Meet our Miami Food Bloggers who write everything about food in the city. We visit restaurants and food events and we write our honest opinion about them. Some of the bloggers have been contributing for years to Miami Culinary Tours’ blog.
Meet Brenda
I was born in the city of St. George’s in Grenada and grew up in Caracas, Venezuela. I have been living in Miami for over 20 years and have always had a deep interest in food. I love to cook and eat and to try new restaurants & cuisines. I am especially fascinated with taking pictures of food, as for me it is absolutely necessary to have a record of a memorable meal so that it is never forgotten. I also collect cookbooks and I am in the process of writing one of my own.
I usually don’t go out at night. I am a “natural light” person. However, I have a few favorite restaurants, including ZUMA on Brickell, Downtown Miami, AZUL at the Mandarin Oriental, Sushi Maki in Kendall. If you’re looking for something more off the beaten track it’s all about Zuperpollo Restaurant in Coral Way, Miami. They serve massive steaks at a reasonable price. If you’re looking for ingredients to make your own, Fresh Market in Coconut Grove is probably the best market in town.
I have been a foodie since I was 3 years old (ask my Mother) and truly enjoy the whole experience of eating. For me, opening a door to a restaurant is like embracing the possibility of a new food journey….and I simply love that!
Meet Cassie
Anyone who meets me can tell within minutes I love to eat. It is not something I do intentionally, it is simply hard for me to tell a story, describe myself, or talk about this city without referring to food. Originally from Colorado, I did not grow up feasting on Cuban plantains and skirt steak. Instead, I grew up in my mother’s kitchen. I ate whatever she cooked and was never given the option to be a picky eater. In fact, people would marvel at my ability to gum a steak in my highchair as a baby.
My parents also did not shelter my brother and I from dining out. My dad has a philosophy that favors hole-in-the-wall family restaurants to chains, and always brought us along for meals of every kind. By the age of ten, my favorite cuisine was Ethiopian, I knew how to make chicken enchiladas, and could eat more than any other kid my size.
I first ventured to South Florida to attend the University of Miami. I never intended on falling in love with this city, but after four years how could you not? The diverse culture, beautiful weather and vibrant scene make it hard to leave. Always a wanderer, after graduation I left to teach English for a year in Madrid, Spain. While there, I hopped from city to city. My excursions took me from Amsterdam down to Marrakesh, and all around the Spanish peninsula. No matter where I went, food was always an integral part of my journey. I truly believe you can discover so much about a new culture through taste, and always stray off the beaten path to uncover the locals favorites.
When it came time to return back to the States, the ocean’s current pulled me back to Miami. If I am constantly writing about food, reading about food and talking about food, why not share that with people who actually care to know? That is why I am leading these tours. Nothing irks me more than hearing someone say “food is just food” because it is not! Food tells the history of a place, and nowhere is this more evident than the melting pot of Miami Beach. I am eager to share the rich history and tell the unique story of this place I love, through each and every bite you take.
Meet Caroline
I am a 25 year old Miami native who enjoys burgers, bacon anything, mango milkshakes, and napping. I have a bachelors in English Literature, and a minor in Marketing. I label myself as a food enthusiast. I loves the idea of traveling and what better way to experience new places than by exposing my palette to various culinary traditions. I was raised in a Peruvian household so I am not shy about eating spicy dishes. I particularly like New American, Peruvian and Italian cuisine. In my spare time, I like to make others jealous by blogging about my culinary travels! I also enjoy reading historical fiction, give unwanted opinion about others’ fashion taste, and I am on the search for the best mac n cheese in Miami. Unfortunately, I have little cooking experience, but I can bake a mean flan.
Meet Santiago
I was born in Manizales, Colombia and found my way to Miami at the age of 4. Food has always been a reason to get together for my family, but I didn’t pay much interest to the importance of it in my culture until around the age of 16. I became infatuated with nutrition at this age to aid in my weight loss goals and paradoxically, found my love for food. I began caring about cooking/baking and making every meal count. Why should a person waste a valuable meal on something that won’t be delicious? That’s the mentality I got and I began traveling and making my way from restaurant to restaurant.
Needless to say, food quickly became all I cared about and everything concerning cuisine overtook my life. Books, television, the websites I visited, and the things i did with my free time involved food and I was happy. While my friends began spending their time and money on clubbing, I spent mine on going out to eat. I discovered things about other countries’ cuisines and became infatuated with the fact that no matter where people are from, food is used as a way to bring everyone together. That’s what I loved about food the most. On top of that, I loved how food can show much about different regions of the world. Food is an indication of the climate of a region, the religion, the agriculture available, and so on. To some, food is just a way of getting some energy into their body. But to me, food is a way of life. It’s been educational and comforting, a way of reminding me of my home and bringing back memories. Food has a lot to show me, and with my reviews I hope to be able to show you the best places for delicious eats. Maybe you can be educated also and enjoy your time experiencing other cultures.
I’ve traveled to South America and Asia and gotten to sample some of the best foods on earth. Right now, I’m trying to focus on traveling my way through the United States in an effort to explore the diversity of foods that can be found within this country of ours. That’s one of the reasons why I like Miami so much. You can find a little bit of everything. I like baking and my dream is to one day open up my own bakery. That is why I get dessert at mostly every restaurant I go to. This also leads me to have a slight obsession to baking and cooking books. What can I say, I like food.
