Rising Stars: Brian Nasajon

Cooking is what Brian Nasajon was meant to do and he does it brilliantlynbsp

Felipe Cuevas

I have a simple philosophy: Fill what’s empty. Empty what’s full. Scratch where it itches.
     —American writer Alice Roosevelt Longworth

Brian Nasajon has a philosophy—actually, a philosophy degree, and it left him empty. As it turns out, cooking was his real itch, and he’s been scratching it in the most beautiful way at his new 115-seat restaurant, Beaker & Gray. The restaurant, in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood, is serving elevated global dishes that are seriously approachable.

[CHARTBEAT:3]

Despite his brief detour into academia, cooking was inevitable for a kid who comes from a Uruguayan family of terrific home cooks. His world approach was ignited at home, but blossomed during time spent in several professional kitchens. Nasajon’s first gig, a year-long unpaid internship with chef Josh Capon at Lure Fishbar in Manhattan, got him hooked.

But cooking stints at Wish restaurant and SushiSamba in Miami ignited his global soul. At both he rose to top cooking positions. Now at Beaker and Gray, his menu is peppered with international spice and ingredients such as Spanish octopus; glass noodles with green papaya; pumpkin gnocchi; “piggy” with mofongo; risotto with uni butter; and whole fish with gremolata and pomelo.

The Miami Herald was so impressed with his cooking, that it gave B & G a three-and-a-half-star review. “Nasajon’s super-creative, ingredient-driven menu has Yelpers yapping and snapping,” it wrote. Philosophically speaking, you don’t have to be a deep thinker to see that Nasajon has the talent to fill any dining room with happy customers.

Contact Michael Sanson: [email protected]

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