These Miami chefs famous for Peruvian cuisine were just named among the best in the U.S.
Two of Miami’s favorite chefs have been named the best new chefs in America for 2023.
In its 35th annual restaurant issue, Food & Wine spotlights top chefs from around the country, and this year the honors include the brother-and-sister team of Nando and Val Chang from Miami, known for their Peruvian-Japanese restaurant Itamae.
Nando Chang, who spoke from New York where he and his sister had just arrived for the Food & Wine ceremony, said that being part of the Best Chefs list inspired a lot of emotion.
“I think we’re still processing all of this,” he said. “But it feels great. It’s the culmination of this journey of so many years. This morning I was thinking that we’re a little bit closer to any sort of finish line than I thought we were five years ago.”
The honor comes at a time of evolution for the Changs, who emigrated from Peru and in 2018 opened Itamae as a counter inside the then-St. Roch food hall in Miami’s Design District. In 2020, they opened a standalone Itamae just across the Palm Court. Then, last month, the original Itamae closed and has been replaced by the Changs’ fast-casual sushi spot B Side.
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The Itamae concept is far from dead, however. It will take on new life under Nando Chang as Itamae Ao, an elevated omakase experience. The plan is to open Itamae Ao later this year in Midtown next to Maty’s, the Peruvian restaurant operated by Val Chang.
Hunter Lewis, editor in chief of Food & Wine, said that the chefs honored this year represent “a profound shift in the industry.”
“They’re not only creating exceptional food and dining experiences for their diners but also cultivating nurturing environments for their teams. As a result, their restaurants are places of celebration, education, and joy.”
For Nando Chang, creating and maintaining the perfect team has always been a priority.
“This morning I thought about every single employee I’ve had,” he said. “It takes a tremendous amount of work from so many people. Val and I are the lucky representatives. And we know we share Miami with great chefs, with better chefs. There are great hospitality professionals all around.”
He is also grateful to mentors like Chef Niven Patel of Orno, Mamey and Ghee Kitchen, who was one of Food & Wine’s best new chefs in 2020 and whose support has bolstered Chang during hard times.
“I think of Niven and the way he’s gone about expanding his business, and I can’t even believe we’re mentioned on the same list,” Chang said. “I remember him telling me a couple of years ago, ‘It’s just a matter of time. You just have to keep working.’ ”
Food & Wine chooses its best new chefs over a course of several months. Nominations from food writers, New Chef alums, cookbook authors and other food experts are vetted and a pool of restaurants chosen. Then restaurant editor Khushbu Shah visits spots in cities all over the country. In 2023, she visited 23 cities including Miami.
“It became crystal clear as I ate my way through 23 cities around the country that the most interesting restaurants were not just the ones focused on cooking the most delicious food, but the ones with a larger mission in mind,” she writes in the restaurant issue, which hits stands Sept. 22. “There is no compromise on integrity. There is no compromise on leadership and that commitment — to vision, values, and ambition — carries over into the dining room.”
The other chefs highlighted in the issue are Amanda Shulman of Her Place Supper Club in Philadelphia; Edgar Rico of Nixta Taqueria in Austin; Aisha Ibrahim of Canlis in Seattle; Isabel Cross of Lutece in Washington, D.C.; Steven Pursley of Menya Rui in St. Louis; Hannah Ziskin of Quarter Sheets in Los Angeles; Ed Szymanski of Dame & Lord’s in New York City; EunjiLee of Lysée in New York City; Emmanuel Chavez of Tatemo in Houston.
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