Latest news with #NandoChang
Time Out
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
James Beard Award-winning Maty's will have its last service this week
It's been a busy few weeks for the Chang family: Nando Chang of Miami's Itamae AO was the only Florida toque to take home a coveted medal at this year's James Beard Awards, which took place on June 16. Even cooler, he won for Best Chef: South, the same category that his sister, Valerie Chang, won just a year earlier for her own "understated, elegant" cooking at Maty's, the modern Peruvian spot in midtown Miami. And now it looks like there are news-worthy developments happening out of that latter kitchen, albeit of the less celebratory sort: Chang has decided to part ways with Maty's, leaving the future of that acclaimed restaurant up in the air. "After an incredible run, Valerie Chang has decided to end her chapter with Maty's," the restaurant's PR team shared via email to Time Out Miami." Val has found it deeply meaningful to honor her grandmother, the restaurant's namesake, with the Peruvian food of her upbringing, and she is grateful to her Miami community for the support. Maty's, which opened in March 2023, garnered acclaim in Bon Appétit, Condé Nast Traveler, Esquire, and the New York Times." The announcement continued: "Val is currently considering exciting prospects for future projects but we have nothing confirmed just yet to share here." As for the chef herself, Chang shared some feelings on social media about her impending departure, posting on Instagram: "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. Thank you to my family, friends and Ron for all the support through out the years, I could've never done this without you guys." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Valerie Chang Cumpa (@chifitachang) Of course, Chang's exit from Maty's means that there are changes afoot not only to that restaurant—as for the future of Maty's, "the Changs are working with their business partners to determine what makes the most sense as a next step in the Maty's space, with the goal of best serving their community," per their PR—but also Itamae's à la carte residency, which has operated in the Maty's space since April. Both Maty's and Itamae will have their final service on Saturday, July 5—reservations are available on Resy if you want to get in before the doors shut. As for Itamae AO, the 10-seat counter spot that served as a sibling spot (in more ways than one) to Maty's next door, Nando Chang and his crew will expand that restaurant's days of operation from Tuesdays to Saturdays beginning on July 8. There will also be new menu additions to look forward to in the coming weeks.
Eater
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Miami's Own Chef Nando Chang of Itamae AO Gets a James Beard Award
Chef Nando Chang of Itamae AO in Miami has received the prestigious James Beard Award in the category of Best Chef: South. The chef from the Nikkei cuisine restaurant-in-a-restaurant was one of two nominees for the city (Italian cocktail destination ViceVersa was nominated in the Best New Bar category, though it went to Identidad Cocktail Bar in Puerto Rico), alongside two other Florida finalists that did not ultimately take home awards. Tasting menu-centric Itamae AO's Chang won over such nominees as both Matthew Cooper from Confier and Rafael Rios from Yeo's El Alma de Mexico in Bentonville, Ar.; and both Kevin Garcia from La Faena AgroCocina and Angel David Moreno Zayas from Ell Gallo Pinto in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. Overall, it was an exciting night for the industry, where the awards paid tribute to standout destinations across the country, including New York's Jungsik Yim of Jungsik as Outstanding Chef across the nation, and Boulder, Colo.'s Frasca Food and Wine for Outstanding Restaurant. A full list of winners is available here. See More:
