Behind The Line at Michy's in Miami's Upper Eastside

Chef Michelle Bernstein says "The first place I worked as a cook was Janjo's in the Grove for Chef Jan Jorgensen. At the end of my shift he'd say 'here's half a lime. Go clean the stove.' I said 'Can I get a whole lime?' and he said 'No. Too...

By Jacob Katel

July 20, 2009

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Chef Michelle Bernstein says "The first place I worked as a cook was Janjo's in the Grove for Chef Jan Jorgensen. At the end of my shift he'd say 'here's half a lime. Go clean the stove.' I said 'Can I get a whole lime?' and he said 'No. Too expensive.' He locked me in the fridge one time to make whipped cream. What a great first chef. He made me tough, got me ready for all the crazy French guys."

Asked what he does at Michy's her husband David Martinez says "I drink rum and cokes all day. Just kidding. I take care of the business. It takes a very unique personality to be in restaurants. You have to be very passionate. If you just wanna get rich you're in the wrong business. We have 15 more years on the lease here. I would love to be here forever."

Michy's Chef De Cuisine Jason Schann says "I've been working with Michelle for like eight years. I worked in the corporate world for a while. I started at the Loews on South Beach then Houston's, the Mandarin. We have more creative freedom here. We have a standard of quality that you don't get in a corporate kitchen. We butcher our own meats, fish, make our own pasta. We do everything. Everybody has a voice in our kitchen. The majority of the menu is a collaboration. It's definitely different. Everybody makes us better as a whole, we all wanna be here, nobody's stuck."

Click here for our full Behind The Line slideshow from Michy's.

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