Chef Allen Susser has announced he will close his iconic Aventura restaurant, Chef Allen's.
Susser is a cooking instructor, a celebrity chef at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, a consultant to large corporations like American Airlines, Sunkist and Tropicana and a philantropist. But, mostly - he's the face and name behind the Aventura restaurant which bears his name.
Susser Told Miami New Times he's closing the venue because his lease was up and it was "time to make a decision".
In the 80's and 90's, Susser, Norman van Aken, Douglas Rodriguez, and Mark Militello became known as the Mango Gang and put South Florida cuisine on the map.
Since then, Chef Allen has won numberous awards, including 1994's James Beard award for best regional chef, and has written several books.
Susser will continue to operate his Burger Bar at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and his Chef Allen-To-Go operations. He was briefly involved with the Books & Books Cafe at The Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale and closed Taste Gastropub in Delray Beach in the fall.
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