Thursday, March 19th
Chef Elgin Woodman

Chef de Cuisine
A Joy Wallace

Born in Lima Peru, Elgin Woodman began her cooking career in her home’s kitchen at the age of 12. As television viewing was not encouraged in her household, she slyly offered to sort beans and rice with her housekeeper, sneaking in an hour or two of her favorite Spanish Soap Operas. Her novella watching lent its way to the occasional sampling of cooking shows, which had her seated in the right place to begin experimenting with recipes.

After high school, Elgin had the opportunity to extensively travel the world with her family. Each stop contributed another flavor to her already developing palette. Her new found passion for travel combined with her love of food, logically guided her career path to the Hospitality Industry. Enrolled at Florida International University, she received her Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management in 1993.

During this time she completed an internship with a large hotel chain in Brazil. It was her days training in the kitchen, where she felt most at home. The hustle and bustle of the Chefs during dinner service was both exciting and attractive to her. She was only washing and chopping vegetables at this point, but that was more than enough exercise to feed her desire to learn more. This experience returned her to Miami to acquire a second degree in Culinary Arts at Johnson and Wales University.

It was in 1997 that Chef Elgin set up her home at A Joy Wallace. Off premise catering seemed to have everything she was looking for in a career. At last, she had found her niche. In her beginnings with AJWCP, a party for two hundred was a great challenge. Now after 11 years, producing a seated gala for a thousand is performed with precision and ease. Reflecting upon her childhood memories of watching the stars while she cooked, today she is actually preparing meals for them.

Recently, Elgin was a featured chef in a new cookbook called “Inside the Recipe Box of the Catering Chef”. She was chosen by the International Caterer’s Association to be one of the eleven top catering chefs in the country. Her seventeen page spread includes excerpts from an interview, multiple food photos and ten of her favorite and cutting edge recipes.

Chef Elgin’s culinary expertise has also led to another great honor. She was named as one of three finalists for the International Caterer’s Association’s Chef of the Year 2008.

Friday, March 20th
Chef Edgar Leal

Executive Chef
Cacao Restaurant
Finalist for the Prestigious James Beard Award

How do you culminate 20 years of experience that include early seasoning at New York’s Culinary Institute of America, earning an A.O.S and internships with Daniel Boulud in New York City and Ferran Adria in “El Bulli” in Barcelona, Spain?

You begin your dream.

Edgar Leal is an accomplished and impassioned chef who has filtered a global experience to create one of South Florida’s most critically acclaimed restaurants.

A creative and cultured free spirit, Chef Leal crafted his own destiny at the age of seventeen, when he decided to take his place in life as a chef; and to make a name for himself in doing so.

Chef Leal began as an apprentice cook under the guidance of Chef Marc Provost, at Gazebo Restaurant in his native Caracas, Venezuela. After two years of impressive growth and an outstanding and conscientious work ethic, Leal had the opportunity to work under Chef Pierre Blanchard at Deuxième ètage Restaurants, in Caracas.

Following six years of disciplined application and highly detailed execution of his responsibilities, the industrious Chef Leal accepted an opportunity to work at Casa Carmona Restaurant in Seville under the hand of Chef Iñaqui Izaguirre, winner of the National Award of gastronomy in Spain.

Two years of Spain and the environs of Europe, where he was able to reach into a variety of cultures including France and Monaco, gave Chef Leal a new depth and just enough restlessness to return home to forge a fresh path. He became the Executive Chef at ARA Restaurant Group, including ARA, the Nouveau Grill and the Hotel Lido. With Chile as his next destination; Chef Leal served as Guest Chef in the Marriot Hotel, Santiago de Chile, where he participated in a festival by changing the entire menu for a week. He was then invited to return to Europe by “Le Café de Paris” Monte Carlo, Monaco, to work his culinary prowess for their gastronomical weeks.

Food has been a gateway to the world for Chef Leal, a pathway through many countries and cultures. As he continues to perfect his craft, he has come to be noticed as the Ambassador of Latin American Cuisine in the world. The seventeen year old with a constant and tremendous talent has blossomed into an urbane young man of impeccable taste, unquestionable talent and accomplishment. His vision remains fresh, because he continues to raise his standard.

The dream? Cacao Restaurant.

Chef Leal opened Cacao in Coral Gables in October 2002, with his wife Mariana Montero De Castro, Chef de Cuisine and Patissier of the restaurant.

Cacao Restaurant was named Best New Restaurant by Food & Wine, Florida Trend Magazine and The Miami Herald, and Coral Gables’ Most Accomplished Restaurant by Wine Spectator. Chef Leal has been featured by The New York Times, Time Magazine and has appeared on NBC’s Today Show. Chef Leal was named StarChefs Rising Star in 2004, along with Best Restaurant in Miami by Food & Wine. In 2007, Cacao was named one of America’s top 10 restaurants in Miami/South Florida by Zagat’s Restaurant Survey. Most recently, Wine Spectator Magazine recognized the restaurant with an “Award of Excellence” for their prized wine list.

In 2006, Chef Leal was commissioned by Antonio Ochoa-Piccardo, Architect and Owner of Tao Tie Yuan Restaurant in Beijing, China, to become Consultant Chef for the very first Fine Dining Latin Restaurant in China. This same year, Chef Leal was chosen to represent the Miami Region during the “Miami-Latin America Food Festival” at the Ciragan Palace Hotel Kempinski Istambul, Turkey, one of the finest luxury hotels worldwide. The renowned Intercontinental Hotel in Tokyo, Japan has also hosted Chef Leal’s creativity and majesty in the kitchen. That same year, Chef Leal had the honor of personally serving Princess Takamado of Japan, his fine culinary specialties during a “South American Gastronomic Festival” as part of an international cultural exchange event.

