She's possibly one of the busiest ladies in South Florida. Michelle Bernstein often leads the culinary pack and leaves her fellow chefs in the dust. This year, she closed her Design District restaurant Sra. Martinez and opened a Miami Beach outpost of her bakery/cafe Crumb on Parchment at the Webster.
"We had a tiny kitchen there," explains Bernstein when asked why she closed Sra. Martinez. "Only three people could fit in at one time. We had to rent a huge kitchen close by, but it just became impossible to keep going back and forth from one place to another. I loved the name of the place because finally people stopped calling my husband Mr. Bernstein and started calling him Mr. Martinez."
But nothing seems to slow Bernstein down. Recently, she welcomed a baby into her life, was named one of "The 25 Most Influential Women" by People en Español, helped launch the Miami chapter of the after-school program for underprivileged kids called Common Threads, gave numerous cooking demos, hosted her weekly dining TV program on PBS, started a catering company, won a few awards here and there, then high-kicked Martha Stewart in the jaw (she used to be a ballerina and still has a pretty high-kick) because she didn't like her pumpkin pie.
OK, maybe she didn't beat Martha up, but the rest of her accomplishments are true.
Her latest endeavor is the creation of Sensational Sunday Supper. Served family-style at Michy's restaurant in Miami's Upper Eastside, the new Sunday special prices are reminiscent of the yearly Spice menu served in August and September at reduced rates. At $38 per adult and $22 for the kids under 12 (beverages, tax and gratuity not included), it's not a bad deal considering Michy's usual restaurant prices. Many of the dishes for the special are inspired by meals that were served at Sra. Martinez. Each Sunday, the menu will change. Wines will be from $25 to $30 per bottle and by the glass from $6 to $8.
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