showcase some of the world’s best food and wine.
And on that list are two Magic City favorites: James Beard Award winner, Chef Michelle Bernstein of Café La Trova, and Executive Chef André Bienvenu of Joe’s Stone Crab {11 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach; 305.673.0365}. Here’s where you can find them at the festival:
Celebrity Chef & Winemaker Golf Tournament at Pebble Beach Golf Links
Presented by Chase Private Client
Thursday, April 11
During this event, America’s most iconic golf course will welcome icons of American food and wine. After a morning Champagne toast at the first tee, golfers will play the 18 holes in a “Team Scramble” tournament, and take breaks at epic food and wine booths and tents along the way. This event will run from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Coastal Caribbean With Michelle Bernstein
Presented by Lexus
Saturday, April 13
Wake up early and enjoy a morning of Caribbean cuisine. Pulling from her lifetime in the tropical environs of Miami, Chef Bernstein will whip up a menu of bites featuring bright, exotic, and Caribbean flavors. This event will run from 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
Lexus Grand Tasting Sunday
Sunday, April 14
Catch both Chef Bernstein and Chef Bienvenu, two of a veritable “who’s who” of 30 celebrity chefs at the festival, for an afternoon of mixing, mingling, and culinary indulgence. This event will run from Noon to 3 p.m.
Happy dining!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor

There’s something truly special about Matador Bar. Tucked away to the right of The Miami Beach EDITION {2901 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 786.257.4600} lobby—and marked by wood-paneled walls, a glamorous black walnut and stone centerpiece bar, evocative photos, and floor-to-ceiling windows that look right out at the ocean—this sultry, sophisticated drinking den seems to just suck Miami’s finest in. Snag a chair at the bar, or for something more discreet, cozy up to the long, leather banquette lining Matador Bar’s walls. No matter where you sit, live music, low-key (but elegant) vibes, and Spanish-inspired cocktails are sure to keep you entertained all night long. 
And now, the Miami Beach hotspot has a new Absolut Elyx cocktail for everyone to enjoy: Confession of Love Punch. Designed to share, this deliciously tropical, very Instagram-worthy cocktail can serve six to eight imbibers by making 12 glasses total. This cheerfully-pink cocktail is brought out in a bronze, flamingo-shaped punchbowl; blends Absolut Elyx, Luxardo Maraschino, passion fruit, hibiscus, and lemon; and is topped with floating orchids and pineapple.
The Confession of Love Punch is priced at $125, excluding tax and gratuity. This drink, along with the bar’s full menu of artfully-crafted cocktails, are available at Matador Bar every Sunday through Thursday, from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., and on Fridays and Saturdays, from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Happy dining!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor

This April, 21 of South Florida’s most popular chefs will come together to cook for a good cause: raising money for the Diabetes Research Institute and its mission to find a cure. And in true Florida fashion, this dinner is anything but normal! Not only will each chef be tasked with creating an innovative, three-course meal tableside, but their guests won’t know what they’re eating until it’s served right to them.  
Taking place on Sunday, April 7, at 6 p.m., Out of the Kitchen will start with a cocktail hour in the Oceanview Ballroom at the St. Regis Bal Harbour {9703 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 305.993.3300}, and move on to a seated dinner, fun raffle giveaways, and more. Each of the 21 chefs will be assigned to a table, where they will whip up a secret, adventurous three-course dinner for 12 hungry guests.
To top it all off, the fun, fanciful night will be hosted by Bravo’s Top Chef alum, Sam Talbot—who lives with type 1 diabetes, was a semifinalist on Top Chef Season 2 and a fan favorite on Season 14, and was named one of People’s Sexiest Men Alive in 2012. Jeremy Ford of Stubborn Seed {101 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach; 786.322.5211}, David Hackett of The Biltmore Hotel {1200 Anastasia Avenue, Coral Gables; 305.913.3189}, and Norman Van Aken of Three {50 NW 24 Street #101, Wynwood; 305.748.4540} will serve as Culinary Chairs. The evening’s Event Chairs are Amy and Scott Greenwald and Tammy and Steve Klein.
Here are the chefs participating in this year’s exciting Out of the Kitchen event:
Chef Jeremy Ford, Stubborn Seed
Chef David Hackett, The Biltmore Hotel
Chef Norman Van Aken, Three
Chef Mike Beltran, Navé
Chef Brian Nasajon, Beaker & Grey
Chef Josh Gripper, The Dutch
Chef Cesar Zapata, Phuc Yea
Chef Sean Brasel, Meat Market
Chef Alex Olivier, Area 31
Chef Jeffrey Williams, The Social Club
Chef Adrianne Calvo, Chef Adrianne’s Vineyard Restaurant and Wine Bar
Chef Brooke Mallory, Burlock Coast
Chef Tasos Chasekioglou, Atlantikos
Chef Tim Andriola, Timo
Chef Raheem Sealey, KYU
Chef Vijay Veena, Jaya at the Setai
Chef Abel Veulens, Isabelle’s Grill Room & Garden
Chef Scott Linquist, Coyo Taco
Chef Pablo Zitzmann, No Name Chinese
Chef Alex Kuk, Temple Street Eatery
Chef Abraham Silva, M House
When dinner is over, save room for dessert, because some of South Florida’s sweetest vendors will be popping up with treats galore. They include: Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop, MadLab Creamery, Phenomenon Nitrogen Ice Cream & Bake Shop, Mo Scotti, and Angelica Lenox/Sweet Guilt. And don’t worry… if you really are full, to-go boxes will be available.
Tickets are priced at $300 per person and can be purchased by calling 561.596.1025 or 954.964.4040.
Happy dining!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor

