South Florida Chef Dads Cooking With Their Kids

When these guys aren't cooking for locals or celebrities they are whipping it up in the kitchen for their toughest critics; their kids. In honor of these chef dads on Father's Day, here are a few quotes on their favorite dishes to make with their little ones.

Chef Michael Lewis | KYU | 251 N.W. 25th Street, Miami, FL 33127

Chef Michael Lewis’ daughter came into the world just a month after the opening of his acclaimed restaurant, KYU in Wynwood. Suffice to say that was a seismic shift in a short amount of time.

“What I do enjoy more than anything is having breakfast together. We’re both still a little sleepy as I carry her from her crib into the kitchen. We prepare her bottle and my coffee, grab a comfy seat on the couch and cuddle together as we turn on some cartoons. By the time we’re both done with our morning hot beverage, we walk back to the kitchen to make her breakfast. She picks what she wants from the fridge and cupboards (eggs, oatmeal, arepa’s, fruit, yoghurt, or little of everything). We cook together; her with her tupperware, pots and spoons on the floor and me on the stove. Whatever she picks for breakfast we both eat and enjoy together.” - Michael Lewis

Chef Josh Elliott | The Restaurant at The Raleigh | 1775 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139

Executive chef Josh Elliott is a relatively new dad. As “guys guys”, he and his son, Jack love hitting the grill.

“We love to grill! Our go-to would be grilled ribeye and scallions, bbq chicken thighs, and Nathan's hot dogs on potato roll with mustard, relish, and sauerkraut. We also love our grilled veggies in the summer; corn with lime butter, grilled asparagus and recently we created a new dish with broccolini, leek and pomegranate salsa verde. We look for any excuse to turn on the grill, enjoy the sun and have a nice ice cold adult (for me) and non-adult (for him) beverage. “ - Josh Elliott.

Chef Dustin Atoigue | Mondrian South Beach | 1100 West Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139

Chef Dustin Atoigue’s daughter is his biggest fan. Followers might remember her cheering him on on the stage at South Beach Seafood Festival last year.

“It’s important for me to teach her to make food that is part of her heritage. I always teach her Guam (Chamorro) food or Puerto Rican. Usually red rice and sancocho or some types of stews. She’s coming along -- still in the “OMG” phase -- but she always wants to help me cook, even at work.” - Dustin Atoigue.

Chef Craig Wallen | Lee Zoo | 9700 Collins Avenue, Bal Harbour, FL 33154

When chef Craig Wallen is not hosting dinners with Martha Stewart or serving up the plats du jour at Le Zoo, he is hitting the grill with his kids.

My son really loves to get his hands on the food so I'll let him help me with the prep and work the grill a little. Give him some gooey stuff to get gross with, have him season and turn a couple things on the grill and eventually, get bored and go play games until the food is ready. We like to do Parillada (My wife is from Paraguay) pretty often which is just a mixed grill. You can prep everything ahead, marinating and seasoning the meats, make some cucumber salad or grilled veg with the meats, then it's just tending the fire and drinking cocktails while it cooks. My pro tip: The more the kids are doing, the less you're doing so put them to work and kick the dogs up with a cool one.” - Craig Wallen.

Chef Thomas Stewart | Gianni’s at the Villa Casa Casuarina | 1116 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, FL 33139

When executive chef Thomas Stewart isn't whipping it up at Gianni's at The Villa Casa Casuarina (formerly known as the Versace Mansion), he is home preparing southern comfort food with his daughter.

"On my days off, my daughter and I always put on our chef hats and team up to prepare some delicious southern comfort food; fried chicken, shrimp and grits, biscuits and gravy, etc. The best part of cooking with my daughter is that she gets to see how passionate I am about food and I get to teach her all kinds of cooking techniques." - Thomas Stewart.

Chef Richard Ampudia | Lolo’s Surf Cantina | 161 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, FL 33139

On any given night, chef Richard Ampudia and his family can be found sitting around the dinner table sharing a home cooked meal—ranging from traditional Mexican to Asian fusion—and laughs.

"I like to make meatballs (albóndigas) with my son - it's a fun and delicious activity that we can do together without making a major mess in the kitchen (something my wife also enjoys). Another fun dish we love to make together is my version my of French Toast, made with croissants, Kaya (coconut jam) fruit and some nuts. And of course, my go-to everyday meal that my son and I love to make are quesadillas with a zillion different fillings, for me it's usually salad greens and vegetables, for them usually cheese and soppressata." - Richard Ampudia.

Chef Richard Sandoval | Toro Toro | InterContinental Hotel, 100 Chopin Plaza, Miami, FL 33131

“My most memorable experience with cooking for my children is when they were toddlers and seeing their eyes light up when they experienced new flavors.” - Richard Sandoval.

Chef de cuisine Gavin Pera | Burlock Coast | 1 N Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33304

“My boys and I are always outside so naturally we BBQ and grill a lot. It’s tough to say what our favorite thing to cook is because we love food but making sausages is at the top of the list. We cure, grind and stuff pork sausages at home and smoke them on our grill. It’s a lot of work but the end result makes it all worthwhile. As they have gotten older they are able to help more and now everyone has a job – seasoning, grinding, stuffing and lighting the coals. It’s become a great family tradition and we get to spend quality time together.”

Executive chef Alex Becker | KURO | 1 Seminole Way, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33314

"Both of my daughters are very young (4 months & 2 years) so neither of them are quite ready to man the stoves or chop the mise en place (yet), but I do enjoy cooking for them on my days off. My oldest daughter Mia is a huge fan of eggs and rice and this creates a world of variety that we can dive into. Mia is the toughest critic out here. I am obsessed with a dish called omurice where you mix steamed rice with onions or other flavorings and top it with an omelet, giving it a nice oval shape. Mia seems to like miso, onions and ketchup (and more ketchup) on her omurice. She is tiny but can eat a three-egg omelet and a full cup of rice in one seating. You can say it’s a shared obsession."

Executive chef Brian Doyle | Council Oak Steaks & Seafood | 1 Seminole Way, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33314

“My kids loves to help me in the kitchen, especially when we’re making their favorite meal: meatballs and sauce. I can always count on them to be my meatball rollers and taste testers. It’s a joy passing on my passion for food to them.” - Brian Doyle.

Executive chef Jim Pastor | Rusty Pelican | 3201 Rickenbacker Causeway, Key Biscayne, FL 33149

“One of our favorite things to make together is fresh pasta. She (daughter Sophia, age 4) enjoys the whole process and loves rolling out the dough. If you go to my Instagram @chefjimmymiami you'll see a picture of her making pasta… it's great!” - Jim Pastor.

Chef de cuisine Dustin Ward | BLT Prime

“First and foremost I am a father of three amazing girls who I hold dear to my heart. Besides that, I am a passionate chef who loves every part of cooking and sharing it with my kids, and see them experience it at an early age just as I did. We make a lot of different things together, but pizza is one of our favorites. We have fun playing with the dough, in fact they are getting really good at tossing it! It’s easy enough to make that they feel very involved in the resulting yumminess and I love making them feel important.” - Dustin Ward.

Owner and chef Danny Serfer | Mignonette Uptown, Mignonette Downtown and Blue Collar

"I like to cook things for my kids that I like to eat, they might not like it as much - but that way I get to eat more of it :) In all seriousness, I love making breakfast with them - eggs n bacon and pancakes on weekend mornings. The whole family enjoys that time together and it keeps me on my "cooking toes" with everyone's different egg style requests and degrees of bacon doneness, to which I begrudgingly and happily oblige at the same time. What the kids want, the kids get." - Danny Serfer.

Owner and chef Richard Plasencia | Twisted Fork Kitchen | 5100 S.W. 72nd Avenue, Miami, FL

“For me, the greatest rewards of being a dad is getting to see things through their eyes, being able to appreciate certain things again because of the look it puts on their faces. You no longer associate Christmas with getting up at 4AM to start brunch prep at the hotel, I get to experience the joy they get unwrapping presents in pajamas while I make their favorite breakfast dishes…THAT or unsolicited hugs, of course.” - Richard Plasencia.