Ask Michael Beltran about any topic, and he’ll have an opinion. The Little Havana born Cuban-American chef wears his Cubanness on his sleeve — literally, he has an arm sleeve of tattoos that includes art of a mamey and a Cuban coffee cafetera. 

He’s the owner of Ariete and Chug’s Diner in Coconut Grove, and studied under some of Miami best chefs, James Beard Award winners like Michael Schwartz and Norman Van Aken. And he’s a two-time Beard nominee, himself. 

Padmak Lakshmi, the host of Hulu’s Taste the Nation, picked him to be on a show about nochebuena last year and that episode is up for a Beard award too. He incorporates Miami flavors into exquisite fine dining. I call what he’s doing a sort of New Miami Cuisine. And that’s his thing: MIAMI AGAINST THE WORLD.

You can hear him go hard for Miami in his weekly industry podcast, Pan con Podcast.

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