Two Miami chefs, one family: Brother wins top award that his sister won last year

Nando Chang, the Peruvian-born chef whose Miami restaurant Itamae Ao earned its first Michelin star this year, has just won a James Beard Award — the exact same award his sister Val won a year ago.

Chang, who opened Itamae Ao in 2024, was named Best Chef: South at a ceremony Monday night at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

An emotional Chang thanked his parents, his wife Lauren, brother Elvis and “my favorite chef and sister, Val.” He talked about being a Peruvian of Chinese descent, an identity that was “interesting and at times confusing” and of his love for his adopted country, despite the difficult times for immigrants now.

“I want to say I could not be prouder . . . to be a part of this beautiful country,” he said. “Thank you, America, and thank you, Miami. ” He also thanked the James Beard Foundation for their commitment to diversity: “All food is immigrant and immigrants make America great.”

The Changs and their father Fernando opened the first iteration of Itamae as a food counter at MIA Market in the Design District (then called St. Roch Market) in 2018. The restaurant served Nikkei cuisine, a fusion of Peruvian and Japanese fare and eventually went on to open as a standalone restaurant across the Palm Court from its original location.

The first version of Itamae closed in 2023 to make way for the future. As his sister turned to the opening of Maty’s, her Peruvian restaurant named for their grandmother, Nando Chang focused on creating Itamae Ao, a 10-seat wonder that serves a meticulous and imaginative chef’s choice menu of Japanese-Peruvian bites highlighting specially dry-aged fish.

The restaurant is located through a separate door inside Maty’s, and the menu includes stunning examples of sashimi, nigiri, anticuchos and aguadito, highlighting Chang’s skill at enhancing Japanese techniques with Peruvian flavors.

Chang had long wanted to focus on a more personal dining experience that was more elevated and intimate than he was able to provide at the first Itamae.

“It’s something I’ve dreamed of for a long time, to go straight to omakase,” he told the Miami Herald in 2023. “That’s the kind of experience I want to provide.”

In April, Chang brought back the original Itamae to take over the Maty’s space for a couple of months. That residency is ongoing at the moment, but Chang is still intensely focused on the intricacies of the dishes at Itamae Ao.

“We want every single bite to make you go ‘Whoa!’ ” he said.

The full list of 2025 James Beard Award winners is available at www.jamesbeard.org

This story was originally published June 16, 2025 at 8:54 PM.