La Ventanita podcast: For chef Michael Beltran, it’s always Miami against the world
Michael Beltran wears his Cubanness on his sleeve — an arm sleeve of tattoos that includes art of a mamey and a Cuban coffee cafetera.
The owner of Ariete and Chug’s Diner in Coconut Grove, Beltran was born in Little Havana and studied under some of Miami James Beard Award-winning chefs — Michael Schwartz and Norman Van Aken. And he is a two-time Beard nominee, himself. But he doesn’t just do a spin on Cuban food. He incorporates Cuban and the other Miami flavors — like a maple-flavored candy cap mushroom flan! — into exquisite fine dining for a sort of New Miami Cuisine.
On the April 28th episode of La Ventanita, the weekly Miami Herald food podcast, we talked to Mike about this inspiration, plus how losing more than 100 pounds affected not just his health but how he cooks. We asked about his food industry podcast, Pan Con Podcast, where he talks unvarnished about everything from politics to whether a hot dog is a sandwich (it is).
Tune in Thursdays at 11 a.m. to watch La Ventanita live on YouTube and the Miami Herald website. Find every episode of La Ventanita podcast at the show page and on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Megaphone, Stitcher and MiamiHerald.com.
This story was originally published April 27, 2022 at 8:48 AM.
