Miami's Itamae AO gets Michelin Star as guide's Florida offerings expand
Miami added to its haul of stars by the famed Michelin Guide last night, with recently opened Itamae AO joining the prestigious club.
Why it matters: Recognition by Michelin is seen as an international certification of excellence, putting restaurants and their cities on the worldwide culinary map.
What they're saying: Chang said he was "very thankful" for the honor of being one of the night's four newly starred restaurants — and delivered a message to match the political moment.
Asked what the award meant, he said, "It just means that people like my father, undocumented immigrants who came to this country over 30, 35 years ago, still have a future in this country."
Inside the room: The stars were doled out during a ceremony yesterday evening at the Four Seasons Resort Orlando.
Hundreds of people in cocktail attire attended, packing a ballroom that offered hors d'oeuvre worthy of an event celebrating the state's best chefs.
Zoom in: Stars weren't the only honors on offer. Jacqueline Pirolo of Miami's Macchialina was selected for Michelin's sommelier award.
The young chef award went to Juan Camilo Liscano of Palma.
And the green star award, which recognizes sustainability, went to Entrenos Miami's Even Burgess and Osmel Gonzalez and Stubborn Seed's Jeremy Ford.
Catch up quick: The guide expanded to Florida in 2022, becoming the fifth U.S. destination after New York, D.C., Chicago and California.
At the time, only restaurants in Tampa, Orlando and Miami were eligible — because for your city to make Michelin, you have to pay up.
Joining the guide this year are Pinellas County, Fort Lauderdale and the Palm Beaches.
How it works: Florida's tourism board and tourism agencies representing those cities spent nearly $1.5 million to bring Michelin to the Sunshine State.
That includes about $116,000 per year for three years from Visit Tampa Bay, per the Tampa Bay Times.
In February, Visit St. Pete-Clearwater signed a two-year contract to pay Michelin $90,000 a year for inclusion, Brian Lowack, the CEO of Pinellas' tourism agency, told Axios.
Discover the Palm Beaches and Visit Lauderdale told Axios they are each paying $90,000 per year.
Zoom out: Chef's Counter at MAASS in Fort Lauderdale got a star in the city's debut year, as did Konro for West Palm Beach.
Ômo by Jônt added to Orlando's star haul.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
14 minutes ago
- Axios
A defense-tech perfect storm brews in Europe
If there's any moment Europe should double down on its own defense, it's today. The big picture: European policymakers don't trust Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop at Ukraine, and they can no longer count on the U.S. to protect and arm its NATO allies indefinitely. There's suddenly a lot more money for defense, and a keen interest in accelerating domestic manufacturing. NATO boss Mark Rutte called for a 400% spending increase for air-and-missile defenses, arguing a "quantum leap" is necessary to remain relevant. Meanwhile, President Trump bangs the burden-sharing drum. Stateside defense-tech companies are looking to expand. Chatter of Europe's rearming could serve as a springboard. Driving the news: There is a distinct national-security twist to this year's Paris Air Show, among the highest-profile aerospace get-togethers in the world. Defense News reported that 45% of the show is dedicated to defense and security — a "strong increase" from the previous show in 2023. But there is little Pentagon presence. "We're hearing this directly from European countries: 'We don't know if we can rely on the United States to actually supply us weapons,'" Firestorm Labs CEO Dan Magy said in an interview. "So how they're solving that problem is they're desperately looking to onshore or near-shore — whatever you want to say — their manufacturing." Inside the room: Analysts and executives Axios chatted with see urgency, opportunity and nuance. "The issue for European countries is less about finding the money and resources for defense ... and more about how to spend the funds effectively and in ways that ensure European defense readiness, technological edge and sovereignty, and deterrence, while ensuring interoperability with allies and partners," Federico Borsari, an expert at theCenter for European Policy Analysis, told Axios. "As Europeans rethink and modernize the continent's entire defense ecosystem," he said, "it's essential to avoid following a marketing-centric and techno-fetishist approach." Trae Stephens, a partner at Founders Fund and the executive chairman at Anduril Industries, separately told Axios there are "tremendous opportunities in Europe." Anduril and Germany's Rheinmetall on Wednesday announced a partnership through which European variants of the Barracuda missile and Fury robo-wingman will be produced. Solid rocket motors are on the table, too. Stephens said he would "love to see" one of his company's Arsenal mega-factories "built in continental Europe." (Its first, Arsenal-1, will be erected in Columbus, Ohio.) Yes, but: All these good omens could unravel because of the most universal of challenges: workforce. Competition for top tech talent and skilled tradesmen haunts industries and militaries alike. "It is increasingly clear that Europe faces critical talent scarcity," Randstad CEO Sander van 't Noordende told Axios. (Randstad is among the world's largest recruitment-and-staffing businesses.) "Increased defense spending, while a strategic necessity, will be severely limited without a corresponding investment in human capital," he said. "The growing mismatch between defense investment and workforce readiness demands urgent action." Van 't Noordende in a piece for Fortune this month said Europe has more than 17 million "skilled professionals in adjacent industries" who could make the jump to defense with proper guidance. The bottom line: Increased resources for defense in Europe are a good thing, as "we're stronger together than we are separately," Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) told a small group of reporters at the air show. "It's been a priority of this administration in the United States, obviously, to increase European defense spending, and we're seeing a response to that." "If you combine the United States with Europe — whether it's on the economic front or the national security front — we are a lot more formidable," she added. "That's how we should be operating."
