Top Chef in South Florida Celebrate Your Kids! - HERLIFE Magazine

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in the culinary world. “I was home on break for college, and feeling like nothing had really taken a hold of me yet. I hadn’t felt that passion that I had felt when I was dancing. It wasn’t until my mom and I were cooking in her kitchen that an idea sparked. She turned to me and said, ‘You should think about going to culinary school…maybe you could be on TV and teach people about healthy eating and how to cook?’” That was in 1992, and female chefs were few and far between. Still, Michelle thought about what her mom said and decided to do some exploring. “There happened to be a new culinary arts school opening up less than a mile away from where my parents lived. Mom and I decided to stop by and see what it was all about. When I walked in and began to look around, I got these butterflies in my stomach. I still wasn’t sure what it was all about, but I knew I was in love. I enrolled and took a leap into this new world.” It wasn’t an easy journey for Michelle. She was a tiny, petite girl trying to fit into what was then a very male dominated world. “The guys in school would make fun of me and tell me I would never be a chef. The environment was tough and it was a constant struggle…I was a fragile, petite former dancer, which definitely did not fit in to this testosterone driven field.” Michelle began working outside of the culinary school at Mark Millitello’s, Mark’s Place Restaurant in North Miami. Starting out at the pizza and salad station, Michelle spent a lot of time observing and watching the other guys. She learned a lot and after 1 ½ years, she had advanced her way up to the back line. It was then that she was confronted head on with a chef who would inadvertently help shape her into who she is today. “There was one chef in particular, Doug Reese, who was especially hard on me. He’d walk past me and shove me against the wall, and was constantly rough with me. He did everything he could to make my life miserable. One day, he pulled me aside and said, ‘If you want to be in this business, you’ve got to gain some weight and get some muscles on you. You can’t be asking people to carry stuff for you all the time and you need to toughen up.’” “Doug was right and was a major influence in my life. I began weight training and became strong enough physically to hold my own on the line. The path to becoming a chef was physically and mentally hard. There has been a lot of misery, frustration, hospital visits, burns, cuts and more…it isn’t an easy profession and is definitely not as glamorous as one would suspect. It requires a certain amount of testosterone and inner fire to succeed.” It was several years later that Michelle met her husband, David Martinez. “We met when I was a chef at the Mandarin Oriental. I had low self-esteem and even though I was doing well as a chef, I still lacked a certain amount of confidence. It was David who gave me the courage and inspired me to stand alone…to break out from under the names I was working for and to make a name for myself.” Michelle has proven that she has what it takes to succeed in the industry. Her husband, David, has taken a supportive back seat, helping Michelle to open three successful restaurants (Michelle Bernstein’s at the Omphoy, Michy’s and Sra. Marti- 12 HERLIFEmagazine.com
nez) as well as to earn the prestigious James Beard award in 2008. Michelle still marvels as to how she has come to be where she is today. “I am so thankful, but oftentimes, I still have the feeling that I am not worthy of such amazing honors. I always felt like an award like the James “I always felt like an award like the James Beard award was too far out of my reach. I'm humbled and it truly makes me want to work even harder to share my love of food with others.” Beard award was too far out of my reach. I’m humbled and it truly makes me want to work even harder to share my love of food with others.” Michelle is definitely doing what she can to share her passion for food with others, especially young children. Through an organization called “Common Threads” (www.commonthreads. org), Michelle is teaching Miami’s children who are 8 to 11 year the importance of nutrition, culture in food and the socialization of eating together. “The children involved in Common Threads are learning valuable life skills as well as essential kitchen skills. They are using chef knives and chopping their own food as well as learning about the importance of sitting with others and sharing a meal. Common Threads is huge in Chicago and we are hoping we can find the same kind of large sponsorship backing here in Miami to keep it thriving,” says Michelle. Michelle is also involved in Michelle Obama’s initiative to make school lunches healthy and affordable. “Working with the Miami Dade public school lunch program has been innovating and challenging. We are getting the kids excited about fresh, healthy school lunches! We’re teaching the cafeteria workers how to make pizza from scratch. We are taking French fries off the menu and instead are offering whole roasted sweet potatoes. The challenge comes with trying to create menus for $1.20, but with the help of local farmers down south, we are making huge progress.” Michelle has a lot of plans for the future, including continuing to embrace the doors that open up and sharing her skills with others. “So many doors have opened in the past few years. This isn’t a pretty industry to be in… it requires a lot of hard work and sacrifice, but the rewards are so great and I love that I have the opportunity to share what food can do to bring people together with others.” For more information about Michelle Bernstein, please visit: www.chefmichellebernstein.com and www.omphoy.com/indulge/michelle-bernsteins/ HERLIFEmagazine.com 13
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Top Chef in South Florida Celebrate Your Kids! - HERLIFE Magazine

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