Kenny Gilbert takes the helm as VP of culinary operations, and Beauty and the Butcher debuts Dec. 21
December 19, 2022
Grove Bay Hospitality Group has a significant presence in South Florida, with concepts including Michelin-starred Stubborn Seed in Miami, a sprawling waterfront restaurant called Bayshore Club in Coconut Grove, and Red Rooster Overtown in partnership with chef Marcus Samuelsson. In total, the group operates eight restaurants, with more to come.
To run the culinary ship, Grove Bay has brought in chef Kenny Gilbert, left, who will serve as vice president of culinary operations across the group’s portfolio. In his new role, Gilbert will be responsible for menu inheritance, compliance, and food quality, and he’ll work closely with the chef partners at individual restaurants.
Gilbert’s career spans more than two decades. After graduating from the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute, he apprenticed in the garde manger prep kitchen at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Amelia Island in Florida, working his way up to chef de cuisine by age 23. His cooking career took him to Georgia, Colorado, and Barbados, he’s worked for both large restaurant groups and small concepts, and competed on season seven of “Top Chef.” He also owns a product line of rubs and seasonings called Chef Kenny’s Spice Blends.
“Chef Kenny Gilbert knows how to run a tight kitchen,” Ignacio Garcia-Menocal, the CEO and co-founder of Grove Bay Hospitality Group said. “And he is also a very talented chef who will bring an overarching culinary approach to each unique restaurant concept.”
For this new role, Gilbert has relocated to Miami from Jacksonville, Fla., where he owns Silkie’s Chicken and Champagne Bar with his wife Anna.
“Miami is a beautiful city with a colorful food scene and some incredible culinary talent,” Gilbert said. “I’m so excited to join the Grove Bay team and bring some of my signature cooking style and operational expertise to the group’s restaurants.”
Grove Bay’s newest project is Beauty and the Butcher, which opens for dinner on Dec. 21 in Coral Gables, Fla. with Jeremy Ford, left, at the helm. Ford is also the chef behind Stubborn Seed, which was awarded one Michelin star earlier this year in the inaugural Florida Michelin guide.
Beauty and the Butcher seats 160 guests, including 30 at the bar, and the modern dining room features earth-tone woods, forest-green leather booths and bronze accents.
The menu is built to be shared and is broken into four sections: table snacks, light and bright, golden and crispy, and mains. Ford sources ingredients from local farmers and purveyors, with dishes including dry-aged Japanese yellowtail crudo with winter citrus, dried olive, mint, and chervil; and crispy Duroc pork belly with pickled cucumber, spiced broth, mint, and fennel salsa verde.
A dry-aging program will highlight unique charcuterie cuts for the table, and leaning into the butcher theme: mains include a wagyu tomahawk and a 48-hour smoked beef rib.
The hospitality group had been talking to Ford about working together on another project ever since Stubborn Seed opened five years ago, and the opportunity presented itself in the space that formerly housed Grove Bay restaurant, Public Square.
“We’re excited to once again collaborate with Jeremy to open a new restaurant and bring his talent to Miami’s suburban neighborhoods,” Garcia-Menocal said.
“Beauty & the Butcher will offer a dining experience that only Jeremy can create and we’re thrilled to bring this new concept to life,” Francesco Balli, CEO and co-founder of Grove Bay said.
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