CNN
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
These chefs and restaurants are the 2025 James Beard Award winners
Chefs and restaurants were honored on Monday night with James Beard Awards, one of the US culinary community's highest accolades. Bûcheron, a French American restaurant in Minneapolis, was named best new restaurant during the awards ceremony, which was held at the Lyric Opera in Chicago. The outstanding chef award went to Jungsik Yim, whose New York City restaurant Jungsik also holds three Michelin stars for Yim's 'New Korean' cuisine. Another top honor, for outstanding restaurant, was awarded to Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, Colorado. The cuisine focuses on the flavors of the northeastern Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia through the lens of Colorado. In addition to various restaurant and beverage categories, the awards also honor the best chefs in regions across the United States. Many of the evening's honorees highlighted the role of immigrants in American culinary culture. That message was underlined at the start of the ceremony by James Beard Foundation CEO Clare Reichenbach. 'America's food scene has never been more dynamic, more diverse and exciting, and in large part we owe that dynamism, that vibrancy, to the immigrant communities that lead and underpin this industry in every way,' said Reichenbach. 'We get to taste the world because of them.' Chef Nando Chang, of Itamae AO in Miami, won the best chef award for the South. 'As bittersweet as this moment is for many immigrants in America, I want to say I could not be prouder or feel stronger to be a part of this beautiful country,' said Chang, a Peruvian American of Chinese descent who said he came to the US in 2001. This year's slate of awards featured three new categories in the beverage realm: best new bar and awards for outstanding professionals in beverage service and cocktail service. The new categories are part of an expansion over the next few years aimed at 'acknowledging the beverage industry in a more holistic way,' according to the James Beard Foundation. Identidad Cocktail Bar in San Juan, Puerto Rico, earned the inaugural best new bar award. Arjav Ezekiel of Birdie's in Austin, Texas, won the outstanding professional in beverage service award, and Ignacio 'Nacho' Jimenez, of Superbueno in New York City, won outstanding professional in cocktail service. The 2025 awards come five years after the 2020 ceremony was abruptly canceled amid the Covid-19 pandemic's upending of the restaurant industry as well as criticism of the awards' lack of diversity and inclusion of chefs accused of abusive behavior. Since then, the James Beard Foundation has made efforts to address that criticism with a new code of ethics and changes to awards program policies and procedures. The nonprofit James Beard Foundation was established in 1986, shortly after chef and TV personality James Beard's death. The first awards ceremony was held in 1991. Outstanding Restaurateur Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, Atomic Workshop (The Anchovy Bar, State Bird Provisions, and The Progress), San Francisco, CA Sue Chin and Jason Chin, Good Salt Restaurant Group (Seito Sushi, Reyes Mezcaleria, The Osprey, and others), Orlando, FL Scott Drewno and Danny Lee, The Fried Rice Collective (Anju, Chiko, and I Egg You), Washington, D.C. Allison Gibson and Cara Tobin, Honey Road and Gray Jay, Burlington, VT WINNER: Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr, Frenchette, Le Veau d'Or, and Le Rock, New York, NY Outstanding Chef Lisa Becklund, FarmBar, Tulsa, OK Gabriel Kreuther, Gabriel Kreuther, New York, NY Josh Niernberg, Bin 707, Grand Junction, CO Cassie Piuma, Sarma, Somerville, MA WINNER: Jungsik Yim, Jungsik, New York, NY