When Antonio Braschi opened Costa Med Bistro + Wine {260 Crandon Boulevard, Suite #46, Key Biscayne; 305.361.7575} and Kazumi {260 Crandon Boulevard #16, Key Biscayne; 305.361.2675}, both right next to each other, he revived the dining scene in Key Biscayne for good. And because we love both spots, we wanted to sit down with the restaurateur to find out exactly how he did it.
Here’s what Mr. Braschi had to say:
How did your career in the restaurant industry begin?
It’s what I studied in school! After school, I worked for Carnival Crystal Palace Resort & Casino in Nassau, The Condado Plaza in Puerto Rico, and the Eurobuilding Hotel & Suites in Caracas. After I finished my career in the hotel business in the mid 1990s, I moved on to the restaurant industry. I started as a salesman for a food service company, knocking on doors at catering homes, kitchens, hotels, etc. I eventually became a partner in the company.
What made you want to open Costa Med?
That food service company took off nicely, but the politics in Venezuela made it harder. I wanted to open the food service company here, but it was an uphill battle. We needed a lot of investment and I couldn’t find anyone to do it with me. So, I purchased a little coffee shop that I turned into a restaurant, Costa Med.
Costa Med is turning 15 in May. How has it changed over the years?
It was a little hole-in-the-wall when I first bought it, and it had orange plastic chairs and those display refrigerators in the front. In 2007, I remodeled it into a fine-dining establishment. It was originally an Argentinian restaurant! We moved into the Mediterranean arena, and now we serve food from France, Greece, Italy, Turkey, and more. I thought it was more fun to do things from all over than sticking with one type of food. This way, you can have more fun with it and take advantage of what’s in season.
Let’s move on to Kazumi. What made you want to open an Asian concept after a Mediterranean one?
As the restaurant industry was growing in Venezuela, we started to bring in almost every item that you need for making sushi. So I knew it was something interesting. Plus, I’m a Capricorn. We like to climb the difficult areas. I’m always thinking about how I can do better and how I can grow. In 2012, I started to build out for Kazumi. It took over a year to accomplish, and it wasn’t easy, but it opened in February 2014 and it’s been rocking ever since. Then, in late 2015, not too long after, I remodeled Costa Med and expanded it. It went from antique fine dining to an ambiance that’s contemporary and urban, and doubled the amount of seats. I kept the menu the same, though. We’re always tweaking the menu here and there, depending on what’s in season, but for the most part, it’s the same. It’s that good.
What’s the secret behind your dishes?
My ingredients and my staff! I try to buy my fish whole. It’s the only way you know you’re getting the right fish and its fresh. When you buy a fillet, you don’t know what you’re really getting or where you’re getting it from. I’m like that with fruit, too; I can’t just order it to be delivered. I have to go there and see, touch, and taste the produce to know what ingredients I’m getting. Plus, my staff has been with me for many years. Three of the guys at Kazumi came with me from Costa Med. I think that’s so important–if two different people make the same recipe, it will still taste different. You need consistency in the restaurant business; and because of my staff, we’re able to have this.
Why Key Biscayne?
Young people in Key Biscayne had nowhere to go except a pizza joint. Kazumi was aimed at young people, but it’s actually been good for everyone. I have 18 and 80 year olds dining at the same time. It’s fast, it’s healthy, it’s shareable and it’s a lot of fun.
What’s next for Antonio Braschi?
I’m already scouting a new location for a new venture; I don’t know what it will be yet. It depends what I find and what the need is in that area! For example, if there are seven Italian spots where I find a good location, I won’t put a Costa Med there. I don’t want to bump heads with other restaurants. I like quality over quantity.
Rapid-fire questions:

• Your go-to meal to make at home: I’m not a good cook. I’m great at washing dishes. I am fortunate to have my wife, who likes to cook and cooks well. She was taught by her mother and aunt who are from Naples, Italy. I don’t try to compete with her. I just do the dirty work!
• Your favorite at-home dinner: My favorite food is a very well-made Lebanese meal. My grandparents are from Lebanon, so it resonates with me.
• Your favorite weekend activity in Miami: I have two teenagers, so I do what the family wants to do. We like to go out to eat, go shopping, go to the beach, and hangout with family and friends. We live right on the ocean in Key Biscayne, where people want to go on vacation, so that makes it easy for us to find plenty of things to do. There’s never a boring weekend. Sometimes you want one so you can rest!
• Your favorite thing on the Kazumi menu: I always go for sushi or sashimi because the fish is the freshest. I love the Unagi.
• Your favorite thing on the Costa Med menu: By far, it’s going to be the Steak Tartare because it reminds me of a Lebanese dish called Kibbeh.
• Your go-to nightcap: I love very silky California cabernets or more complex pinot noirs, like a Burgundy. But definitely red wine. I love wines over cocktails.
• Your dream job if you weren’t in the restaurant industry: I would probably still have to be in the hospitality industry in some way. I’m too much of a people person. I like to serve! If I could go back in time, though, I would have loved to be a doctor. There’s something about the whole thing that excites me and I’d still get to help people.
• The best piece of advice you’ve ever received: Work hard. Everyday, you might have a lot of setbacks; but you have to be like a boxer. Put Vaseline on your face so punches slip by. Do that every morning and get out there. Sometimes it feels like the whole world is out to get you, but you have to be smarter. Aim for the best! You might not be perfect, but at the end, you’ll be rewarded. If you always work hard, are responsible, learn, and go the extra mile, it’s hard not to get noticed.

Happy dining!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor