Chef Alfredo Alvarez was appointed executive chef at The Deck at Island Gardens, just before its November grand opening in time for Art Basel as Miami’s exclusive restaurant overlooking the superyacht marina and the downtown Miami skyline. Chairman and CEO of Flagstone Group, Mehmet Bayraktar, assembled a dream team for The Deck at Island Gardens, starting with nightlife entrepreneurs Michael Capponi and Eric Milon; Bayraktar now adds Chef Alvarez, who will bring his international flair and pedigree of culinary experience to Miami’s newest exquisite waterfront eatery. The Deck at Island Gardens will be the only restaurant in Miami where superyacht owners can moor at Deep Harbour and dine with the world’s largest yachts as the backdrop.
With Alvarez at the helm, The Deck at Island Gardens will feature an all-new culinary concept, fusing Mediterranean flavors and quintessential European dishes that draw from the yachting circuit’s various destinations from Ibiza to Bodrum. Alvarez brings multi-faceted expertise to the Miami dining scene and a penchant for using the finest European delicacies paired with the freshest locally sourced produce, seafood and meats.
“Armed with decades of experience at some of the world’s top restaurants, Chef Alfredo Alvarez has a passion to create an entirely new dining concept,” says Mehmet Bayraktar, chairman and CEO, Flagstone Group. “I know that his enthusiasm and extensive expertise will push The Deck at Island Gardens to the forefront of Miami’s world-class dining scene and provide a sneak peek at the grandeur of Island Gardens once completed.”
A few highlights from Alvarez’s new menu that draw from yachting influences will include The Deck Seafood Casserole: a mix of fresh shellfish, sea bass and red fish in a tomato saffron broth, served in a Vulcan clay casserole cooked in the new wood brick oven; Octopus a la Plancha: fresh octopus topped with mint foam; Pear Ravioli with gorgonzola cheese, finished with a black truffle sauce; and Island Gardens Seared Tuna: seared tuna dressed with an assortment of fruit caviars.
“With influences from Monaco, St. Tropez, Mykonos and Sardinia, we’ve curated a yachting-infused dining experience never before seen in Miami,” says Alvarez. “To bring this to life, I’m focusing on using ingredients from local farms in South Florida and the freshest fish and seafood available, including seasonal varieties flown in daily from the Mediterranean, while enhancing the superyacht lifestyle that is now available in our city at Island Gardens.”
Prior to joining the team at The Deck, Alvarez was the Executive Chef at Seasalt and Pepper. Before that, Alvarez worked as a consulting chef for Renaissance Cruise Lines and Celebrity Cruise, where he created menus alongside renowned Chef Alain Ducasse. Chef Alvarez’s list of celebrity clients includes Beyoncé, Jay Z, Sofia Vergara, Robert De Niro, Antonio Banderas, Billy Crystal, Michael Douglas and Robin Williams. Alvarez was ranked the 17th top chef in the U.S. by the National Chefs Association in Washington D.C.
Originally from Venezuela, Alvarez graduated from Luzon and Ecoli Hotelier Lucerene in Switzerland and interned for Italy’s top chefs, Gualtiero Marchesi and Gianfranco Vissani. Since then, his career has taken him to destinations including Miami, New York, Rome, Cancun, and the Dominican Republic.
