Chef Chris Miracolo has been around the South Florida restaurant scene for quite some time now. However, his most recent post as Executive Chef at Delray Beach's Max's Harvest has garnered critical acclaim. The restaurant, which is known for its focus on local, sustainable ingredients, tends to land at the top of any foodies' list of top restaurant in Broward and Palm Beach.
Now he's moving on to the newest concept by the Restaurant People: S3.
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"I have a history with these guys [the Restaurant People's Tim Petrillo and Peter Bouloukos]" says Miracolo, "I worked with them in '95, when they were running Mark's Las Olas. Peter is the person I credit with being my mentor. I was initially reluctant, but Peter was like, 'You don't understand: I won't take no for an answer.'"
S3 is at least two and half times larger than Max's Harvest. Miracolo will continue to his to focus on local and sustainable foods, but on a much larger scale. He intends to continue working with many of the farmers he used during his time at Max's Harvest. "I'm so proud of what I've done here at Harvest," he says, "but because of the space I was somewhat limited with food."
Miracolo will bring his globally eclectic style to the restaurant with some South American, Mediterranean, and Asian influences. The restaurant will also feature a sushi program. While he is being mum on specifics for now, Miracolo asserts, "We have a very talented guy who worked for Morimoto in Philadelphia lined up. He did a tasting for all of us, and afterwards we were all just, like, whoa. I almost can't believe he's available."
As for Max's Harvest, the restaurant will be moving some of the key players up in the kitchen. James Kampper will be moving from Executive Sous Chef to Chef de Cuisine under the guidance of Patrick Broadhead, Executive Chef of the Max Group. Sous Chef Jorlian Rivera will be stepping from Sous Chef into the role of Executive Sous Chef. Together, the pair will work directly with Broadhead. According to Miracolo, "Patrick and I worked on this [Max's Harvest's] menu together. There's going to be very little change. They are going to continue the style of food and level of excellence that people have come to expect from Harvest."
Miracolo says that while the group was sad to see him go, everyone has been very congratulatory. "All of us at The Max Group are so proud of Chris and delighted that another 'Max alumnus' has been presented with an incredible opportunity," said Dennis Max. "The Max family prides itself on grooming a generation of South Florida's best chefs and industry professionals. We look forward to grooming future culinary stars through our growing family of restaurants."
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