Michelle Bernstein

As a young, professional ballerina, Michelle Bernstein considered food the enemy. But the enemy won: as a young student attending Georgia's Emory University, she retired her toe shoes and enrolled in a nutrition course to feed her fascination with the "science of food," how to eat and live healthfully. After receiving an undergraduate degree in nutrition, Bernstein's mother encouraged her to take a cooking class at the nearby Miami campus of Johnson & Wales University. On a whim, she enrolled in her first class and ballet became a distant memory.
Chef Bernstein's unique background as a Jewish-Latino woman informs her cooking - she feels that the combination of both cultures has imbued her with a deep passion for food and the art of its preparation.
"The food I love and love to create is simple, yet satisfying and healthy," says Bernstein. "Pure, clean flavors inflected with traditional Mediterranean accents."
The Miami native's signature approach to "new American" cuisine may be sampled at her namesake restaurant MB, located in Cancun and in November 2005 at Michy's, a Mediterranean-style eatery serving neighborhood fare in the new mid town district of South Florida. This fall, Bernstein will embark upon her first partnership with acclaimed restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow to open Social Hollywood in Los Angeles and Social Sagamore in South Beach. Appropriately enough for a town built on showbiz, Social Hollywood will incorporate elements of theater with touches such as tableside presentations that create an engaging interactive experience for guests. Ballet may be a thing of the past for Bernstein, but the collaboration between she and Chodorow promises to be a graceful pas de deux.
After graduating from Johnson & Wales University, Bernstein's talent was quickly recognized when she began working with several award-winning restaurants including Red Fish Grill, the Strand and Tantra in Miami Beach. She also trained with renowned chef Jean Louis Palladin, in Washington D.C., and sharpened her culinary skills at Alison on Dominick and Le Bernardin in New York.
Bernstein then went on to receive significant critical acclaim as the chef at Azul in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Miami where she became a powerful force in the city's burgeoning culinary movement. For two years, Bernstein co-hosted The Food Network's "Melting Pot," a show that presented the traditions, stories and recipes of her Latin background. She was also a competitor on the Food Network's "Iron Chef America" series beating out Bobby Flay.
Recently, Chef Bernstein appeared on "The Today Show" preparing her signature dishes alongside Al Roker. She has been featured in The New York Times, Bon Appeti for one of the 50 best dishes in the world, Elle, Redbook, Gourmet and Food & Wine for one of the best hotel restaurants in the country. In 2004, Chef Bernstein was nominated by The James Beard Foundation - the nation's premier honors for culinary professionals - in the coveted "Best Chefs in America: Southeast Region" category. Chef Bernstein was recently given a Doctorate in Culinary Arts from Johnson and Wales University; she was given the Philanthropic award of South Florida and the Glass Ceiling Award from the Jewish Federation.