Axios
14 minutes ago
- Axios
Business Insider CEO details post-layoff strategy
Business Insider's recent layoffs and changes were "very difficult" but necessary to put the business back on track, CEO Barbara Peng said at an Axios event at Cannes on Wednesday. "We have a responsibility to build a sustainable business. If we can't support ourselves, we actually can't do all the good journalism that we want to and really reach that potential," she said. Why it matters: Publishers are reckoning with declining search traffic across the media industry and reinvesting as they prepare for potentially even greater disruption from AI. What they're saying:"We had to let go of a lot of really talented people, and that's hard for an organization, but the reason we made these changes was because of our strategy," Peng said. "About a year and a half ago, I took us back to being Business Insider after we were Insider for many years and focused us back in on our core and our strengths and what people love about us, which is business, tech and innovation journalism," she said. Catch up quick: BI laid off 21% of its staff last month as the organization goes "all-in on AI." In May, Peng said in a staff memo that BI has launched several AI-driven products, including onsite search and paywall technology. "This just in general is not new for Business Insider. We were born in the moment that the smartphone launched, and it was really a moment that we embraced. We were very curious. We found joy in it. We tried things. We were risk tolerant, and we're approaching this moment exactly the same," she told Axios on Wednesday. Zoom in: Peng said BI has pulled back on areas that were sensitive to search traffic like its SEO- and Google-driven commerce business and has invested in new experiments like an AI-generated audio briefing. "You can imagine that this really opens up other times in the day, other audiences that wouldn't have had access to us," Peng said. Peng said BI's revenue will be more heavily weighted to subscription and events. Its audio briefing isn't yet monetized. "One of the things you have to think about especially with innovation and trying things is you kind of have to give a little bit of space for the product to launch and to take hold," Peng said. "If we can engage an audience, if we can bring them value, we can monetize it afterwards."
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
German restaurants earn record number of Michelin stars
A record 341 German restaurants have received stars in the latest edition of the country's Michelin Guide. The 2025 booklet, published on Tuesday, includes one more German eatery than the previous year's 340. For the first time since 2008, two establishments in Germany received a prestigious third star - the Restaurant Haerlin in Hamburg and Munich's Thoru in der Schreiberei. Only 10 other restaurants across Germany already enjoy the distinction, including just one in Berlin. The Michelin Guide inspectors awarded 47 top German restaurants two stars - five of which are new - and 282 dining halls a single star, 30 of which are on the list for the first time. Criteria include the quality of the products, a personal touch, value for money and consistent quality over the long term. Kitchens that pay particular attention to environmentally conscious catering can be awarded a Green Star. In 2025, 80 restaurants (14 new) can look forward to this - three more than in the previous year. A total of 33 German kitchens had to give up one or more stars because they closed, developed a new concept or saw their quality deteriorate. The Michelin Guide was first developed in France more than 100 years ago, aimed at encouraging more motorists to travel and boost sales for the French tyre company. The first Michelin stars were awarded in Germany in 1966.
