Street Somm Spotlights Miami Restaurants, Chefs, and Influencers

The “wolf of wine” – a Bronx-bred, New York-based wine connoisseur known for bridging the worlds of wine and hip hop – has officially made his way to Miami.

This week, the New York City-based podcaster and blogger Jermaine Stone, also the voice behind the Original Wine & Hip Hop podcast and founder of Wine & Hip Hop Festival, ended the first season of his televised travel series Street Somm in the Magic City. The episode aired on Monday, October 30, on the Tastemade streaming channel.

When it comes to the show, Stone tells New Times it’s about exploring a city’s food scene – and pairing it with a few of his favorite wines.

“You get to meet all these different characters. There’s a foodie tour guide in each city. Then, of course, there’s all the wine,” says Stone of each 20-minute episode. “It’s been really fun to see how the season has progressed and how I’ve evolved, too.”

Prior to the Miami show, Stone toured his hometown of New York City, followed by stops in Savannah, San Francisco, Chicago, and Houston.

For the Miami episode, Stone tapped local food influencer and chef Grace Ramirez to help him explore the city. With Ramirez shedding local light, Stone visited the Salty, 1-800-Lucky food hall in Wynwood, and Nossa Omakase in Miami Beach.

The episode ended with a fresh catch of the day prepared by Chef Calvin, oft considered one of the area’s top personal chefs and Southern cuisine champions.

“People come to Miami to have fun,” says Stone. “All of the restaurants definitely have that element that makes you feel as though you are coming here for something special. And, after experiencing it all, there are few better places than Miami. It’s a happening place.”

On the wine front, Stone paired the Miami morsels he encountered with unpretentious wines, including a unique white wine made from red grapes – the Prisoner Wine Co.’s Blindfold blanc de noir – and a low-ABV sauvignon blanc from Kim Crawford.

As expected, Stone encountered some classic Florida characters along the way.

“Miami was funny. I really got to know the city through talking to people about wine,” he shares. “I dared a guy to button his shirt all the way down to his belly button, and he did it right on the spot. And Sebastian [from Nossa Omakase] is such a hilarious guy – walking into a poke bar, getting an envelope with a secret password, and then having to go through a secret door for dinner. That is an experience.”

Stone says the show has received positive feedback on its existing platform, and he’s excited to see where it goes next.

“The show is not like any other food and travel show,” sums up Stone. “There’s an evolution I go through, too, bringing together all these different cities and different stories. I can’t wait to see where we go next.”

Street Somm is currently available to stream on Tastemade.