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