ARTS&LIFE
CELEBRITY CHEFS

C

hef Michelle Bernstein mixes Miami 
heat, Latin spices and a Jewish vibe 
for flavorful recipes. Her personality 
is like her cooking — salty, spicy and, oh, so 
inviting. This James Beard Award and Iron 
Chef America winner is a chef, restau-
ranteur, caterer and television persona 
juggling multiple projects with her 
husband and business partner, 
David Martinez. Bernstein spoke 
at a 2022 spring Jewish Women’s 
Foundation of the Greater 
Palm Beaches, where she 
discussed her background, 
journey into cuisine and her 
experiences as a woman 
in a male-dominated 
profession. In 2005, she 
received the Glass Ceiling 
Award from the Jewish 
Museum of Florida-Florida 
International University.
Her parents met in 
Uruguay where both 
were visiting family 
who escaped the 
Holocaust. Her mom is 
a Cohan from Argentina, 
while her dad, with Eastern 
European roots, hails from 
Minneapolis. She was raised in a 
Jewish/Latino household. 
Early on in her career, people asked, 
“How can someone be Jewish and talk 
about Latin culture?” Years ago, she needed to 

Meet Chef Michelle Bernstein, a 
Jewish Latino restauranteur with 
an eclectic cooking style.

Miami Heat, 
Jewish Vibe

continued on page 49

CARLA SCHWARTZ SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

Michelle Bernstein

JULY 7 • 2022 | 47

