For 34-year-old Antonio Bachour, whose earliest memories are kneading dough in his family’s bakery in Puerto Rico, his career choice was simple - he wanted to be a pastry chef. As corporate executive pastry chef for KNR Restaurant Group, which heads the food and beverage operations at W South Beach hotel, Bachour has realized his dream: he owns and operates its award-winning Spanish restaurant Solea; runs the food and beverage operations at The Trump Soho, New York; and owns and operates its Italian restaurant Quattro.

A graduate of Johnson & Wales, Bachour honed his trade in his homeland before coming to Miami Beach, where an exploding restaurant scene presented many options. His sweet creations have been acknowledged as “Best Dessert” in Miami New Times’ annual “Best Of” Issue. As head of pastries for The Trump Soho hotel and its restaurants, the young culinarian now splits his time between Miami and New York, wowing diners with his creative and delicate pastries and desserts.

Trained as a financial analyst, chef David Bracha traded in balance sheets for menus in his 20’s when he decided to pursue a career in the gastronomic arts. After completing culinary school, this native New Yorker burst on the Miami scene in the early 1990s opening one of South Beach’s first hip and cool celebrity hang-outs: the popular “411” eatery.

Always a trailblazer, Bracha sees restaurants as an opportunity to define and advance the culture of a neighborhood. His ability to predict and deliver what people want, sets culinary trends so welcomed, they feel second nature.

Following his philosophy, he turned his attention to Fishbone Grille and after an extraordinary 11-year run, he knew the neighborhood was ready for a change and was eager to play a part in its evolution. In 2003, Bracha opened The River Oyster Bar, earning accolades from Bon Appetit, Zagat, The Miami Herald, among others. Whether South Beach, Downtown or suburbia, Bracha knows how to deliver what the neighborhood wants before it is ever ordered. It is this innovative vision and the flawless execution of his concepts that make chef David Bracha an exciting chef to watch and enjoy.

Richard Hales decided to be a chef while he was in business school and, despite what he calls a complete lack of experience, he persuaded Jean-Georges Vongerichten to give him a job at New York’s Vong. Hales stayed there two years, ending his time with Vongerichten as Vong’s sous-chef. He spent another year practicing classic technique at Le Grenouille. During his time at Vong, Hales traveled several times to Asia, at one point spending several months helping a fellow Vong alum open a restaurant in Hong Kong.

When the Mandarin Oriental opened in Miami in 2001, Hales was asked to be the Asian chef then was named assistant manager of Azul and finally, sommelier and wine director. In 2006, he was named wine director of the Mandarin Oriental in New York. He returned to Miami in 2008 and started Sakaya Kitchen at the end of 2009. “Sakaya Kitchen is a mixture of techniques I learned and the food I love to eat,” says Hales. “I never put anything down on paper, I just opened and started cooking again.” In 2010, Sakaya Kitchen took to the road with the popular Dim Ssäm à gogo, one of Miami’s most popular food trucks.

Dewey LoSasso is one of the nation’s most prolific apostles of Progressive American cuisine, with a culinary ethos that respects the past yet challenges the future. His bold, clean flavors and modern approach to American cuisine made him the natural choice, from a global search of 172 chefs, to spearhead The Forge’s rebirth. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, LoSasso honed his culinary skills working for legendary restaurants in New York and Miami. With an emphasis on organic ingredients born of global influences from his extensive travels, his cutting-edge cuisine catapulted him in South Florida’s culinary circles. LoSasso became Donatella Versace’s personal chef and food event coordinator, executive chef for the Lipton Tennis Tournament, executive and concept chef for Tuscan Steak and opened North One 10 to critical acclaim. LoSasso received the Food Arts “Emerging Taste Maker Award,” was named Miami New Times’ Best Chef 2010, Ocean Drive magazine “Great Chefs” and in October 2010 was honored as a “guest chef” at the historic James Beard House in New York.

