Le Bistro – Chef Andy and Elin Trousdale
Zagat Rated as one of the ‘Top 10 French Restaurants in South Florida – Andy and Elin Trousdale’s Le Bistro in Lighthouse Point, Florida is as much a dining destination as a culinary adventure. The couples menu items that are visually irresistible and an enriched symbiosis of British, French , Health and Farm to Table Culinary traditions.
Having survived Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, it was he that commented “The food is stunning at Andy Trousdale’s”. Likened to the reincarnation of the ‘soup nazi’ otherwise known as the ‘tyrant in the kitchen’, Ramsay’s accolade weighs in on the far side of spectacular as well as well deserved. Kudos are also in order from John Tanasychuk, lauded food and restaurant critic for the Sun Sentinel who claims that “Elin and Andy Trousdale first caught his attention in ’09 as the reigning and current Garlic Chef Champion” and has returned again and again ever sense.
The Front Porch – Chef Todd Webster
On December 8, the piece de resistance will be presented at the Porch on Ocean Drive (Z Hotel) by Le Cordon Bleu trained Todd Webster who likens himself to be ‘just a cook‘ who could not live without the colors , textures and flavours of home comfort and fellowship. Dawn and Michael maintain an easy sophisticated vibe, Stuart is the in-house pastry Don whose squash blossom muffins and basil panna cotta sourced from Rock Garden Herbs are nothing short of erotic. With home made pickles curing in a vat of brine , Webster is making ready for the next PIG a revolving take on a community roast accompanied by a different rum or liquor. Third Thursday of every month, here is a chef with a perpetual grin while his ideas are grounded in traditions that are changing the way we eat.
A Florida native, Chef Todd brings more than a decade of experience and passion for food to his role as the Executive Chef at The Front Porch Café. He was trained in classical French cuisine at Le Cordon Bleu in Miramar, Florida where he obtained an Associate’s Degree in Culinary Arts. While attending school, he worked full time at Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink in the Miami Design District. A few years later while he was a Sous Chef under Chef de Cuisine Bradley Herron, he decided to return to Le Cordon Bleu to earn his Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality Management.
TRG Restaurant – Chef Gerdy Rodriguez
Chef Gerdy Rodriguez, the acclaimed chef who took the South Florida culinary scene by storm and currently the man behind TRG restaurant consulting and management firm, is constantly looking to push the boundaries of your culinary experience. While his exploits in the kitchen are well documented, his most recent venture TRG is shaping up to be his masterpiece. TRG combines Rodriguez’s passion, culinary training, and experience as an innovative chef into a potent tool for restaurateurs looking to bring their establishment to the next level.
La Gloutonnerie Vintage Kitchen – Chef Christian Testa
Christian Testa has brought to the recently opened three story La Gloutonnerie a Cannes outdoor market sensibility so authentic that one could easily mistake South Beach as a shoreline along the Cote Azur. Upon entering the exterior garden, where the first annual Art Basil event will premiere in 2012 one knows instinctively that something very special is happening here.
With black and white photos ala Hurrell, crustaceans from Maine Lobster Live twitching on beds of cracked ice, stone crabs begging to be cracked , drawn and quartered and the hand crafted salumi waiting for a juicy slab of summer melon and squinch of Florida lime these are classics reinvented.
Izmir Delights – Chef Deniz
Since attending L’Academie de Cuisine a decade ago, Chef Deniz eponymous reach has lit up eateries from the Mediterranean to Manhattan. Foodies and the famished with a craving for baked eggplants with lemon thyme, or anything with pine nuts to pomegranates have embraced Deniz’s mastery in the kitchen.
The sole Turkish female chef in the Big Apple she swam upstream to establish Izmir Delights; a catering company that elevated her fame as “the New York pizza master”. The press took note and glowing reviews began to appear in the Times Record News, The Wichitan, and Turkish publications Gazete and Yenigun. Her mastery in the kitchen has been evidenced at Sofia Wine Bar, New York Pizza Suprema.
