Michaels Genuine

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At Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink, James Beard Award-winning chef/owner Michael Schwartz (48) shares his passion for where food comes from. Since Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink first opened in Miami’s Design District in 2007, with an outpost in Grand Cayman in 2010, diners have come to embrace and crave its refreshing combination of laid-back atmosphere and seriously good food, a neighborhood bistro that is the ultimate showcase for the type of cuisine that Schwartz does best – homemade and straightforward, with an emphasis on fresh, local ingredients.

Honored with the prestigious James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: South in 2010, Schwartz is recognized by his peers and the diners that flock to his restaurants for his commitment to community and responsible, seasonal food sourcing. According to the chef, the secret to good food is… good food. Menus change daily because they start with what’s in season and arriving on the doorstep from nearby farmers, fishermen, and ranchers. From there, it’s about letting the ingredients speak for themselves when they hit the table, from house-cured heritage meats and homemade seasonal fruit jams to wood-fired whole local fish and colorful salads.

Schwartz opened Harry’s Pizzeria, his third The Genuine Hospitality Group restaurant, in September 2011, bringing more fresh, simple, pure food and drink to Miami’s Design District in seasonally-inspired pizzas from a wood-burning oven and Florida beers on tap behind a new Maplewood counter. Recent projects include 150 Central Park by Chef Michael Schwartz on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, food and beverage operations at South Beach’s iconic Raleigh Hotel, The Cypress Room opening in Miami early 2013, and Michael’s Genuine Home Brew, an American ale brewed in Gadsden, Alabama with Florida sem-chi rice and sugarcane.

Outside of the restaurant, Schwartz focuses his time and influence supporting the arts and giving back through grass roots projects that nurture sustainable food systems in underprivileged parts of the community and its schools.

The chef participates in The White House’s Chefs Move to Schools initiative, as well as the Miami-Dade Public School system’s Chefs Partnership program – both efforts focused on improving cafeteria food with more nutritious, kid-friendly menu items. At Phillis Wheatley Elementary, he and the team at both Miami restaurants regularly visit to teach kids, parents, and cafeteria cooks where healthy, tasty food comes from and how easy it is to prepare meals from fresh ingredients from the school’s edible school garden.

The chef’s first cookbook, Michael’s Genuine Food: Down to Earth Cooking for People Who Love to Eat, published by Clarkson Potter, is now on sale as of February 15, 2011. Schwartz’s recipes and restaurants have been featured in national publications such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Food & Wine, and Travel + Leisure, and he is a sought-after television personality/culinary guest, having appeared nationally on a plethora of programs, including TODAY Show, CBS Early Show, MARTHA: The Martha Stewart Show, and as guest judge on Top Chef: Season 3.

Schwartz began his career in Philadelphia, and earned his culinary chops in kitchens from Los Angeles to New York City, until settling in Miami in the early 1990s. He currently resides in Miami Beach, FL with his wife Tamara and three children, Ella, Lulu, and Harry.

Chef/Owner Michael Schwartz