In 2007, Chef Leal was selected as a Distinguished Visiting Chef by Johnson & Wales University in Miami, FL. One of the nation’s most prestigious culinary arts institutions, Johnson & Wales’ Distinguished Chef Series was established in 1979 to honor outstanding culinarians and, at the same time, provide an expanded learning experience for culinary art students while raising scholarship funds for students in need of financial help. In addition, Chef Anthony Bourdain and Chef Edgar Leal held a management and leadership conference in Caracas, Venezuela, Chef Leal’s home town, in August 2007 to aspiring restaurant students.

In 2008, Cacao Restaurant was featured and named best Venezuelan restaurant in the Food & Drink section of The Wall Street Journal. Recently, Chef Leal was selected to co-host a cooking show for CASA Club TV, La Cocina de Edgar leal, which will air all over America, Spain and Portugal.

Many honors have been awarded to Chef Leal, but two of the closest to heart are the fact that he is the first Venezuelan to present a dinner at the James Beard Foundation House in New York City (December 2003/July 2005) as well as receiving a Special Appreciation Award by Easter Seals for his dedication in implementing culinary mentor programs designed to enhance the capabilities of young individuals with special needs. Edgar Leal: dreamer, traveler, an Ambassador; but most of all, a Chef.

Saturday, March 21st
Chef Irina Korneeva-Hogle

Executive Chef
Tantra Restaurant & Lounge

As a young girl in Moscow, Irina’s mother would send her to wait in the long food lines at the government market. Every day she had to accept the limited availability and varieties of meat, fresh produce and fruit. Even so, she and her mother loved to cook at home. By necessity she learned to cook creatively, locally and seasonally. For example, when beets were in season they would prepare her favorite dish - Russian borsch - containing 37 ingredients and employing her mother’s secret technique to keep the soup bright red until served.

Irina’s love of science and math rose to the forefront during her early studies. Her sport of choice was competitive chess. She now holds a degree in aeronautical engineering and became a chess master while still in college.

She married shortly after graduation, but she and her husband faced the collapse of the Russian economy in the 1990’s. As a lark, she entered a model search held in Milan and won the contest’s “Look of the Year” award. Modeling agency offers followed swiftly and she and her husband found themselves starting their lives anew in New York City.

The competition for modeling work in New York was fierce and the young couple struggled. Irina would walk by the bustling restaurants and imagine “ someday I will be inside dining, not just window shopping!” However, the pressures were overwhelming for the young married couple and they soon divorced.

Soon after, Irina was discovered by Roberto Cavalli and became one of his favorite models. Irina’s food dreams quickly became reality. A nightly whirlwind of countless dinners with designers, bookers and clients ensued. Everyday she refined her palate at New York’s finest dining establishments. Her love of food blossomed. She helped a friend during that time open a restaurant named “Two Rooms.”

On a trip to Miami in 1998, Irina met her current husband, Tim Hogle, owner of Tantra Restaurant. It was love at first sight. Irina moved to Miami, married, and began her career as a restaurateur. At Tantra she has hired, supervised, advised and worked side-by-side with the some of the top chefs in Miami, including Michelle Bernstein, Michael Schwartz, Michael Jacobs, Michael Bloise, Howie Kleinberg (of Top Chef fame) among others. Irina now holds the Executive Chef position at Tantra Restaurant with Jeffery Beauchamp as her Chef de Cuisine.

Sunday, March 22nd
Chef Nate Martin

Executive Chef
Andú Restaurant & Lounge

With the February 2008 opening of Andú Restaurant & Lounge in downtown Miami’s Brickell area, the bustling neighborhood has embraced an exciting new perch for fabulous food, innovative cocktails and sleek style. The owners, entrepreneurial brothers Antonio Viejo and Juan Pablo Viejo, tapped executive chef Nate Martin, to oversee the kitchen and execute the eclectic menu of Mediterranean cuisine with international influences.   

Chef Martin grew up outside of Dallas, Texas with a close-knit family. In typical Texas style, all family occasions were celebrated around good food.  The clean and simple flavors of fresh picked vegetables from grandma’s garden were paired with game they hunted on their land – and they spent the entire day preparing a meal and the rest of the evening enjoying it.  A love of art and a passion for food landed Martin in New York City where he was exposed to some of the country’s best cuisine and dreamt of becoming a chef.  In pursuit of his dream, Martin has worked under the tutelage of some of the nation’s top chefs including Dean Fearing of The Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas, Alex Chen, of Rosewood Caribbean Resorts and renowned Executive Pastry Chef Gianni Santin, among others.  The talented young chef then landed at Pearl and Nikki Beach where he was executive chef Jason McClain’s sous chef for three years before following him to 8½ in The Clinton Hotel where he served as chef de cuisine.  Finally at the helm of Andú’s kitchen as an executive chef, Martin looks forward to applying the passion, knowledge and skill he has gleaned over the years.  

The approachable and tantalizing menu at Andú cleverly encompasses a plethora of delights, from a light nosh at the bar, to a hearty, multi-course meal in the dining room.  Enticing the most discerning of palates at price points that don’t offend the wallet, must- tries include sun dried tomato tapenade, a spiced lamb gyro, shellfish escabeche, Rioja steamed black mussels, glazed cedar plank baked salmon and succulent grilled Maine lobster. The sure to be a smash hit, lobster mashed potatoes, with a creamy texture and chunks of tender lobster, are not to be missed. 

Andú, located at 141 SW 7th street in Miami, Florida, is open for lunch Tuesday – Friday, 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. and dinner Tuesday – Wednesday, 5 p.m. – 11 p.m., Thursday – Saturday, 5 p.m. – 12 a.m. while the bar remains open until 5 a.m. Andú is closed Monday. Reservations suggested (786) 871-7005. Valet and municipal parking available.