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 Michelle Bernstein – Chef, Azul
at Mandarin Oriental,
Miami
After a nationwide search,
Mandarin Oriental, Miami selected a rising young culinary
star, 32-year-old Chef Michelle Bernstein to take the helm at
Azul, the hotel’s 120-seat signature restaurant.
Articulate,
detail oriented and passionate about her cuisine, Miami native
Chef Bernstein has created Azul’s signature menu that features
the Latin flavors of her childhood, blended with Asian, new
Caribbean and classic French influences.
The menu includes
appetizers, called “new beginnings,” such as chestnut soup
with prosciutto and foie gras, and hamachi tartar; Japanese
yellowtail finely diced, tossed with fresh soybeans, fresh
grated wasabi, soy sauce and chopped cilantro, served with
crisp flatbread. Vibrant entrees, or “plates of resistance,”
range from perfectly prepared simple dishes such as short ribs
of beef cook with Thai chilies and served over creamy polenta;
to complex entrees like the Caribbean Bouillabaisse, a rich
seafood broth brimming with mussels, clams, snapper, shrimp,
prawns and calamari, flavored with sofrito, cilantro and lime
juice.
Azul was recently awarded “Best
Restaurant of the Year” by Esquire magazine in its 20th
annual survey of the nation’s best new restaurants of 2001.
In the feature review penned by internationally renowned food
critic John Mariani, he states: “Azul is a summation of
everything twenty-first century gastronomy can be at its
best…and then there’s the food. While it has plenty of color
and glitter, there’s not a single extraneous component, and
(Chef Michelle) Bernstein’s amalgam of Florida, Caribbean,
French and Asian flavors shows how misguided other chefs who
toy with fusion are.”
Chef Bernstein spent the early
part of her life pursuing a career in dance, performing with
the renowned Alvin Ailey Dance Company in New York. However,
she has basked in the glow of the media spotlight for another
art form – her culinary talent. Prior to taking the helm at
Azul, she was executive chef and
co-owner of The Strand, which was named as one of Miami’s top restaurants by Food & Wine
as well as La Nacion, one of Argentina’s top
newspapers.
Prior to The Strand, Chef
Bernstein served as chef at several award-winning restaurants,
including Red Fish Grill and Christy’s, both in Coral Gables
and Tantra on Miami Beach. She trained with Jean Louis
Palladin at the Watergate in Washington D.C., one of the only
Michelin Two Star chefs in this country and honed her skills
at Alison on Dominick and Le Bernardin in New York.
She currently co-hosts The Food
Network’s Melting Pot, a show that presents the
traditions, stories and recipes of her Latin background. She
has also appeared on the Travel Channel with food guru
Burt Wolf, one of her prized recipes appeared in The New
York Times Magazine in an article on international cuisine
by Molly O’Neil and recently received rave reviews from
Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema in his monthly
report from the road. He said: “The most exciting cooking in
Miami this moment is coming from Michelle Bernstein and the
dining room in Mandarin Oriental Hotel.”
Named one of South Florida’s top chefs by Ocean Drive
magazine, Chef Bernstein is a graduate
of Johnson & Wales University.
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Michelle’s Caribbean Bouillabaisse
Sweetbreads and Scallops
Lobster Cappuccino
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