Latest news with #ItamaeAo
Miami Herald
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
This Miami restaurant had an award-winning chef and a Michelin nod. Now it's closing
In 2024, a year after she opened her Peruvian restaurant Maty's in Midtown, Miami chef Valerie Chang won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: South, ending a 14-year drought for Miami. Now Maty's — named for Chang's Peruvian grandmother — is closing for good after only two years. Chang, whose first Miami spot was Itamae, a counter serving Peruvian-Japanese cuisine at a local food hall she opened with her brother Nando and father Fernando, thanked customers on her Instagram account for patronizing the restaurant, which was recommended in the Michelin Guide. 'Our dad showed us very early on that being in the restaurant could give us an opportunity to struggle a little less — that perhaps we weren't bound only by what our parents could give us, but by what we could also make with our own hands,' she wrote. 'As this chapter comes to an end for me, I want to take this moment to express my deepest gratitude for everyone who has allowed me to cook for them at Maty's over the past two years. We opened this restaurant to honor our grandmother, Maty, in the best way we know how — through food.' Since April, the restaurant at 3255 NE First Ave., had been hosting a residency by Itamae, which served tiraditos, ceviches and nigiris as well as other dishes that made the Changs a hit in the city. The residency will continue through July 5. Meanwhile, Nando Chang, who earned the 2025 Best Chef: South award just a year after his sister, will continue to focus on his 10-seat omakase counter, Itamae Ao, which is located in a smaller room attached to the main Maty's restaurant. Chang, who also earned a Michelin star for Itamae Ao this year, plans to expand the counter's days of operation to Tuesday through Saturday, as well as adding new items to the menu. There's no word on what's next for Val Chang or the former Maty's space.
Miami Herald
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Two Miami chefs, one family: Brother wins top award his sister won last year
Nando Chang, the Peruvian-born chef whose Miami restaurant Itamae Ao earned its first Michelin star this year, has just won a James Beard Award — the exact same award his sister Val won a year ago. Chang, who opened Itamae Ao in 2024, was named Best Chef: South at a ceremony Monday night at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. An emotional Chang thanked his parents, his wife Lauren, brothe Elvis and 'my favorite chef and sister, Val.' He talked about being a Peruvian of Chinese descent, an identity that was 'interesting and at times confusing' and of his love for his adopted country, despite the difficult times for immigrants now. 'I want to say I could not be prouder . . . to be a part of this beautiful country,' he said. 'Thank you, America, and thank you, Miami. ' He also thanked the James Beard Foundation for their commitment to diversity: 'All food is immigrant and immigrants make America great.' The Changs and their father Fernando opened the first iteration of Itamae as a food counter at MIA Market in the Design District (then called St. Roch Market) in 2018. The restaurant served Nikkei cuisine, a fusion of Peruvian and Japanese fare and eventually went on to open as a standalone restaurant across the Palm Court from its original location. The first version of Itamae closed in 2023 to make way for the future. As his sister turned to the opening of Maty's, her Peruvian restaurant named for their grandmother, Nando Chang focused on creating Itamae Ao, a 10-seat wonder that serves a meticulous and imaginative chef's choice menu of Japanese-Peruvian bites highlighting specially dry-aged fish. The restaurant is located through a separate door inside Maty's, and the menu includes stunning examples of sashimi, nigiri, anticuchos and aguadito, highlighting Chang's skill at enhancing Japanese techniques with Peruvian flavors. Chang had long wanted to focus on a more personal dining experience that was more elevated and intimate than he was able to provide at the first Itamae. 'It's something I've dreamed of for a long time, to go straight to omakase,' he told the Miami Herald in 2023. 'That's the kind of experience I want to provide.' In April, Chang brought back the original Itamae to take over the Maty's space for a couple of months. That residency is ongoing at the moment, but Chang is still intensely focused on the intricacies of the dishes at Itamae Ao. 'We want every single bite to make you go 'Whoa!' ' he said.
Bloomberg
18-04-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Orlando Takes Over Florida's Food Scene in Latest Michelin Rankings
As demand for premium Miami office space cools, the city's dynamic restaurant scene is also slowing down. At least according to Michelin. In the storied French guide's latest rankings, announced on Thursday night in Orlando, Wall Street South gained just one new starred restaurant, the Nikkei tasting-menu spot Itamae Ao; in last year's rankings, Miami picked up three.
