Chef Michelle Bernstein squashes rumor of Michy’s restaurant closing

The Michelle Bernstein rumor mill is churning again. Despite a pesky rumor to the contrary, the Upper East Side culinary bastion that is Michy’s (6927 Biscayne Boulevard  Miami) isn’t going anywhere. Owner and chef Bernstein quickly clarified the matter.

“I will never close Michy’s.”

She went on to express that even though she and her husband David Martinez recently had a baby, now six months old, Michy’s is still her baby too.  

“Michy’s is my namesake and it’s six blocks from my home. We even take the baby there for family dinners once a week,” she said. “Nope, I will have my restaurant there until I’m too old to cook.”

Do these kind of rumors bother her? “I’m used to it. I’ve heard so much crazy stuff that nothing surprises me anymore. Opening [rumors] are one thing, but closing, that kind of burns. It makes you wonder who starts these things.”

Indeed it’s tough to say whether it’s a competitor jealous of Bernstein’s culinary-darling status, or just a confused South Florida diner who can’t keep their restaurant closings straight.

Far from shutting down, there are new things afoot at the Iron Chef’s eatery. “We recently sold out a cooking class on Gilt City in three hours, so we’re doing a lot more cooking classes at Michy’s.” explained Bernstein. She’s also working on a new spring menu that’s “all about Fava Beans, English Peas and Nettles,” according to the chef.

“We’re also talking about doing something new called Sunday Suppers this summer. The concept would be to bring the family back to the dinner table. It’s something that’s very important in our respective Latin and Jewish cultures.” Indeed the excitement can be heard in her voice when she describes the new family-centric night that’s going to get kids eating at the table with their parents. We’ll have to wait until this summer to find out exactly how she is going to accomplish the feat that many parents nowadays think virtually impossible.

Bernstein opened Michy’s in 2005 and then Sra. Martinez in 2008, both which have been lauded locally and in national press. Still, Bernstein didn’t rule out the possibility of one day opening another concept in her Biscayne Boulevard space if the mood struck. And we wonder how rumors get started?

This story was originally published March 7, 2012 at 5:03 AM with the headline "Chef Michelle Bernstein squashes rumor of Michy’s restaurant closing."