Taste of the Town: For Beauty and the Butcher chef, it's 'all about community'
CORAL GABLES - It's like a photobook of food art looking at dish after dish at Beauty and the Butcher in Coral Gables.
The artist behind them is Rock and Roll super Chef Jeremy Ford, a Top Chef winner, a James Beard semifinalist and last year his renowned South Beach restaurant Stubborn Seed, received a Michelin Star.
For Beauty and the Butcher, it began at home.
"So, my daughter is the Beauty and I'm the Butcher, " Ford said.
"I feel like I wouldn't be where I'm at without her in my life, so I want to give back something with her name on it and this is kind of our little joint project together."
The restaurant is warm and inviting. The books on the shelves are written by fellow chefs and are there for a reason.
"I wanted this to be a place where when the cooks wanted a little inspiration, they can come here and take a gander at some of the stuff we have on the walls to bring some of the dishes alive", said Ford
Near the top shelf bar is a nod to what's on the menu.
"Over here we're doing a lot of charcuterie. We do In- house salumi, gabagool, duck prosciutto, so all of that stuff me and Chef Juan take a lot of passion into," he said.
Ford himself lives just down the road and says he's happy to share his cuisine with those closer to home.
"For me it's all about community," he said,
"We're very bold cooks so we want to bring that into the neighborhood, so you don't have to drive that far to get those amazing flavors.
Back in the kitchen Ford and his team get to work on a menu that celebrates local farmers and purveyors .
His culinary approach is one of a kind.
"We wanted to highlight things that we love to eat and that you crave. We have a smoke beef rib that's cooked for 2 days," Ford said.
It's served with chimichurri and pickled slaw.
"that's a labor of love right there," he said.
It all begins with the meat.
"This has been smoked for 10 hours cooked in a circulator for two days to give it this really sumptuous bite," he said .
"That's a really good word. I'm going to use that, sumptuous bite," said CBS News Miami's Lisa Petrillo.
"I love the crunch of a lettuce, the slaw on the outside and i's really tender and juicy. That's really something special chef. Really something special."
And finally, a whole Florida suckling pig is in this piece, served with spring vegetables.
" So the elevation of these dishes is amazing ,Very 'cheffy'', said Petrillo.
"It's incredibly good . Love the sauce and it's also so crunchy on the outside like a Chicharrón almost?" she asked.
"Yes! You got it, said Ford. I feel like you really get me," said.
"I get you," said Petrillo.
Beauty and the Butcher is open seven days a week for dinner only.
An 8 course tasting menu is coming out soon. Click here for more info.
