Food & Drink

Food and cooking equal comfort for Paul Youngstrand, chef at NYY Steak at Seminole Casino Coconut Creek. As a youngster growing up in Plymouth, Minnesota, 15 miles west of Minneapolis, he would escape to the kitchen during large family gatherings. “We didn’t go out and eat at restaurants very often, so there was always activity

Where: 2460 E. Commercial Blvd., Fort Lauderdale Phone: 754.332.2125 Website: gatsbysjoints.com When she first started her apparel business in and around Chicago (her franchised stores include Once Upon a Child and Plato’s Closet), Elaine Krieger used Krispy Kreme doughnuts as a lure when sweet-talking prospective customers. As proprietor of Gatsby’s Joint, Krieger (who still has

The 18th annual South Beach Wine & Food Festival, which ranks as one of the largest food events in the nation, returns to Miami this month. From Feb. 20 to 24, you’ll find a schedule complete with more than 100 events in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Some of the events on this year’s

When you hang your salt-rimmed glass on the kind of craft margaritas that El Camino creates, only the freshest ingredients make the cut. So, it should have come as no surprise to customers at the restaurant’s Delray Beach outpost a few years ago when the watermelon-jalapeño margarita quietly rotated off the menu for a brief

Luisa Castillo jokes that she sometimes wears heels to seem older than she is. It’s hard for some people to believe the 24-year-old owns Belove Creamery in Coconut Creek. But it’s actually not the first time she’s taken a walk on the sweet side and launched a business. In her native Colombia, she worked at

There’s a lot more to a Miami burger these days than a meat patty with a slice of cheese on a sesame bun. It might be layered with sizzling strips of candied bacon, topped with heaps of macaroni and cheese, or hugged between two crisp, golden plantains. Today, South Florida restaurants and fast-casual spots are

Where: 1401 S. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale Phone: 954.990.6658 Website: barritaftl.com A year after launching Fort Lauderdale-based Tap 42 in 2013, the ownership group—including executive chef Andrew Balick—acquired the land next door and filed permits for a proposed Mexican restaurant. But the plans for what ultimately would become Bar Rita went to the back burner

From early each morning until just before midnight, Homa and Ali Khakpour serve the cuisine and culture of their homeland inside a Pinecrest storefront. Together with their son, Reza, the family owns Rumi Persian Grill in Pinecrest, a popular neighborhood spot for traditional Persian food. Named in honor of the 13th century Persian poet and

When Dustin Durrenberger entered the restaurant industry as a busboy, he had no idea that he would one day be a regional manager for a successful restaurant chain, helping to open six of its eight locations. While working as a bartender in Westmont, Illinois, he met Craig Bernstein, who became the owner and founder of

Nitin “Nico” Solanki was researching businesses one day and came across Nekter Juice Bar. It was listed as one of Inc. magazine’s 10 fastest-growing franchise businesses of 2016. The West Palm Beach resident says it was then that he got serious about owning a franchise, and Nekter was it. He opened his first in May

As part of this season’s holiday festivities at the Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale, pastry chef Carlos Salazar and his team are preparing a gingerbread house for the hotel lobby that’s destined to become a social media sensation. Given the philosophy that’s guided his culinary career, it’s no surprise that Salazar is looking forward to erecting the

Inside The Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove, a vintage-inspired cocktail bar slings Manhattans, Negronis and elevated snacks. The dimly lit space, featuring floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, plush leather couches and a fireplace, feels more like a quintessential study room than one of Miami’s newest watering holes. But that’s the point. Located in one of Miami’s oldest neighborhoods, The Commodore