Outstanding Restaurant Coquine, Portland, OR WINNER: Frasca Food and Wine, Boulder, CO Galit, Chicago, IL Nonesuch, Oklahoma City, OK Oberlin, Providence, RI Emerging Chef Kaitlin Guerin, Lagniappe Bakehouse, New Orleans, LA WINNER: Phila Lorn, Mawn, Philadelphia, PA Nikhil Naiker, NIMKI, Providence, RI Jane Sacro Chatham, Vicia, St. Louis, MO RJ Yoakum, Georgie, Dallas, TX Best New Restaurant Alma Fonda Fina, Denver, CO Atoma, Seattle, WA WINNER: Bûcheron, Minneapolis, MN Ema, Houston, TX Fet-Fisk, Pittsburgh, PA Mābo, Dallas, TX Mita, Washington, D.C. Ômo by Jônt, Winter Park, FL Penny, New York, NY The Union, Helena, MT Outstanding Bakery Atelier Ortega, Jackson Hole, WY Gusto Bread, Long Beach, CA WINNER: JinJu Patisserie, Portland, OR Starship Bagel, Dallas and Lewisville, TX Super Secret Ice Cream, Bethlehem, NH Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker Susan Bae, Moon Rabbit, Washington, D.C. WINNER: Cat Cox, Country Bird Bakery, Tulsa, OK April Franqueza, The Dining Room at High Hampton, Cashiers, NC Crystal Kass, Valentine, Phoenix, AZ Carolyn Nugent and Alen Ramos, Poulette Bakeshop, Parker, CO Outstanding Hospitality Archipelago, Seattle, WA Aria, Atlanta, GA WINNER: Atomix, New York, NY Harbor House Inn, Elk, CA Mixtli, San Antonio, TX Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program Bar Brava, Minneapolis, MN Campo at Los Poblanos, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, NM WINNER: Charleston, Baltimore, MD MARCH, Houston, TX Strong Water, Anaheim, CA Outstanding Bar WINNER: Kumiko, Chicago, IL Scotch Lodge, Portland, OR The Lovers Bar at Friday Saturday Sunday, Philadelphia, PA Water Witch, Salt Lake City, UT Wolf Tree, White River Junction, VT Best New Bar Agency, Milwaukee, WI Bar Colette, Dallas, TX WINNER: Identidad Cocktail Bar, San Juan, PR Merai, Brookline, MA ViceVersa, Miami, FL Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service Jacob Brown, Lazy Bear, San Francisco, CA Jose Medina Camacho, Adiõs, Birmingham, AL WINNER: Arjav Ezekiel, Birdie's, Austin, TX Cassandra Felix, Daniel, New York, NY Cristie Norman, Delilah, Las Vegas, NV Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service McLain Hedges and Mary Allison Wright, Yacht Club, Denver, CO WINNER: Ignacio 'Nacho' Jimenez, Superbueno, New York, NY Dave Newman, Pint + Jigger, Honolulu, HI Tobin Shea, Redbird, Los Angeles, CA Mike Stankovich, Longfellow, Cincinnati, OH Best Chef: California Daniel Castillo, Heritage Barbecue, San Juan Capistrano, CA Richard Lee, Saison, San Francisco, CA Tara Monsod, ANIMAE, San Diego, CA Kosuke Tada, Mijoté, San Francisco, CA WINNER: Jon Yao, Kato, Los Angeles, CA Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH) Jennifer Blakeslee and Eric Patterson, The Cooks' House, Traverse City, MI Thai Dang, HaiSous, Chicago, IL David Jackman, Wildweed, Cincinnati, OH Chris Jung and Erling Wu-Bower, Maxwells Trading, Chicago, IL WINNER: Noah Sandoval, Oriole, Chicago, IL Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA) Henji Cheung, Queen's English, Washington, D.C. WINNER: Carlos Delgado, Causa and Amazonia, Washington, D.C. Jesse Ito, Royal Sushi & Izakaya, Philadelphia, PA Dan Richer, Razza, Jersey City, NJ Amanda Shulman, Her Place Supper Club, Philadelphia, PA Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI) Shigeyuki Furukawa, Kado no Mise, Minneapolis, MN Diane Moua, Diane's Place, Minneapolis, MN Loryn Nalic, Balkan Treat Box, Webster Groves, MO WINNER: Karyn Tomlinson, Myriel, St. Paul, MN David Utterback, Ota and Yoshitomo, Omaha, NE Best Chef: Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY) Joshua Adams, Campione, Livingston, MT WINNER: Salvador Alamilla, Amano, Caldwell, ID Brandon Cunningham, The Social Haus, Greenough, MT David Wells, The Tasting Room at Chico Hot Springs Resort & Day Spa, Pray, MT Penelope Wong, Yuan