The Raleigh Hotel on South Beach is getting a superstar chef to overhaul its food and beverage operations: Michael Schwartz. If you live in Miami or have even heard of the Miami dining scene, you’re probably familiar with Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink in the Design District, which comes courtesy of Michael Schwartz, one of the biggest names in Miami dining.

Michael Schwartz is known around town as one of the city’s best when it comes to food and wine. His extremely popular Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink restaurant has been a hit in the Design District since it’s opening in 2007 and Schwartz also has plans to open a pizza joint in the same area called Harry’s Pizzeria at the end of September.

The news that Schwartz will be coming on board for The Raleigh Hotel’s food and beverage operations is a massive “get” for the hotel as fans of Schwartz are always looking to see what he is going to do next and typically follow faithfully where ever he goes. The hotel is in a prime location on South Beach and if his past has proven anything, Schwartz has the ability to bring in money and be a financial success.

Schwartz is known as a pioneer in the Design District because he passed the torch from Miami Beach to the mainland and brought serious dining to the slowly-but-surely growing area of town. Schwartz is recognized for creating a sense of “neighborhood” in the Design District as he employs a forager, buys produce from several local farms and even teams up with local independent movie theater O Cinema.

The news that Schwartz will be taking his talents, and at least part of his time, back over to Miami Beach is perhaps just what the over-touristy area of Miami needs. Locals may actually venture out into the inconvenient Collins Avenue on a Saturday evening just to sample what Schwartz has to offer their neighborhood. In fact, some are already assuming that Schwartz will create a “top-notch dining experience that will draw people from all over Miami,” despite it being located in a hotel on often tourist-ridden South Beach.

Source: Miami Rankings

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