Born and raised in Miami, Alejandro Piñero enjoyed cooking early on, but his culinary career was somewhat delayed. He attended college to study microbiology, but his interest in cooking swayed him to enroll in culinary school. He took his first job as a line cook in Cheeca Lodge in Islamorada, and it was working under Dawn Sieber, that he got an insight at working with local homestead farmers and fisherman, and the use of fresh seasonal eco-friendly products. From there on, his love of cooking matured and he embarked on his career as a chef.

Piñero worked under star chef Michelle Bernstein at The Strand in Miami Beach, before moving on to lead cook at the Loew’s Hotel in Miami Beach and The Ritz Carlton in Coconut Grove. He went on as sous-chef of Talula Restaurant and one of Miami Beach’s most exclusive restaurants, Casa Tua. He moved on to the Miami Design District’s Fratelli Lyon and most currently, to Sustain Restaurant as its executive chef.

Piñero’s desire for sustainable food stems from Sieber’s early influence and the understanding that dining sustainably means better health for restaurant patrons and the environment.

Chef Tom Rhyneer served as executive chef and food and beverage manager for European luxury hotel, Le Meridien Sunny Isles Beach, and The Diplomat Country Club & Spa, a Starwood Luxury Collection property on Hallandale Beach along with The Atlantic Hotel in Fort Lauderdale.

A Seattle native, Rhyneer was executive chef of the historic Everett Golf & Country Club, and corporate executive chef for Lombardi’s Italian, a casual-upscale concept with high-volume restaurants in the Greater Seattle area.

Rhyneer also served as executive sous-chef of the landmark Sorrento Hotel and Hunt Club Restaurant in downtown Seattle, where he trained with award-winning chef, Brian Scheesher. Earlier, Rhyneer was sous-chef for Seattle’s popular Chandler’s Crabhouse, and opened several restaurants along the West Coast and Japan for Schwartz Brothers Restaurants. He has participated in many charitable and community events and is a graduate of Johnson & Wales University in Charleston, and a member of the American Culinary Federation.

For 34-year-old Antonio Bachour, whose earliest memories are kneading dough in his family’s bakery in Puerto Rico, his career choice was simple - he wanted to be a pastry chef. As corporate executive pastry chef for KNR Restaurant Group, which heads the food and beverage operations at W South Beach hotel, Bachour has realized his dream: he owns and operates its award-winning Spanish restaurant Solea; runs the food and beverage operations at The Trump Soho, New York; and owns and operates its Italian restaurant Quattro.

A graduate of Johnson & Wales, Bachour honed his trade in his homeland before coming to Miami Beach, where an exploding restaurant scene presented many options. His sweet creations have been acknowledged as “Best Dessert” in Miami New Times’ annual “Best Of” Issue. As head of pastries for The Trump Soho hotel and its restaurants, the young culinarian now splits his time between Miami and New York, wowing diners with his creative and delicate pastries and desserts.

Trained as a financial analyst, chef David Bracha traded in balance sheets for menus in his 20’s when he decided to pursue a career in the gastronomic arts. After completing culinary school, this native New Yorker burst on the Miami scene in the early 1990s opening one of South Beach’s first hip and cool celebrity hang-outs: the popular “411” eatery.

Always a trailblazer, Bracha sees restaurants as an opportunity to define and advance the culture of a neighborhood. His ability to predict and deliver what people want, sets culinary trends so welcomed, they feel second nature.

Following his philosophy, he turned his attention to Fishbone Grille and after an extraordinary 11-year run, he knew the neighborhood was ready for a change and was eager to play a part in its evolution. In 2003, Bracha opened The River Oyster Bar, earning accolades from Bon Appetit, Zagat, The Miami Herald, among others. Whether South Beach, Downtown or suburbia, Bracha knows how to deliver what the neighborhood wants before it is ever ordered. It is this innovative vision and the flawless execution of his concepts that make chef David Bracha an exciting chef to watch and enjoy.