Wonton, Denver, CO Best Chef: New York State Nasim Alikhani, Sofreh, Brooklyn, NY Ryan Fernandez, Southern Junction Barbecue, Buffalo, NY Eiji Ichimura, Sushi Ichimura, New York, NY Atsushi Kono, Kono, New York, NY WINNER: Vijay Kumar, Semma, New York, NY Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT) Avery Buck, May Day, Burlington, VT WINNER: Sky Haneul Kim, Gift Horse, Providence, RI Brian Lewis, The Cottage, Westport, CT Erin Miller, Urban Hearth, Cambridge, MA Derek Wagner, Nicks on Broadway, Providence, RI Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA) Jay Blackinton, Houlme, Orcas Island, WA Joshua Dorcak, MÄS, Ashland, OR Ryan Roadhouse, Nodoguro, Portland, OR Beau Schooler, In Bocca Al Lupo, Juneau, AK WINNER: Timothy Wastell, Antica Terra, Amity, OR Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, PR) WINNER: Nando Chang, Itamae AO, Miami, FL Matthew Cooper, Conifer, Bentonville, AR Kevin Garcia, La Faena AgroCocina, Guaynabo, PR Angel David Moreno Zayas, El Gallo Pinto, Guayama, PR Rafael Rios, Yeyo's El Alma de Mexico, Bentonville, AR Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV) Noam Bilitzer, MeeshMeesh Mediterranean, Louisville, KY Sara Bradley, freight house, Paducah, KY WINNER: Jake Howell, Peninsula, Nashville, TN Silver Iocovozzi, Neng Jr.'s, Asheville, NC Robbie Robinson, City Limits Barbeque, West Columbia, SC Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, NM, NV, OK) Olivier Bouzerand, Fait Maison, Edmond, OK WINNER: Yotaka Martin, Lom Wong, Phoenix, AZ Sarah Thompson, Casa Playa, Las Vegas, NV Eleazar Villanueva, Restaurant de Joël Robuchon, Las Vegas, NV Zack Walters, Sedalia's Oyster & Seafood, Oklahoma City, OK Best Chef: Texas WINNER: Thomas Bille, Belly of the Beast, Spring, TX Emmanuel Chavez, Tatemó, Houston, TX Emil Oliva, Leche de Tigre, San Antonio, TX Regino Rojas, Purépecha, Dallas, TX Michael Anthony Serva, Bordo, Marfa, TX
CNN
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
These chefs and restaurants are the 2025 James Beard Award winners
Chefs and restaurants were honored on Monday night with James Beard Awards, one of the US culinary community's highest accolades. Bûcheron, a French American restaurant in Minneapolis, was named best new restaurant during the awards ceremony, which was held at the Lyric Opera in Chicago. The outstanding chef award went to Jungsik Yim, whose New York City restaurant Jungsik also holds three Michelin stars for Yim's 'New Korean' cuisine. Another top honor, for outstanding restaurant, was awarded to Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, Colorado. The cuisine focuses on the flavors of the northeastern Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia through the lens of Colorado. In addition to various restaurant and beverage categories, the awards also honor the best chefs in regions across the United States. Many of the evening's honorees highlighted the role of immigrants in American culinary culture. That message was underlined at the start of the ceremony by James Beard Foundation CEO Clare Reichenbach. 'America's food scene has never been more dynamic, more diverse and exciting, and in large part we owe that dynamism, that vibrancy, to the immigrant communities that lead and underpin this industry in every way,' said Reichenbach. 'We get to taste the world because of them.' Chef Nando Chang, of Itamae AO in Miami, won the best chef award for the South. 