Paradigm Kitchen Opens in Sunset Harbour

Jugofresh founder Matthew Sherman recently opened Sunset Harbour’s Paradigm Kitchen (1834 Bay Rd., Miami Beach), a new healthy restaurant concept serving “clean soul food.”

“So the saying is 'Shift happens at Paradigm,' Sherman says. "I wanted to build a bridge between our broken food system and a more sustainable way of eating for mind, body, spirit and planet.”

He learned at Jugofresh that people and product are the most important tools for success. “High-quality people serving high-quality product is a recipe for making people happy, and we just want to make people happy.”

Sherman, a healthful-food devotee, knows firsthand what it's like to become healthy through diet. Miami’s favorite juice founder once weighed 360 pounds. According to Sherman, eating better was "do or die.”
As with Jugofresh, the Paradigm staff’s philosophy reflects the brand’s ideology in every aspect. During the recent friends-and-family opening, everyone from the cashier to the baristas displayed passion and eagerness — something Miami doesn’t see often in the service industry. Sherman's intention is to train employees so well that they can apply that knowledge to other jobs, but at the same time treat them so well they want to stay forever. He admits, “We have fallen short of this in the past, but we are improving, and it’s supremely important.”

Paradigm patrons won't find the same selection that Jugofresh carries, but the eatery offers a small line of cold-pressed juices. Currently, the eatery is open for breakfast and lunch, serving Paleo, vegan, and gluten-free fare that leaves guests feeling good after they dine.

In addition to creating food for the soul and body, Paradigm Kitchen wants guests to “always choose love” — the restaurant's tag line, displayed in lighted script above the open kitchen. Director of operations Nicholas Scarnati says, "It's the only way. We are building bridges between people and nutrient-dense food. Food that is sustainable for our bodies and for the earth. If we always choose love, we'll be successful in reaching these goals."During breakfast, find dishes such as the missionary pancake position ($15.50), topped with blueberry and pineapple compotes, whipped coconut-cashew butter, maple syrup, and bananas. For something savory, try the miso fierce ($13), featuring a Japanese low-temperature-cooked egg, medicinal miso bone broth, brown rice, warm market greens, and black sesame seeds. The bone broth is made in-house from grain-fed and free-range chickens from Jacksonville. It’s also spiked with a probiotic and digestive support aid. As a side order, the Paleo hash ($8.50) is made with cauliflower, homemade chicken sausage, smoked paprika ghee, onions, and peppers.
Lunch bowls include poke options and wraps influenced by the Indian-style pancake dosa. Paradigm Kitchen uses fermented legumes as the base, and they are full of protein, highly digestible, and gluten-free. Sherman says, “They are hard to make perfect, so hopefully our guests understand that they will never be the same two days in a row, but hopefully they always taste great and digest easy.” The "trippy Cali" dosa ($17) is filled with hemp aioli pulled chicken, dill beets, greens, roasted carrots, sprouted legume salad, and shiitake "bacon." 
Breakfast and lunch aren't complete without the "stoner’s delight" ($5). A piece of banana-and-sweet-potato bread is smeared with almond butter, vegan chocolate sauce, caramelized banana, and granola (gluten-free and vegan). As far as drinks go, there isn’t wine or beer, but coffee and tea mocktails are just as good. The "togarashi can’t stop me" ($6.50) combines espresso, house-made togarashi syrup, and chocolate milk.

In the next two months, Paradigm Kitchen will announce weekend brunch and omakase themes. The restaurant is currently open Monday through Friday from 7 to 11:15 a.m. for breakfast and from noon to 3 p.m. for lunch; for now, it's closed Saturday and Sunday.