Richard Hales decided to be a chef while he was in business school and, despite what he calls a complete lack of experience, he persuaded Jean-Georges Vongerichten to give him a job at New York’s Vong. Hales stayed there two years, ending his time with Vongerichten as Vong’s sous-chef. He spent another year practicing classic technique at Le Grenouille. During his time at Vong, Hales traveled several times to Asia, at one point spending several months helping a fellow Vong alum open a restaurant in Hong Kong.

When the Mandarin Oriental opened in Miami in 2001, Hales was asked to be the Asian chef then was named assistant manager of Azul and finally, sommelier and wine director. In 2006, he was named wine director of the Mandarin Oriental in New York. He returned to Miami in 2008 and started Sakaya Kitchen at the end of 2009. “Sakaya Kitchen is a mixture of techniques I learned and the food I love to eat,” says Hales. “I never put anything down on paper, I just opened and started cooking again.” In 2010, Sakaya Kitchen took to the road with the popular Dim Ssäm à gogo, one of Miami’s most popular food trucks.

Dewey LoSasso is one of the nation’s most prolific apostles of Progressive American cuisine, with a culinary ethos that respects the past yet challenges the future. His bold, clean flavors and modern approach to American cuisine made him the natural choice, from a global search of 172 chefs, to spearhead The Forge’s rebirth. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, LoSasso honed his culinary skills working for legendary restaurants in New York and Miami. With an emphasis on organic ingredients born of global influences from his extensive travels, his cutting-edge cuisine catapulted him in South Florida’s culinary circles. LoSasso became Donatella Versace’s personal chef and food event coordinator, executive chef for the Lipton Tennis Tournament, executive and concept chef for Tuscan Steak and opened North One 10 to critical acclaim. LoSasso received the Food Arts “Emerging Taste Maker Award,” was named Miami New Times’ Best Chef 2010, Ocean Drive magazine “Great Chefs” and in October 2010 was honored as a “guest chef” at the historic James Beard House in New York.

Born and raised in Miami, Alejandro Piñero enjoyed cooking early on, but his culinary career was somewhat delayed. He attended college to study microbiology, but his interest in cooking swayed him to enroll in culinary school. He took his first job as a line cook in Cheeca Lodge in Islamorada, and it was working under Dawn Sieber, that he got an insight at working with local homestead farmers and fisherman, and the use of fresh seasonal eco-friendly products. From there on, his love of cooking matured and he embarked on his career as a chef.

Piñero worked under star chef Michelle Bernstein at The Strand in Miami Beach, before moving on to lead cook at the Loew’s Hotel in Miami Beach and The Ritz Carlton in Coconut Grove. He went on as sous-chef of Talula Restaurant and one of Miami Beach’s most exclusive restaurants, Casa Tua. He moved on to the Miami Design District’s Fratelli Lyon and most currently, to Sustain Restaurant as its executive chef.

Piñero’s desire for sustainable food stems from Sieber’s early influence and the understanding that dining sustainably means better health for restaurant patrons and the environment.

Chef Tom Rhyneer served as executive chef and food and beverage manager for European luxury hotel, Le Meridien Sunny Isles Beach, and The Diplomat Country Club & Spa, a Starwood Luxury Collection property on Hallandale Beach along with The Atlantic Hotel in Fort Lauderdale.

A Seattle native, Rhyneer was executive chef of the historic Everett Golf & Country Club, and corporate executive chef for Lombardi’s Italian, a casual-upscale concept with high-volume restaurants in the Greater Seattle area.

Rhyneer also served as executive sous-chef of the landmark Sorrento Hotel and Hunt Club Restaurant in downtown Seattle, where he trained with award-winning chef, Brian Scheesher. Earlier, Rhyneer was sous-chef for Seattle’s popular Chandler’s Crabhouse, and opened several restaurants along the West Coast and Japan for Schwartz Brothers Restaurants. He has participated in many charitable and community events and is a graduate of Johnson & Wales University in Charleston, and a member of the American Culinary Federation.