Miami Chefs Give Free Cooking Demonstrations During Miami Spice

For Miami Spice, some of Miami’s top chefs are putting on cooking demonstrations around town durning the two-month program. Even better, the demos are free and open to the public. Chefs from at least a dozen of Miami’s best restaurants — including Michael Aguilar of Wynwood Kitchen & Bar, Jordan…

Cecconi’s Launches Cooking Class With Chef Sergio Sigala

Cecconi’s is launching a monthly series when executive chef Sergio Sigala will be instructing guests on the true nature of summertime cooking in Italy. For this first installment, Sigala is focusing on his favorite summer dishes, demo-ing a four course meal featuring simple ingredients with easy to follow directions. You’ll…

The Secret to Marinating Meat

The food universe is infinite, which makes learning about it a never-ending pursuit. For decades I’ve been marinating various meats, but it wasn’t until I caught a rerun of America’s Test Kitchen on the local PBS station that I gleaned the secret to getting a marinade to truly penetrate and add…

Farm Tropical Offers South Florida Fruits Nationwide

A selection of local mangoesFarm Tropical just launched its website last week, but forager Nick Bernal has been working with local South Florida farms for more than three years. He’s already supplied Whole Foods, community-supported agriculture programs, and great chefs like Kris Wessel of Red Light Little River and Timon…

Local Fruit: The Secret Ingredient For a Perfect Batido

I’ve had my share of batidos. Growing up in the Dominican Republic, my mother would always whip up thick shakes with produce from her favorite street-side fruit carts. She’d add the fruit, milk and ice to a blender and serve a simple, yet delicious, batido. The chilled drink would cool…

Ten Ways to Make the Most of Mango Season

Mango season is upon us, which means these sweet, succulent fruits will be falling from trees, rolling under cars and rotting on sidewalks throughout Miami. Every year, an abundance of this fleshy tropical fruit strikes our city, and locals with mango trees are overwhelmed.In an attempt to save Mother Nature’s…

Saturday: Nobu’s Thomas Baduel Teaches French Pastry Making

Tomorrow the Alliance Francaise Miami is organizing a ten-person cooking class with Nobu’s acclaimed pastry chef, Thomas Baduel and the in-house pastry chef at Alliance, Angela Garcia.The intimate course will walk you through the ins and outs of making macarons, fruit tarts, and chocolate tarts.The class ends with a tasting…

Best Fats for Baking Pies: Butter, Shortening & Coconut Oil Battle It Out

After inquiring about trans fats at supermarket and restaurant bakeries and receiving unsatisfactory response, I devised a blind fat taste test. I baked identical pies, with the same filling (fresh strawberries), but with different fats.I tested the following 100 percent artificial trans fat-free fats: cultured unsalted butter, palm oil shortening,…

The Upper Eastside Has an Outdoor Farmers’ Market Again

A few years ago, the Market Company organized an outdoor farmers’ market on Biscayne Boulevard at NE 65th Street. Located in the NET (Neighborhood Enhancement Team) parking area, adjacent to Legion Park, it quickly expanded and became a Saturday meeting place for hundreds of Upper Eastsiders looking for fresh produce,…

Local Food in Miami: Phonies, Freeloaders, and the Real Deal

Jeff McInnis grew up in a family of farmers. As the chef and partner at Yardbird Southern Table & Bar, he strongly advocates a farm-to-table ethic.”People should know where the food they are eating is coming from,” he says. “It’s the responsibility of all chefs to know as well, and…

Horacio Rivadero’s Tips on Cooking Like an Inspired Restaurant Chef

Sick and tired of those dull, home-cooked dinners of buttered pasta? Instead, try following the advice of Horacio Rivadero, executive chef of The Dining Room in South Beach. With his advice, you can develop an inspired recipe of your very own.Chef Rivadero believes that truly excellent dishes showcase fresh ingredients,…