Miami Herald
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
This tiny Miami restaurant led by a beloved local chef just won a Michelin star
Another Miami restaurant has earned a Michelin star, this time for a local culinary hero. Itamae Ao, a 10-seat counter in Midtown, was awarded a star by the Michelin Guide, which reviews and rates restaurants from around the world, Thursday night at the Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort. The honor brings to 15 the number of Michelin-starred restaurants in and around Miami, which first joined the internationally famous Michelin Guide in 2022. Since then, the following Miami restaurants have earned stars: Ariete; Boia De; Cote; Elcielo; EntreNos; Hiden; Le Jardinier; Los Felix; Ogawa; Shingo; Stubborn Seed; Tambourine Room by Tristan Brandt; The Surf Club Restaurant; and L'Atelier du Joël Robuchon, which was the first Florida restaurant to receive a two-star rating. Led by chef Nando Chang, who has also been nominated for a James Beard Award this year, Itamae Ao serves the Peruvian-Japanese fusion Chang and his family have long been known for in Miami. The restaurant, which opened in May 2024, started its life in 2018 as Itamae at local food hall MIA Market (then St. Roch Market) in Miami's Design District, with Nando Chang working with his sister Val and father Fernando. The restaurant eventually moved on to its own space across the Palm Court, with most tables outdoors in the courtyard and a smaller counter indoors, then to its current location as part of Maty's, Val Chang's Peruvian restaurant (which on the Michelin Guide as Recommended). Nando Chang is in the middle of a month-long residency reviving the original Itamae at Maty's and, should he win the James Beard Award for Best Chef: South, will be following in his sister's footsteps: Val Chang won the same award last year. Other newly starred Florida restaurants Four other restaurants in Florida earned Michelin stars, including Sorekara in Orlando, which serves Japanese cuisine. Sorekara, under the helm of chef/owner William Shen, earned two stars, making it the second two-starred restaurant in the state. Chef Ryan Ratino, who is known for his two-star restaurant Jônt and one-star restaurant Bresca in Washington, D.C., now has two spots on Florida's guide. His Chef's Counter at MAASS in the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences, which serves contemporary cuisine via a tasting menu, earned the first Michelin star for Fort Lauderdale. Ratino is also the force behind Ômo by Jônt in Winter Park, which earned a star on Thursday. The first Michelin starred spot in Palm Beach is Konro in West Palm Beach, which also serves a tasting menu of contemporary cuisine. No starred restaurants in Florida lost their stars this time around. Other Miami Michelin honors Two Miami starred restaurants were also awarded green stars this year, which are given to restaurants that demonstrate outstanding commitment to sustainable gastronomy and have a strong environmental focus. Chef Jeremy Ford's Stubbon Seed in Miami Beach won a green star for using ingredients sourced from the chef's 5.5 acre farm in Homestead, a composting program and a partnership with the community program Compost for Life and initiatives to reduce the carbon footprint of the restaurant. EntreNos from chefs Evan Burgess and Osmel Gonzalez, who operate out of the Tinta y Cafe in Miami Shores, earned a green star for locally sourced produce and land-based protein; sustainably sourced seafood; dinnerware made by a Miami-based artisan, its organic and biodynamic wine program and the fact they repurpose food waste into vinegars and sauces. Jacqueline Pirolo of Macchialina on Miami Beach earned the Michelin Sommelier Award, while Juan Camilo Liscano of Palma in Miami won the Michelin Young Chef Award. Affordable honors Two local restaurants originally designated as Bib Gourmands — a title that indicates quality food at a great value — lost their designation Thursday: the Aegean restaurant Doya and Zak the Baker in Wynwood. Zak the Baker remains on the Michelin Recommended list, which was released for Miami earlier this year. No new Bib Gourmands were added in Miami, but Fort Lauderdale earned its first Bib Gourmand via Heritage, the pizza-and-pasta spot from chef/owner Rino Cerbone. There were a couple of Palm Beach restaurants added to the Bib Gourmand list, too: aioli and Palm Beach Meats, both from West Palm Beach. Four Orlando restaurants were added, too: Coro, Banh Mi Boy, Smokemade Meats + Eats and UniGirl. Florida has 36 Bib Gourmand-designated restaurants. The Miami Bib Gourmand restaurants are Bachour; Chug's Diner; El Turco; Ghee Indian Kitchen; Hometown Barbecue; La Natural; Lucali; Mandorin Aegean Bistro; Michael's Genuine; Phuc Yeah; Sanguich de Miami; Tam Tam; Tinta y Cafe; and Zitz Sum.
Miami Herald
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
This celebrated Miami chef could win the award his sister won last year
A downtown aperitivo bar and a Peruvian-born chef in Miami have been named James Beard Award nominees. The James Beard Foundation has announced its 2025 Restaurant and Chef Award nominees, and Chef Nando Chang of Itamae Ao has been nominated in the Best Chef: South category. It's the same category his sister Val Chang won in 2024 for her Peruvian restaurant Maty's in Midtown Miami; Itamae Ao is an intimate omakase counter in the back of the restaurant. Also nominated in the Best New Bar category is the aperitivo spot ViceVersa, which opened last summer and is known for its aperitivos and pizzas. In January, the Beard Foundation's semifinalists included Ghee Indian Kitchen in the Outstanding Restaurant category and Café La Trova for Outstanding Bar. Neither made the nominee list. The only Florida restaurant nominated is Ômo by Jônt in Winter Park, which was nominated in the Best New Restaurant category. Winners will be announced June 16 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. An Itamae takeover of Maty's Chang, who started the first Itamae restaurant with his sister Val and father Fernando, told the Miami Herald in January that he was thrilled to be nominated, though he wasn't sure a member of his family could win two years in a row. 'I feel like my peers respect the work, and that makes me happy,' he said. 'I'm starting to feel part of the change Miami is going through, and that's all my dad ever wanted, that we live out our dreams.' Starting April 10, Chang will be temporarily taking over the Maty's space, bringing the original Itamae concept back for about a month. The residency, as they're calling it, will offer some original Itamae favorites, including smoked and grilled fish collars and various makis and nigiris. Itamae Ao will remain open, offering its usual tasting menu Thursday through Saturday, while Itamae will serve dinner from 5-10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Itamae Ao was also added to the 2025 Michelin Guide, along with five other area restaurants, in January.
