Top Chefs of Florida

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Chef Zach Bell prepares four-star, upscale French-American cuisine at Cafe Boulud in Palm Beach.

Photo Credit: Claudia Uribe

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Chef Jim Shirley of The Fish House, Atlas Oyster House and The Deck Bar in Pensacola

Photo Credit: Shelley Yates, The Great Southern Restaurant Group

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Grits a Ya Ya, a signature dish of Pensacola chef Jim Shirley

Photo Credit: Shelley Yates, The Great Southern Restaurant Group

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Erika Davis, Executive Pastry Chef of Ponte Vedra Inn & Club

Photo Credit: Bravo Media

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Norman Van Aken of Orlando's Norman's, a four-star restaurant

Photo Credit: Norman's of Orlando

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Lamb Carpaccio, a dish at Michael's Genuine Food and Drink in Miami

Photo Credit: Jackie Savet, Michael's Genuine Food & Drink

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Michael Schwartz, Michael's Genuine Food & Drink in Miami

Photo Credit: Jackie Savet, Michael's Genuine Food & Drink

Here’s a sample of top chefs from around the state, plus the places where you can enjoy their inventive and delicious culinary creations.

Northern Notables

Jim Shirley, of Pensacola’s The Fish House, Atlas Oyster House and The Deck Bar, has appeared on Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. His restaurants feature modern Southern cuisine. Shirley was one of just three Florida chefs chosen to prepare a dish for government officials at the Florida Seafood Celebration in Washington, D.C. Shirley prepared his signature dish, Grits à Ya Ya.

Erika Davis, a contestant on Bravo’s hit reality show Top Chef Just Desserts, is Executive Pastry Chef at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club, where you can indulge in her desserts and baked goods. Try her delectable version of the grilled cheese sandwich, which is actually a sinfully sweet dessert.

Central Florida Celebrity

Norman Van Aken, of Orlando’s Norman’s, a four-star restaurant offering New World Cuisine, has a list of accolades a mile long. He was inducted into the prestigious “James Beard Foundation Who’s Who in Food and Beverage in America,” was hailed as a “culinary genius” by Johnson and Wales University and is known internationally as the founding father of New World Cuisine. He was a guest judge on Bravo’s Top Chef 3: Miami.

South Florida Stars

In 2010, Michael Schwartz, of Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink in Miami, a vibrant bistro highlighting fresh, local ingredients, won the prestigious James Beard Foundation award for best chef in the southern United States. He has appeared on Throwdown with Bobby Flay and as a judge on Top Chef 3: Miami.

Zach Bell, of Palm Beach’s Café Boulud, a four-star, upscale French-American restaurant, is a four-time nominee for the James Beard Foundation award for best chef in the southern United States. He was named a finalist for this award in 2011. Bell has earned several honors, including Wine Spectator magazine’s Best Award of Excellence.

Florida Foodie Destinations

The Fish House, Atlas Oyster House and The Deck Bar, Pensacola:
goodgrits.com

Ponte Vedra Inn & Club:
904-285-1111,
pontevedra.com

Norman’s, Orlando:
407-393-4333,
normans.com

Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink, Miami:
305-573-5550,
michaelsgenuine.com

Café Boulud, Palm Beach:
561-655-6060,
danielnyc.com/cafebouludPB.html