'As bittersweet as this moment is for many immigrants in America, I want to say I could not be prouder or feel stronger to be a part of this beautiful country,' said Chang, a Peruvian American of Chinese descent who said he came to the US in 2001. This year's slate of awards featured three new categories in the beverage realm: best new bar and awards for outstanding professionals in beverage service and cocktail service. The new categories are part of an expansion over the next few years aimed at 'acknowledging the beverage industry in a more holistic way,' according to the James Beard Foundation. Identidad Cocktail Bar in San Juan, Puerto Rico, earned the inaugural best new bar award. Arjav Ezekiel of Birdie's in Austin, Texas, won the outstanding professional in beverage service award, and Ignacio 'Nacho' Jimenez, of Superbueno in New York City, won outstanding professional in cocktail service. The 2025 awards come five years after the 2020 ceremony was abruptly canceled amid the Covid-19 pandemic's upending of the restaurant industry as well as criticism of the awards' lack of diversity and inclusion of chefs accused of abusive behavior. Since then, the James Beard Foundation has made efforts to address that criticism with a new code of ethics and changes to awards program policies and procedures. The nonprofit James Beard Foundation was established in 1986, shortly after chef and TV personality James Beard's death. The first awards ceremony was held in 1991. Outstanding Restaurateur Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, Atomic Workshop (The Anchovy Bar, State Bird Provisions, and The Progress), San Francisco, CA Sue Chin and Jason Chin, Good Salt Restaurant Group (Seito Sushi, Reyes Mezcaleria, The Osprey, and others), Orlando, FL Scott Drewno and Danny Lee, The Fried Rice Collective (Anju, Chiko, and I Egg You), Washington, D.C. Allison Gibson and Cara Tobin, Honey Road and Gray Jay, Burlington, VT WINNER: Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr, Frenchette, Le Veau d'Or, and Le Rock, New York, NY Outstanding Chef Lisa Becklund, FarmBar, Tulsa, OK Gabriel Kreuther, Gabriel Kreuther, New York, NY Josh Niernberg, Bin 707, Grand Junction, CO Cassie Piuma, Sarma, Somerville, MA WINNER: Jungsik Yim, Jungsik, New York, NY Outstanding Restaurant Coquine, Portland, OR WINNER: Frasca Food and Wine, Boulder, CO Galit, Chicago, IL Nonesuch, Oklahoma City, OK Oberlin, Providence, RI Emerging Chef Kaitlin Guerin, Lagniappe Bakehouse, New Orleans, LA WINNER: Phila Lorn, Mawn, Philadelphia, PA Nikhil Naiker, NIMKI, Providence, RI Jane Sacro Chatham, Vicia, St. Louis, MO RJ Yoakum, Georgie, Dallas, TX Best New Restaurant Alma Fonda Fina, Denver, CO Atoma, Seattle, WA WINNER: Bûcheron, Minneapolis, MN Ema, Houston, TX Fet-Fisk, Pittsburgh, PA Mābo, Dallas, TX Mita, Washington, D.C. Ômo by Jônt, Winter Park, FL Penny, New York, NY The Union, Helena, MT Outstanding Bakery Atelier Ortega, Jackson Hole, WY Gusto Bread, Long Beach, CA WINNER: JinJu Patisserie, Portland, OR Starship Bagel, Dallas and Lewisville, TX Super Secret Ice Cream, Bethlehem, NH Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker Susan Bae, Moon Rabbit, Washington, D.C. WINNER: Cat Cox, Country Bird Bakery, Tulsa, OK April Franqueza, The Dining Room at High Hampton, Cashiers, NC Crystal Kass, Valentine, Phoenix, AZ Carolyn Nugent and Alen Ramos, Poulette Bakeshop, Parker, CO Outstanding Hospitality Archipelago, Seattle, WA Aria, Atlanta, GA WINNER: Atomix, New York, NY Harbor House Inn, Elk, CA Mixtli, San Antonio, TX Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program Bar Brava, Minneapolis, MN Campo at Los Poblanos, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, NM WINNER: Charleston, Baltimore, MD MARCH, Houston, TX Strong Water, Anaheim, CA Outstanding Bar WINNER: Kumiko, Chicago, IL Scotch Lodge, Portland, OR The Lovers Bar at Friday Saturday Sunday, Philadelphia, PA Water Witch, Salt Lake City, UT Wolf Tree, White River Junction, VT Best New Bar Agency, Milwaukee, WI Bar Colette, Dallas, TX WINNER: Identidad Cocktail Bar, San Juan, PR Merai, Brookline, MA ViceVersa, Miami, FL Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service Jacob Brown, Lazy Bear, San Francisco, CA Jose Medina Camacho, Adiõs, Birmingham, AL WINNER: Arjav Ezekiel, Birdie's, Austin, TX Cassandra Felix, Daniel, New York, NY Cristie Norman, Delilah, Las Vegas, NV Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service McLain Hedges and Mary Allison Wright, Yacht Club, Denver, CO WINNER: Ignacio 'Nacho' Jimenez, Superbueno, New York, NY Dave Newman, Pint + Jigger, Honolulu, HI Tobin Shea, Redbird, Los Angeles, CA Mike Stankovich, Longfellow, Cincinnati, OH Best Chef: California Daniel Castillo, Heritage Barbecue, San Juan Capistrano, CA Richard Lee, Saison, San Francisco, CA Tara Monsod, ANIMAE, San Diego, CA Kosuke Tada, Mijoté, San Francisco, CA WINNER: Jon Yao, Kato, Los Angeles, CA Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH) Jennifer Blakeslee and Eric Patterson, The Cooks' House, Traverse City, MI Thai Dang, HaiSous, Chicago, IL David Jackman, Wildweed, Cincinnati, OH Chris Jung and Erling Wu-Bower, Maxwells Trading, Chicago, IL WINNER: Noah Sandoval, Oriole, Chicago, IL Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA) Henji Cheung, Queen's English, Washington, D.C. WINNER: Carlos Delgado, Causa and Amazonia, Washington, D.C. Jesse Ito, Royal Sushi & Izakaya, Philadelphia, PA Dan Richer, Razza, Jersey City, NJ Amanda Shulman, Her Place Supper Club, Philadelphia, PA Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI) Shigeyuki Furukawa, Kado no Mise, Minneapolis, MN Diane Moua, Diane's Place, Minneapolis, MN Loryn Nalic, Balkan Treat Box, Webster Groves, MO WINNER: Karyn Tomlinson, Myriel, St. Paul, MN David Utterback, Ota and Yoshitomo, Omaha, NE Best Chef: Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY) Joshua Adams, Campione, Livingston, MT WINNER: Salvador Alamilla, Amano, Caldwell, ID Brandon Cunningham, The Social Haus, Greenough, MT David Wells, The Tasting Room at Chico Hot Springs Resort & Day Spa, Pray, MT Penelope Wong, Yuan Wonton, Denver, CO Best Chef: New York State Nasim Alikhani, Sofreh, Brooklyn, NY Ryan Fernandez, Southern Junction Barbecue, Buffalo, NY Eiji Ichimura, Sushi Ichimura, New York, NY Atsushi Kono, Kono, New York, NY WINNER: Vijay Kumar, Semma, New York, NY Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT) Avery Buck, May Day, Burlington, VT WINNER: Sky Haneul Kim, Gift Horse, Providence, RI Brian Lewis, The Cottage, Westport, CT Erin Miller, Urban Hearth, Cambridge, MA Derek Wagner, Nicks on Broadway, Providence, RI Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA) Jay Blackinton, Houlme, Orcas Island, WA Joshua Dorcak, MÄS, Ashland, OR Ryan Roadhouse, Nodoguro, Portland, OR Beau Schooler, In Bocca Al Lupo, Juneau, AK WINNER: Timothy Wastell, Antica Terra, Amity, OR Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, PR) WINNER: Nando Chang, Itamae AO, Miami, FL Matthew Cooper, Conifer, Bentonville, AR Kevin Garcia, La Faena AgroCocina, Guaynabo, PR Angel David Moreno Zayas, El Gallo Pinto, Guayama, PR Rafael Rios, Yeyo's El Alma de Mexico, Bentonville, AR Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV) Noam Bilitzer, MeeshMeesh Mediterranean, Louisville, KY Sara Bradley, freight house, Paducah, KY WINNER: Jake Howell, Peninsula, Nashville, TN Silver Iocovozzi, Neng Jr.'s, Asheville, NC Robbie Robinson, City Limits Barbeque, West Columbia, SC Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, NM, NV, OK) Olivier Bouzerand, Fait Maison, Edmond, OK WINNER: Yotaka Martin, Lom Wong, Phoenix, AZ Sarah Thompson, Casa Playa, Las Vegas, NV Eleazar Villanueva, Restaurant de Joël Robuchon, Las Vegas, NV Zack Walters, Sedalia's Oyster & Seafood, Oklahoma City, OK Best Chef: Texas WINNER: Thomas Bille, Belly of the Beast, Spring, TX Emmanuel Chavez, Tatemó, Houston, TX Emil Oliva, Leche de Tigre, San Antonio, TX Regino Rojas, Purépecha, Dallas, TX Michael Anthony Serva, Bordo, Marfa, TX
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.
