Despite it all, he's not a household name — but he should be.
His training led him to oversee corporate food and beverage strategy projects to create and redefine pre-existing brand identities for MGM Resorts International, all of which only scratches the surface of his impressive résumé. His most recent endeavor was a move from Las Vegas to the Magic City, where he acts as the managing director and executive chef of food & beverage at Greystone Miami Beach, a Michelin Key-awarded hotel as of April 2024.
"I'm very fortunate that I got to see hospitality from every angle because I went from chef to entrepreneur," says Pinisetti. "Typically you always run as an operator, but with this hotel, I got to be part of a dream, a vision, and have reigns of this vision from day one. Then, the curveball came: COVID made us close down. However, fortunately, we reopened and can keep pushing the dream forward."
Deciding to take the best of everything he learned, Sérêvène by Pawan Pinisetti was born, his restaurant at the Greystone where French rotisserie traditions meet Japanese izakaya flare.
The dining area at Sérêvène by Pawan Pinisetti was designed to be subtle and elegant.
Hotel Greystone photo
Anyone who ventures into its OpenTable page will find the restaurant has a 4.9 rating with 415 reviews — nearly five stars.
"Everybody has a sense of whether a review is fake or real," explains Pinisetti. "Not that a review is the only thing that substantiates who we are, but it is so honest that it makes me feel happy; everything on there is so genuine that I'm proud of it. Everybody is singing the same song, saying, 'Of course, the food and beverage are phenomenal. But there's something that's so honest about the experience.' To me, that is the core of the hospitality we want to do.'"
These reviews are a testament to every meticulous detail that went into the creation of Sérêvène. He's also gone above simply providing excellent taste — he's making sure his food is sustainable, too.
"Sustainability is an overall philosophy practiced very thoroughly through our food element," he explains. "It's the understanding that every green leaf that is not perfectly green, we turn into chlorophyll, or every single broth here is made with the peels of the onions. But it goes beyond food, every single person in our kitchen is a student from a different part of the world whether it's South Africa, the Philippines, Argentina, or Peru. For them to be very different but then come here and learn to share the same sustainable vision is important to me."
Chef Pinisetti says these practices push students and himself to learn more and truly dig deep when creating recipes. This leads to endless ideas and a desire to change the menu constantly.
"I lose sleep over this kind of stuff, but this is the joy," says Pinisetti. "For example, our Ora King salmon tikka. The inspiration was the swimming motion of the fish. The radish is arranged like the scales of the fish and the skewers go in the angles of the dish. Everything is swimming."
The chef follows a "simplicity done right" philosophy, which translates to an extreme attention to detail that goes beyond the food.
"Nothing will be on a plate just because," he explains. "Every single thing has intent and purpose. From the flatware that goes on the table to the plate, to the number of dots on a plate, and even the cocktails. The '1,000 Blossom' has that name because it takes 1,000 blossoms to make a bottle of Saint Germain. The cocktail is in a stiletto type of glass because the lip is open, so you take in more air when you drink it, which exposes the nuance of the cocktail. We probably overthink everything, but to me, that's simplicity done right."
The current menu offers seasonal dishes that perfectly balance the opulence of French cuisine and the precision and discipline that comes with Japanese cuisine while adding worldly flavors inspired by his South Indian roots.
"With this menu, you get that perfect balance of stimulation and that tug on your heart from comforting flavors," says Pinisetti. "That's the beauty of Sérêvène, and that's why it's a true reflection of me. It's very human but very precise."
To make the restaurant appeal to a wider audience in Miami, he's now offering a $60 three-course tasting menu. Guests have about four choices for each of the three courses, including a popular beef tartare and some of his favorite dishes, such as the lobster uni Alfredo, which is a dish he has made for years.
"For me, it's always about keeping it honest with a lot of storytelling through my food," says Pinisetti. "We're hoping that we translate this to commercial success sooner than later. I hope that we are recognized for what we truly do. I think now time will tell, but if the restaurant is full it helps us fuel the dream further."
Sérêvène by Chef Pawan Pinisetti. 1920 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; 305-847-4000; serevenemiami.com. Thursday through Monday 6 to 11 p.m.
