Celeb chefs showed up to play barista as this gourmet coffee shop opened its first spot in South Florida

Miami’s gourmet coffee game continues to improve, and Friday two Miami celebrity chefs showed up to play barista as a well-known Florida roaster opened its first coffee shop in Miami Beach.

Celebrity chef and James Beard award winner Michelle Bernstein handled the orders Friday morning at the new Kahwa Coffee shop in Sunset Harbour, the first Miami outlet for the St. Petersburg-founded roaster. Miami-based celeb chef Ingrid Hoffmann stopped in, as well, to launch the new shop.

Bernstein has served Kahwa Coffee in her Crumb on Parchment in the Design District for years, and it has also been served in the Metropolitan Hotel by Como. Hoffmann had bee a fan for years of Kahwa, which has 13 retail stores around Florida.

“Kahwa Coffee is always in my kitchen at home, and now in the city that I call home,” Hoffmann said. “Having one of their cafes in Miami is long overdue.”

The shop is two blocks from a branch of Panther Coffee, the original gourmet coffee roaster to break in South Florida. So now the new “it” neighborhood for food lovers has another caffeine provider. They will also serve pastries and baked goods by Wynwood’s Zak the Baker.

“Having been a part of Miami’s restaurant scene for several years now, we’ve been looking for right the opportunity to open a cafe,” said Kahwa co-founder Raphael Perrier.

This story was originally published March 29, 2018 at 10:03 PM.