After an international search, Mandarin Oriental, Miami selected 31-year old Chef Clay Conley as Chef de Cuisine at Azul, the hotel’s 120-seat waterfront restaurant. Among its stellar honors, Azul received AAA Five Diamond Awards for 2003, 2004 & 2005, making it the only restaurant in Miami with this prestigious honor.
The rising star chef honed his culinary reputation at Todd English’s acclaimed Olives restaurant in 1996 as Chef Tournant where he trained with Todd English.

At Olives, his positions included executive chef and culinary of The Olives Group overseeing 17 restaurants including the opening of Olives in Tokyo. Chef Conley brings his sophisticated, eclectic cuisine of Mediterranean flavors with Asian influences to the menu at Azul. Lucky diners can sample vibrant entrees from the ‘Sea and Land,’ including “Miso Marinated Halibut,” Edamame Stir-fry, Sake Butter Sauce and Shrimp Dumplings and “Moroccan Lamb,” Grilled Lamb Chop, Harissa Marinated Loin, Braised Shank Bastilla with Smoked Eggplant.

Raised in rural Maine, Chef Conley began his career path at an early age working in a restaurant at the age of 12. He always knew he wanted to pursue a culinary calling, and subsequent international travels to Europe and Southeast Asia broadened Conley’s exposure to world cuisines. This was especially true in Japan, where he spent six months and became inspired with the elegance of food preparation and the culinary traditions. Chef Conley attended Tulane University in New Orleans before going on to study at Florida State University in Tallahassee. Conley’s achievements include being invited as a guest chef at the world-renowned James Beard House in 2002.

www.mandarinoriental.com

David Aragon, one of the new breed of Spanish chefs lighting up the culinary world with innovation and bold flavors, comes to us from Madrid. He presides over the kitchens of the renowned El Legado De Castilla y Leon (The Legacy Of Castile And Leon), one of the top restaurants in the region. The restaurant was recently honored with the Food of Spain award from the Department off Agriculture.

Since 2002, Chef Aragon has served as Executive Chef at El Legado de Castilla y Leon. His previous positions include Chef at Vivaldi de Leon y Restaurante Cestar in Astorga, and Hotel Barcels Ponent Playa Cala D’or in Palma de Mallorca. His extensive culinary studies include the Instituto de Eras de Renueava, and traditional Japanese cooking training in Japan. Chef Aragon's creative dishes are the result of his diverse training and knowledge, and diners receive the benefits. He is a member of the Association of European Chefs.

Juan Antonio Cortis Campo, Sommelier
At El Legado de Castilla y Leon, great wine goes hand in hand with great food. Sommelier Juan Antonio Cortis complements Chef Aragon's innovative cuisine with an intriguing and comprehensive wine list. Mr. Cortis shares his passion for fine wines as a columnist in numerous publications, and by providing winetasting courses at the restaurant.

Tucked away on a quiet street in New York City is Bellavitae, where head Chef Darren McRonald treats guests to the sort of quietly exquisite Italian-inspired cuisine where the ingredients take center stage. Bellavitae’s warm décor and wood-burning oven set the stage for memorable meals that change with the seasons.

Chef McRonald’s career has spanned legendary establishments, including many years at Chez Panisse in Berkeley where the use of local and organic produce blossomed into a new philosophy of dining and agricultural sustainability. His previous positions also include The Four Seasons in Costa Rica.

At Bellavitae, Chef McRonald’s menu embraces the philosophy of producing authentic Italian regional specialties from an in-house Bellavitae Pantry (many items are available for purchase to use in your own kitchen) featuring the best of Italy’s famed products. From these basic building blocks come mouthwatering, classical creations. The list ranges from handmade pastas and crostini, to antipasti and desserts so special you can imagine them being made in a rustic kitchen far away from the bustling streets of Manhattan. Infusing modest dishes with exotic accents, Chef McRonald offers the modern food aficionado a culinary journey that is new every time.

www.bellavitae.com

Together, chefs Andrea Curto-Randazzo and Frank Randazzo have shown what great things can come out of a shared passion for cooking, and life. The husband and wife team, who met while working at New York’s Tribeca Grill, created Miami Beach’s Talula in 2003 to critical acclaim which included The New York Times, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, and Gourmet. Each of these two accomplished chefs brings a unique collection of experiences to the table.

Andrea Curto-Randazzo
For Andrea Curto-Randazzo, cooking is tightly woven with memories of family. Raised in an Italian family in Vero Beach, Florida, she was inspired by her grandmother’s spectacular cooking to pursue a career in the culinary arts. It would eventually lead to national fame including a cover of Food & Wine. Starting out after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America with honors, she worked at New York’s Tribeca Grill under Don Pintabona and incidentally, met Frank Randazzo, her future husband and business partner. Fast forward to 1996, when she returned to South Florida to take on a position as pastry and sous chef at The Heights, and once again crossed paths with Randazzo.

In 1998, she made a decision that would be pivotal to her career, joining the staff of Wish at The Hotel on Miami Beach as an executive sous chef under executive Chef Gary Robbins. She was promoted to executive chef after his departure, and her culinary talents catapulted her into the spotlight. Wish was like a wish come true, as it soon became named “Best New Restaurant” by Esquire food critic John Mariani and received the prestigious Mobil four-star rating. In 2003, Curto-Randazzo realized her own dream of opening a restaurant with now-husband Frank. Named Talula www.talulaonline.com, it has become a South Florida dining hotspot, where eclectic American cuisine is sparked by Italian nuances, and flavors from Asia and the Southwest.

Frank Randazzo
Working at Forest Inn, a fine-dining Italian eatery in his native Staten Island, as a teenager, little could Frank Randazzo know that one day he would open up his own ultra-popular restaurant, with his wife and partner no less. A graduate of Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island, Randazzo’s career took him to Boston where he worked at The Ritz-Carlton in Back Bay, and Providence’s 3 Steeple Street. Later on in New York City, he would hone his skills at some of the city’s finest restaurants such as Aquavit, Arizona 206 and Tribeca Grill—where he would first meet future wife and co-creator chef Andrea Curto.

Frank and Andrea would find they had another position in common when he headed south to take on the executive chef position at The Heights in Coral Gables, Florida. Under his guidance, The Heights earned an “Exceptional” rating from The Miami Herald, a “Best of the Brightest” by South Florida magazine and “Best New Restaurant” of The Heights by Miami New Times. He continued to perfect his talents at The Gaucho Room, a high-end steakhouse at Loews Miami Beach which garnered both the Mobil four-star and AAA four diamond rating under his direction.

In 2003, Frank accomplished a long-held goal when together with wife/chef Andrea, he opened Talula. Drawing locals with an acclaimed menu influenced by flavors from around the world, including the Caribbean, Asian, Latin America, America and Italy, Talula’s multicultural mindset is a fitting addition to Miami Beach’s thriving arts district. In Fall 2005, the couple celebrated their most memorable collaboration when they welcomed the birth of their daughter.

www.talulaonline.com