hugely successful Michy's and SRA. Martinez in Miami; won the James Beard award for Best Chef in the South in 2008; and kicked Bobby Flay's butt on the Food Network's Iron
Chef America.
She's also the author of
Cuisine a Latina; is a guest judge on Bravo's Top Chef (catch her on
Top Chef tonight!), and heads the Miami chapter of Common Threads, a
foundation that teaches low-income children good nutrition and cooking
skills.
A Miami native of Jewish and Latin descent, Bernstein attributes her cooking style to her "Mama" but also trained in French technique under the famed Jean Louis
Palladin. Her food is described as "luxurious but approachable," and
according to Anthony Bourdain, Bernstein has been "kicking ass and
taking names for a long time."
Would she kick my ass? Hardly. With the biggest smile in the business, Bernstein is warm and open. Frankly, that is a feat when you have as much going on as she does.
We
caught up with her to talk about her newest restaurant, Michelle
Bernstein at the Omphoy, in Palm Beach and find out why she is
still being hard on herself regardless of her success.
year; how is it going?
Bernstein: We are fine-tuning it
all the time. We want it to be a real local hangout, and it's getting
better and better by the day. It's a work in progress, though.
The Palm Beach crowd seems really different from the Miami crowd. How is that reflected in the menu?
can't be that different -- it's only 45 minutes away. But it's just amazing -- there is a real demographic difference in what people like to eat
compared to what we like in Miami. You go from superspicy to more
delicate, from a lot of meat to a lot of fish. It is interesting how 45
minutes can really change a menu!