A 2024 Culinary Trend Report From 4 Top Miami Chefs

Trends are impossible to predict, and in a fast-paced city like Miami, they come and go seemingly in a second. With the extensive mix of cultures and backgrounds, it's safe to say Miami is blessed with a diverse culinary scene that has grown exponentially more so in the past year.

Restaurants that were originally in Miami Beach have started expanding their reach into neighborhoods such as Coral Gables, which now houses a variety of restaurants, including Michelin-starred or recognized names from outside of Miami. Now, the city is a mix of local favorites, international restaurants, and hidden gems.

With the ever-changing scene, what can we expect this year?

New Times consulted with four local chefs, listed below in alphabetical order, to get an idea of what diners can look forward to in 2024.

Valerie Chang

Storytelling has always been important, Val Chang notes, but the fact that people are beginning to talk about it more makes way for a chef to embrace their background and how it can translate into their restaurant.

"People appreciate authenticity," Chang says. "I think maybe chefs are feeling like we can speak our truth through our food. We are so diverse in Miami, and this translates to the diners in the restaurant. We have space to tell our grandmother's stories, or where we come from."

Chang has worked alongside her brother Nando for the past five years. Together, they gave Miami Itamae (closed for the time being) and B-Side. Last year, she opened Maty's — a venture that recently earned her a nomination for a James Beard Foundation 2024 Award for "Best Chef: South." Her passion comes from her Peruvian background and from watching her father cook in his sushi restaurant when she was a kid.

"Now everyone knows Peruvian food," she says. "But I can tell the story behind the recipes. The espresso martini last year is a perfect example. In restaurants, you have to give people what they want, but you can always change it to what makes sense for you, maybe related to your abuelita's coffee. Everyone can relate to a story about their abuelita; they understand the feeling of nostalgia and wanting to get as close as you can to home."

Chang also predicts that guests can expect more vegetable-centered menus in 2024.

"We have a short but very generous season," she says. "I think people are more curious about local farming and the local environment."

Tristen Epps

Executive chef Tristen Epps of the Eden Roc Miami Beach believes this rise of casual restaurants can be traced to the larger local presence of the Michelin Guide and the James Beard Awards.

"I think we're starting to see restaurants taking a stance on the side of the fence," says Epps. "I think you'll just find where people's focuses are, and you'll see them try to separate it more like Jeremy Ford, who has a Michelin-starred restaurant with Stubborn Seed but also has a burger joint [JJ's Guilty Pleasures] at Regatta Grove."

With Ocean Social by Tristen Epps, the chef aims to change what a hotel restaurant can be. His cuisine shows his perspective with global influences from everywhere he moved as a child while his mother was in the military and his American and Trinidadian background. Red Rooster Overtown was under his leadership when it was recognized by Michelin, and this year, Epps has been named a James Beard Award semifinalist in the "Best Chef: South" category.

Epps foresees that while high-end restaurants will focus on staying high-end, casual dining will become more casual, emphasizing atmosphere and serving high-quality dishes that diners find approachable.

"I also think it's important to say you don't have to be a white-tablecloth restaurant to be recognized by the Michelin Guide," Epps adds. "My great friend Aquino West [Rosie's] is an example of that: amazing food, serves brunch, simple, well-executed, and great service — and got Michelin recognition. Above all, I think the more people appreciate great service and great food, the understanding of what it takes to get there, I think they'll have a great time at restaurants."

Brad Kilgore

"I think this is the year of approachability," says Brad Kilgore, who has plied his culinary trade in Miami for more than a decade. "I think we're actually in the middle of this era already."

"Miami goes through a lot of waves, from foot on the gas to slow-down moments, and things have changed a little bit in the post-COVID financial world. People don't want to break the bank when they go out to eat. They want attainability and price points — as well as creativity, of course."

A multiple James Beard Award semifinalist, Kilgore snagged "Best Chef" honors in the 2023 edition of New Times' "Best of Miami" issue for his work at MaryGold's Brasserie, a partnership with BarLab's Gabe Orta and Elad Zvi that opened at Arlo Hotel in 2022. In late 2023, he partnered with Andrew Mayer to launch Oise Ristorante, a pop-up at Oasis Wynwood that fuses Italian and Japanese cuisines. Already this year, he and Brad Daniels, owner of Philadelphia's Pizza Freak Co., are collaborating to serve up special Pizza Freak pies at Arlo's rooftop bar, Higher Ground.

Kilgore predicts 2024 will bring more chef-driven ventures like QP Tapas by Josh Elliott and June by Jose Mendin, serving quality food at affordable price points.

Mika Leon

Chef Monica "Mika" Leon, owner of Caja Caliente, hopes consciousness and intentionality become a trend this year to give chefs more space to grow in their originality.

"I think we're going to see a lot more people chef it up," says Leon. "We're seeing a lot of James Beard nominations, and Michelin Guide is here. I feel like we're going to see a lot more chefs striving for better — but more than that, I think we're going to see a lot more cultures be celebrated. Like Honduran and Nicaraguan — just foods that deserve to be on the map. Chefs going back to what they know and love with a cheffed-up version of their culture's comfort food."

Leon grew up around cooking, and while she didn't plan on following in her family's footsteps, her passion for educating the world about the history behind different dishes and paying homage to her family's recipes eventually led her back to the kitchen, selling her culinary creations from her mother's garage. In 2016, she opened a food truck in Wynwood and became famous for the Cuban tacos inspired by her grandfather's and mother's traditional recipes. In 2019, Leon opened her first brick-and-mortar spot in Coral Gables.

"Miami is a lot about what's hot right now," she says. "Last year it was the year of omakase — which is amazing, but we never know if it'll keep going in 2024."

Leon views Miami as an expanding food metropolis. While new restaurants open all the time, she hopes to see locals supporting locals and would like to see diners experience more storytelling from the chef's point of view — more love letters to the city's different cultures.