Three of the Best Chefs in America Are Hosting a Dinner in Miami at SOBEWFF

On January 24, she became a 2024 James Beard Awards semifinalist in the prestigious category of Best Chef South — for the third year in a row (She received nominations for Best Chef South in 2022 and 2023.)

Last year, her Peruvian restaurant in Miami, Maty's, was named one of the best restaurants in America by not one but two major national publications (less than six months after opening!): New York Times and Bon Appétit (just to name a few). The list of accolades goes on.

Who is she? She is none other than award-winning chef Valerie Chang, and come this February, you'll be able to have a meal cooked by her and two other incredible female chefs at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival (SOBEWFF) dinner hosted at Maty's in Midtown Miami. 

On Saturday, February 24, Chang will join renowned chefs Isabel "Chabela" Coss of Lutèce in Washington, D.C., and Ana Castro of Acamaya and the former Lengua Madre in New Orleans for the intimate seated dinner. The menu will feature dishes that use seasonal ingredients inspired by each chef's heritage, as well as, of course, their culinary expertise.

Coss and Castro aren't new to collecting culinary accolades, either.
Coss, who was named one of Food and Wine's Best New Chefs of 2023, is a pastry chef (or as she likes to call it, "postre chef" in honor of her Mexican heritage). Her career began in Mexico City until she moved to New York to work at Cosme by Enrique Olvera — and the rest is history. She then joined her husband, fellow chef Matt Conroy, at Lutèce in D.C. and launched the restaurant's acclaimed pastry program.

Castro opened the critically acclaimed Lengua Madre in 2021, just a few years after her first nomination from the James Beard Award Foundation. In 2018, she was named a finalist for the Rising Star Chef of the Year award for her work as sous chef at Coquette (among many other accolades). She was also honored as one of Food and Wine's Best New Chefs of 2022.

"I'm so excited to be collaborating with them," Chang tells New Times. "They're so outstanding in their own crafts and in their own kitchens. It's so important to bring Miami the talent from other cities so that people who might not have the opportunity to travel and experience their dishes get the chance to do so."

Yes, all three chefs have received the Food and Wine Best New Chef award. These women are truly spectacular — and they'll be joining Chang for this once-in-a-lifetime collaboration dinner celebrating female chefs in an industry that is usually dominated by men.

"I've been fans of them for a while, and yes, the three of us have all gotten that award," Chang says with pride. "We're three very proud Latinas, and we're very excited to bring something different to the festival."
Chang's culinary genius and innovation in Peruvian cuisine are sure to take your taste buds on an incredible journey.

She quickly garnered praise as one of the city's top young chefs for her work with her brother, Nando Chang, when they opened Itamae in Miami's Design District. In 2021, Itamae made the New York Times Restaurant List, and in 2022, the restaurant was honored with a Michelin Bib Gourmand on the guide's inaugural Miami list.

The siblings were the first to be named together in Food & Wine's coveted Best New Chefs Class of 2023.

Itamae has since closed, and her primary focus is on Maty's, which was named after her grandmother. Here, the menu is a modern take on comida criolla, the traditional Peruvian food of Chang's upbringing. New Times spoke to Chang to get her insight on what guests can expect at the highly anticipated SOBEWFF dinner.

"We have a lot of Nikkei influences from my brother, who oversees the menu at Maty's with me," Chang tells New Times. More so, you can expect us to use a lot of seasonal dishes, and you can expect us to do our take on traditional dishes from Peru."
As a testament to the culinary talents of these three award-winning Latina chefs, get ready for a dinner experience unlike any other.

Dishes at the exclusive dinner include Bangs Island mussels made a la pastor with charred pineapple guajillo. By Chang, expect arroz crocante, crispy rice with local fish tartar, and seasonal leche de tigre ceviche.

Plus, she's especially excited to create her squash blossom tempura and koginut and kabocha squash dish with pistachios.

"I can't wait to make the whole fish with aji amarillo beurre blanc," she says. "But I'm most excited for the squash blossoms that we're bringing from French Farms, and we're bringing in some pumpkins from New York."

The menu also features Castro's ayocote tlacoyos with radish and caviar and Coss' black garlic fideos with huitlacoche and wild mushrooms.

SOBEWFF 2024: Dinner Hosted by Valerie Chang, Chabela Coss, and Ana Castro. 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, February 24, at Maty's, 3255 NE First Ave., Miami; matysmiami.com. Tickets cost $300 via sobewff.com.