This Miami chef took home a James Beard Award last night, just a year after his sister won
If you needed extra proof that culinary bonafides run in the Chang family, last night you got it. At the 35th annual James Beard Foundation awards—which were held on Monday, June 16 at the Lyric Opera in Chicago—Nando Chang of Itamae AO took home the coveted medal in the Best Chef: South category, following closely in the footsteps of his sister Valerie, who won the exact same award a year earlier for her own acclaimed kitchen work over at Maty's.
The Chang siblings, as well as their father Fernando, opened the first iteration of Itamae in 2018, when it was a mere food counter at the then-St. Roch Market (now known as MIA Market) in the Design District. The original counter—which served Nikkei cuisine, a delicious fusion of Peruvian and Japanese food—eventually grew into a standalone restaurant across the Palm Court, before it closed in 2023 so both Nando and Valerie could work on their own solo concepts.
For Valerie, that was Maty's, a Peruvian charmer named for their grandmother and for Nando, Itamae AO, a 10-seat omakase counter directly connected to its sister restaurant (literally) that turns out a beautiful and beguiling tasting menu of Japanese-Peruvian bites. Nando's refined reimaginings earned the Miami restaurant its first-ever Michelin star earlier this year, so the James Beard sparkler is simply another glorious garnish on top of one tasty year.
Itamae AO was one of two Miami-based finalists among this year's James Beard nominees, with ViceVersa—the aperitivo bar off the lobby of the Elser Hotel in downtown Miami—being recognized in the Best New Bar category. Alas, that local haunt was ultimately beat out by Identidad Cocktail Bar in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Prior to Valerie Chang's 2024 victory in the Best Chef: South category, and her bro's subsequent win a year after, a Miami-based chef hadn't taken home a James Beard Award since all the way back in 2010.
Along with the Miami nods, Florida also saw two other finalists this year: Sue Chin and Jason Chin of Orlando's Good Salt Restaurant Group (Seito Sushi, Reyes Mezcaleria, The Osprey, and others) in the Outstanding Restaurateur category, and Winter Park's Ômo by Jônt in the Best New Restaurant category. Congrats to all of our Florida winners and finalists!
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Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A "LOST" scene from a classic episode of Only Fools & Horses has emerged 29 years later. It was written into the script of the "Heroes & Villains" episode of 1996 but never made it into the final cut. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 7 The lost scene never made the final cut of the episode Credit: BBC Press Handout 7 It has been signed by several cast members and could fetch as much as £3,000 Credit: BNPS The Christmas special is better known for Del and Rodney dressing up as Batman and Robin to inadvertently thwart a mugging. But there was also an extended scene involving Del later chasing down a mugger and knocking him unconscious with his suitcase full of hooky gear. In the cut scene, it is scripted that a policeman then arrives and Del tells him "It's alright officer, I caught him, he's over there!" But the policeman then walks over to the two men and arrests Rodney instead of the mugger. Read more in TV Dyer Need Emotional Danny Dyer reveals moment he thought he'd DIE from drink & drugs The missing scene has emerged in a working script that belonged to the late Roger Lloyd Pack who played Trigger. The 155 page script is coming up for sale at Bristol-based Auctioneum. Auctioneer Andy Stowe described it as "comedy history, in black and white." Mr Stowe, a self-confessed Only Fools & Horses fan, said he started finding lines that he didn't recognise while reading through the script. Another scene written into the script that also never made it into the episode involves Del and Rodney rushing out of their flat just as a consignment of dodgy alarm clocks go off. They go to Del's Capri Ghia to find the group of muggers loitering around it but they are scared off as Del and Rodney arrive to the noise of the alarms going off in the background. Only Fools and Horses & Miami Vice star dies aged 78 after long illness Mr Stowe said the muggers - one of whom was played by the actress Sheree Murphy - appeared to have a whole story arc that got cut out. The script has been signed by other members of the cast including David Jason, who played Del Boy, and the late John Challis, who played snobby secondhand car dealer Boycie. It is estimated to sell for between £2,000 and £3,000. Lloyd Pack marked his lines with black ink. 7 The script is due to be sold at auction Credit: Getty Images - Getty 7 The lost lines were part of one of the show's Christmas specials Credit: BBC 7 Auctioneer Andy Stowe described the script as "comedy history, in black and white." Credit: BNPS Mr Stowe said: "As a fan of the show myself, I was flicking through the script and began to read lines of dialogue that I didn't recognise. "As I carried on reading, I realised that these were scenes and lines that had been cut from the episode. Some of them are very funny. "One particular partial scene that has been discovered surrounds the end of the chase between Rodney and a mugger. "In the broadcast episode, Del Boy ends the chase by producing his suitcase from around a corner, knocking mugger unconscious. "But, in the newly discovered script, this scene continues further. After the mugger is knocked down, a policeman arrives and Del says 'It's alright officer, I caught him, he's over there!' 7 Only Fools and Horses aired for 22 years, from 1981 to 2003. Credit: BBC 7 The script belonged to the late Roger Lloyd Pack Credit: Getty "The policeman walks over to the two men and arrests Rodney instead of the mugger. "There are several scenes cut from the episode that focus on the plot of the muggers. "There was considerable work by the writer, John Sullivan, to establish the threat of them throughout the episode but most of these early scenes were cut from the final show. "To have Roger's actual script, with his lines marked within it, is really something special. "This is comedy history, in black and white on the page." The vendor is a private collector who acquired the script from the Only Fools & Horses Society. The 1996 Christmas special was watched by a record 21 million people. The auctioneers say it as "comedy history in black and white on a page." The sale takes place on June 30.
