Since drawing the national spotlight in the mid 1990's, Chef Michelle Bernstein has remained one of the region's most well-respected and successful chefs/restaurateurs. A Miami native of Jewish and Latin descent, this passionate culinaire has dazzled diners and critics alike with her sublime cuisine and a personality as bright and vibrant as the Florida sun. 'My food isn't heavy handed or unnecessarily complicated', says Bernstein, a James Beard Award winner (Best Chef South 2008) and author of Cuisine a Latina (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2008). 'You don't need heavy handed technique and over the top presentations to make a dish work. It's about amazing ingredients, layered flavors and simplicity. My style of cooking is inspired by my own food memories and it's the simple, soulful cooking that I remember from my travels. I cook the food I love and I think that love translates to the diners.' The seeds of the Chef's successful career were planted at a young age. A former professional ballerina and honors graduate of Johnson & Wales University, Bernstein (41) cut her teeth with the likes of iconic chefs Mark Militello and Jean Louis Palladin before drawing the national spotlight in the late 1990s as executive chef of Tantra on Miami Beach. There her sensuous cuisine and made-for-TV personality launched her career as a media darling and catapulted the restaurant to international fame. In 2001, she took the helm of Azul at the Mandarin Oriental, Miami, drawing acclaim for her sophisticated haute cuisine, including kudos, again, from Esquire magazine food critic John Mariani, who dubbed Azul the 'Best New Restaurant in America.' That same year she joined the Food Network as co-host of the show Melting Pot, where she introduced many Americans to the art of Nuevo Latino Cuisine. Bernstein would return to the Food Network years later to battle Bobby Flay on Iron Chef America, from which the Miami chef emerged victorious. With her husband/partner David Martinez, Bernstein currently owns and operates two successful restaurants in Miami. Michy's, which opened in 2005, signaled the arrival of the burgeoning Biscayne Corridor area as a fertile fine dining destination. Serving delicious, haute cuisine in a warm, unpretentious setting, this gourmet, neighborhood haunt was quickly dubbed one of the 'Top 50 Restaurants in the Country' by Gourmet and 'Best New Restaurant 2006' by Food and Wine. Located in the heart of Miami Design District, Crumb on Parchment is a cozy cafe sporting mismatched vintage furniture and an extensive menu of freshly-made sandwiches, soups, and to-die-for baked goods (including bakes handmade by Bernstein's mother, Martha). 'The Design District was in need of a cafe, and Crumb on Parchment provides what this neighborhood was craving', says Bernstein. Beyond her restaurants and family (she and David became parents in 2011), Bernstein is keeping busy. She continues to host her PBS weekly television series, Check, Please! South Florida and consults for Delta Airlines, creating in-flight menus for First and Business Class Elite. In addition, she is a regular guest on multiple national television shows, ranging from Top Chef and The Today Show to Univision Network's top-rated morning show, Despierta America, is a brand ambassador for Crisco, and is a member of the Macy's Culinary Council and the LEAN CUISINE Culinary Roundtable. Bernstein is also a community activist. After falling in love with the organization while visiting Chicago, Bernstein launched the Miami chapter of Common Threads, an after-school program created by Chef Art Smith and dedicated to teaching underprivileged kids ages 8-11 to cook, socialize, and eat healthy one recipe at a time. In a similar vein, she is currently working with the Miami-Dade Public School system on a chef partnership dedicated to improving the quality of cafeteria food in schools throughout the county and partnered with First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools!, a major new White House initiative targeting childhood obesity and the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables in school meals via school gardens. In April 2011, Bernstein launched her vibrant new collection of cookware and cutlery sets 'Michelle B' on Home Shopping Network (HSN) through Fagor America. Her line includes a selection of well-crafted, elegantly designed pieces that Bernstein selected herself, making sure that every piece was constructed with only the finest materials and the most up-to-date technology.