When it comes to the food world, French-American Michelin-star chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, trendsetter, and all-around nice guy, Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, has done it all. And here in Miami, he’s blessed us with three of his mouthwatering concepts at The Miami Beach EDITION: Matador Room, Market at EDITION, and Tropicale.
So when we heard “JGV” was going to be in town for the 18th-Annual Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival (SOBEWFF), we had to sit down with him and find out about his career, his childhood, his passion in the kitchen, and how he became one of the world’s best chefs.
Here’s what he had to say:
Tell us about your chef journey. How did it start?
My journey started about 45 years ago, in 1973, and it hasn’t stopped. I started when I was sixteen, when I took an apprenticeship in Alsace, France, where I come from. I was lucky enough to start in a three-star Michelin restaurant, and then I went to a second three-star Michelin restaurant in the South of France. I ended up getting my first real chef job in 1980, in Bangkok.
Did you ever consider another career?
I was actually supposed to be an engineer. My grandfather worked in coal, and my father took over his heating company, where he was doing central and solar heating. He sent me to engineering college and I hated it. I was spending my days smelling like gasoline, and I really wanted to smell chicken, potato, and cabbage! For my 16th birthday, my parents took me to a three-star restaurant. It was my first high-end dining experience, and that was that. I knew that was what I wanted to do.
Were you always a master in the kitchen?
When I was a kid, I was doing all the birthdays for my brothers, sisters and cousins. I was born an entertainer, but not on stage; the kitchen is where I was most comfortable. It’s kind of  form of entertaining, you know? In the beginning, I had no idea about food, but I would organize the lighting, the music, and the mood. Today, I realize it was all part of it.
Looking back on your chef career, what was your most defining moment?
I owe a lot to New York. When I arrived in New York in 1986, there was a whole new movement of food happening. I was lucky to be part of new wave of food in America. When I first got there, there were only a few markets and they only had the basics. Now there’s a good local market in every city. New York only had a few Japanese places at the time, a few places where you could get sushi, and some Italian places; but maybe not the best food in the world. When I arrived, I was part of a group of chefs who changed the city into what it is. We had a good time, and I never stopped. Now we’re up to 38 restaurants, and we’re still having a good time!
Have you always worked with hotels?
My first job in 1980 was at the Oriental Hotel, in Bangkok, so I’ve been very familiar with hotels. I love to work with hotels. People stay with you! It’s not just a two-hour lunch or dinner and they go away. At hotels, you get to pamper them for a couple days, and I love that.
What made you want to bring some of your restaurants to Miami?
Ian Schrager actually approached me about it. He was building The Miami Beach EDITION, and he said, ‘Do you want to do something here?’ and I said, ‘I would love to.’ So we did Market, which is a little bit like my ABC Kitchen, in New York; and then for the main restaurant, I wanted to do something Latino to bring in a touch of Miami. We put Tropicale outside, and it’s all worked out very well. Here we are, five years later, still kicking, still improving, and still trying new dishes.

You spent five years in Asia, which you’ve always said changed your cooking. How so?
I was from France, so I didn’t know about lemongrass, chili, or ginger, and I’d never had spicy food a day in my life. The only spices we ever used were salt and pepper. There were no Asian ingredients in the region I grew up in. It was all cabbage, potato, and foie gras. The food was good, but it was so one-dimensional there. By the time I got to Bangkok, I felt like Christopher Columbus discovering a new world! I got to start adding a lot of sexy stuff to my food.
You’ve set a lot of trends in the kitchen. What’s next for the food world?
Plant-based. Two weeks ago, people wanted a radish. Two years ago, it was a steak. It’s all about plant-based now. I’m not 100% vegetarian, but I eat it twice a week—my restaurant, ABCV, is all vegan. I think this new generation has a new energy about plant-based food. It’s good to eat a steak every once in awhile (I love my steak!), but you just have everything in moderation.
Tell us your must-have kitchen tool.
Probably a microplane—you can do a zest of citrus, truffle, cheese, dry spices, and even ginger. I can do all of that.
What’s your favorite late-night snack?
Chocolate. Milk chocolate. I eat my chocolate after I brush my teeth, because then I wake up in the morning and still have the taste of chocolate in my mouth. It gives new meaning to ‘sweet dreams.’

What do you make for dinner when you’re at home?
I make pasta! I boil water and throw my pasta in there with a whole egg, so it cooks at the same time. I drain the pasta and add pepper, Parmesan, and butter, and then I have a soft-boiled egg on top. One pot. It takes five to seven minutes to cook the pasta. It’s my quick dinner before I go to sleep with my chocolate.

Happy dining!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor