Hector Guevera
Spaghettino
947 Brickell Ave.
Miami, FL 33131
786.220.7373
Spaghettino.com
“I consider my culinary style to be creative — I’m always looking for different ways of doing things in order to keep it interesting.”
Education: “I attended the culinary program at Johnson & Wales in Miami.”
First kitchen experience: “My first experience was cooking in a restaurant that focused on fusion cuisine.”
Culinary style: “I consider my culinary style to be creative — I’m always looking for different ways of doing things in order to keep it interesting.”
The menu: “It’s unique with dishes you won’t find at other places. It’s also flexible with something for everyone.”
The vibe: “The restaurant has a modern feel, but is also cozy and inviting.”
Inspiration: “The challenge of working with new and exciting ingredients and using new techniques.”
Most memorable compliment: “When I was working at a local hotel restaurant, a 65-year-old man told me that my Rissotto Primavera was the same as his mother used to make for him.”
Favorite dish on the menu? “I take pride in my Gondoletta Spaghettino.”
Best part of the job? “Seeing a plate come back licked clean!”
Most challenging? “In a busy restaurant, it’s always a challenge to make sure every dish that leaves the kitchen is perfect.”
What’s in your fridge at home? “Whatever I need to have a great time every day!”
Goals for the future? “I want to become a well-known chef in the company…and in all of South Florida!”
Alfredo Alvarez
Seasalt And Pepper
422 NW N. River Dr., Miami, FL
305.440.4200
SeasaltAndPepper.com
Education: “I trained in Milan and Switzerland and have been working with food for the last 36 years all over the world.”
First kitchen experience: “My first experience was great, I worked for Alfredo Original in Rome, and I also opened Epcot Center in Disney World.”
Culinary style: “My style is just based on in the very simplicity in the cuisine that I can bring to the people. I want to go funky but I always keep it simple.”
The menu? “It’s Mediterranean cuisine, simple, with the best ingredients from all over the world.”
The vibe: “Very chic, you feel like you’re somewhere in St. Tropez or Monaco in the South of France.”
Inspiration? “I gain a bit of inspiration from everything.”
Most memorable compliment? “Althought there have been many througout the years, one that comes to mind is when Jay-Z and Beyoncé came to dine and loved the food. That was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.”
Favorite dish on the menu? “The entire menu features things I like, because my life is on the menu. But my favorite dishes are by far all of the delicious casseroles we offer throughout the year.”
Best part of the job? “When the restaurant is packed and I’m in the kitchen doing what I love.”
Most challenging? “The most challenging part about my position is the stress, the responsibility that I have managing the clientele, the kitchen, the refrigerator, cleaning, making sure everything is up-to-date, and that the food is always fresh.”
What’s in your fridge at home? “Water and fruit, that’s it.”
Goals for the future? “My goal is to have a Seasalt And Pepper in New York.”
Beppe Galazzi
Fontana @ The Biltmore
1200 Anastasia Ave.
Coral Gables, FL
855.311.6903
BiltmoreHotel.com
Education: “I grew up in Italy where I received my degree in the culinary arts.”
First kitchen experience: “I first started working in a kitchen when I was 14.”
Culinary style: “Rustic style cooking…typical Italian.”
The menu: “Our offerings are seasonal, focusing on all regions of Italy for various cooking styles.”
The vibe: “Fontana does a great job of having fine dining service while giving guests a feeling of being at home.”
Inspiration: “The seasons of the year and mixing fresh, seasonal produce at their peak.”
Most memorable compliment? “The facial expressions when guests take the first bite of their meal is always the best kind of compliment. Actions speak louder than words.”
Favorite dish on the menu? “Squid Ink Tagliolini w/ Seafood & Crustaceans.”
Best part of the job? “I love when we exceed guest expectations.”
Most challenging?“With so many different kinds of food palates, it’s challenging to please everyone, but expectations are always met and most of the time exceeded.”
What’s in your fridge at home? “I have basic ingredients at home. I like to buy food daily, so it’s always fresh and I don’t have too many items at a given time.”
Goals for the future? “My long-term goal depends on where the company goes.”
Ishmael Toro
Perricone’s
15 SE 10th St., Miami, FL
305.374.9449
Perricones.com
“My inspiration in the kitchen definitely comes from what I eat and love to eat.”
Education: “I graduated from Johnson & Wales in Miami with an Associate’s in Culinary Arts & a Bachelor’s in Food Service Management.”
First kitchen experience: “I started working in a kitchen when I was 15 at a small Italian restaurant in my old hometown making pizza and pasta.”
Culinary style: “My culinary style is a mix of my strong roots in Caribbean cuisine that my mother passed on to me and the love and respect I have for Italian cuisine.”
The menu: “Our menu has a wide variety of Italian-American dishes along with daily specials that allow us to create options with Caribbean, Asian & Mediterranean influences.”
The vibe: “Perricone’s is always fast-paced and busy, but it never seems like it, time can just stop here and that allows guest to truly relax.”
Inspiration: “My inspiration in the kitchen definitely comes from what I eat and love to eat.”
Most memorable compliment: “All the compliments I get as a chef are memorable because each one is based on a customer’s own personal experience.”
Favorite dish on the menu? “Hands-down our Free-Range Roasted Chicken. It’s not only delicious and juicy but good for you, too.”
Best part of the job: “When all the fast-moving pieces of the kitchen and front of the house come together perfectly and you are able to execute a perfect lunch or dinner service. There’s nothing more gratifying to me than that.”
Most challenging? “The most difficult part of the job is maintaining and managing a staff of professionals all working together with the same goal of achieving perfect service.”
What’s in your fridge at home? “Always fresh cold cuts ready for a great sandwich, fruit for a smoothie or a protein shake, milk for cereal and, of course, a Perricone’s Free-Range Roasted Chicken!”
Goals for the future? “To follow in the footsteps of my friend and mentor Steven Perricone, I hope to one day own and run my own successful restaurant in Miami.”
Jaciel Santos
Steak Brasil
190 SE 1st Ave.
Miami, FL
305.415.2006
“The atmosphere we aim to establish in the restaurant is that of an authentic Brasilian home that’s at once friendly, inviting and relaxed.”
Education: “My culinary background involves incorporating lots of different practices that enrich my experience and knowledge.”
First kitchen experience: “Cooking amongst friends to satiate my curiosity and capacity with Brasilian cuisine with the goal of maintaining its authenticity.”
Culinary style: “Authenticity is my main motivation.”
The menu: “Classic Brasilian, created according to the vast variety of meats, salads and hot plate options available.”
The vibe: “The atmosphere we aim to establish in the restaurant is that of an authentic Brasilian home that’s at once friendly, inviting and relaxed.”
Inspiration: “The ability to take diners on a sensory trip with every order.”
Most memorable compliment: “Whenever a patron notices the seamless flow of taste, service, ambiance and quality.”
Favorite dish on the menu? “My personal favorite (and that of many clients) is the Beef Ribs Steak Brasil.”
Best part of the job? “Working to find solutions for day-to-day situations with the help of an amazing team.”
Most challenging? “Apart from being recognized as a good chef and restaurateur, it’s important for me to be known as a great human being.”
What’s in your fridge at home? “Contrary to what most people would think, my fridge usually only has juice and a few fruits.”
Goals for the future? “It’s important to continue our success while always trying to evolve and plan for future expansion.”
Rodrigo Ferreira*
L’Entrecote Cafe de Paris
1053 SE 1st Ave.
Miami, FL
305.755.9995
LEntrecoteDeParis.com.br
“Our menu focuses on our only main dish, L’Entrecote, which is steak-frites. We serve this with a wonderful fresh salad and we have a large selection of beautiful desserts to finish the meal.”
Education: “I trained for 4 years at a culinary school in France.”
First kitchen experience: “My first time cooking was with my family in our kitchen.”
Culinary style: “I’m trained in classic French cuisine but I pull from different parts of Europe as well.”
The menu: “Our concept was first introduced in Geneva in 1912. In the early ‘30s, the first restaurant with the name L’Entrecote Cafe de Paris was inaugurated in Geneva. Our menu focuses on our only main dish, L’Entrecote, which is steak-frites. We serve this with a wonderful fresh salad and we have a large selection of beautiful desserts to finish the meal.”
The vibe: “Very Parisian, casual chic, with professional service.”
Inspiration: “Working with the best local ingredients.”
Most memorable compliment: “That we could perfectly reproduce the recipe of the sauce here in Miami. In fact, regulars from Geneva have told us that the meat is much better here!”
Favorite dish on the menu? “L’Entrecôte, our signature dish.”
Best part of the job? “Making people happy with my cooking.”
Most challenging? “The most challenging thing is that we only serve one main dish, so it has to be perfect every time!”
What’s in your fridge at home? “French wines, French cheese and French bread, what can I say…I’m French!”
Goals for the future? “We’re committed to opening 10 L’Entrecote de Paris in Florida. There’s even talk of launching one in Las Vegas!”
*Sous Chef pictured.
Mathias Gervais
The Setai
2001 Collins Ave.
Miami Beach, FL
305.520.6000
TheSetaiHotel.com
Education: “At 16, I enrolled in a classic French culinary school; it was an apprenticeship school, where we balanced school and work from a classroom with the hands-on experience of cooking in a kitchen.”
First kitchen experience: “Working in a fast-paced kitchen with Chef De Partie at Le Moulin de Mougins, famed Chef Roger Vergé’s 2 Michelin-starred hotel restaurant.”
Culinary style: “I’m not a chef that overcomplicates dishes by adding too many ingredients or prep techniques.”
The menu: “I’ve designed the menu to feature many of my favorite Mediterranean dishes from back home in France — and from my travels around the Sun Coast of Europe.”
The vibe: “The restaurant offers a sophisticated culinary scene; our diners are discerning and refined.”
Inspiration: “My love for cooking inspires me to be the best chef I can be…every day; to be a true gourmand is what inspires me. Reading and traveling also inspires me to experiment with new recipes. The evolution of the kitchen is also a motivator.
Most memorable compliment: “When Roger Vergé told me…‘As long as you’re cooking, continue what you do; you will be a famous chef, if you continue to put love into what you do.’”
Favorite dish on the menu? “I really like The Colorado Lamb; it’s a dish we would eat growing up for special occasions.”
Best part of the job? “When I’m cooking beside all of my chefs; and when I feel the heat of the service.”
Most challenging? “To split myself in 5 ways between all our different dining outlets.”
What’s in your fridge at home? “A lot of Japanese items because my wife is from Japan.”
Goals for the future? “I hope to be noticed as a potential James Beard Award recipient.”
