Yes, I am obsessed with Jeff Bezos, and now that he’s moving to Miami, I hope to get a photo op with him soon. It’s the season for music, and every performing arts center in the Miami area has a full schedule of musicals, plays, concerts, and lectures. This is exciting…I am getting pitched by restaurants, special exhibitions and exciting events to be included in the Miami Life section of the Three Tomatoes and I’m heading to the launch of a new restaurant. We visited “The Maze” at the  Faena Hotel recently, and I’m still not sure what all the fuss is about.

Getting Closer to My Photo Op With Jeff Bezos

A few weeks ago, I wrote about my desire to get Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, to personally deliver one of the multitude of items I buy from the online shipping service each month.

Since Bezos now lives in Miami, I thought it would make a great photo op for the founder of Amazon to personally deliver a package to me, one of his most active customers. I know it sounds like a crazy idea but please remember I’m a publicist, and I am always thinking of new marketing ideas.

Anyway, my dream almost came true this past weekend when Jeff Bezos, and his fiancé, Lauren Sanchez, dined at Carbone, a restaurant two blocks away from where I live. I heard he was at Carbone so I rushed over to see if I could meet with him.

Page Six of the New York Post reported that diners at Carbone were shocked because Bezos and Sanchez were sitting among all the other patrons. That might be the case inside, but by the time I reached the restaurant, I saw bodyguards outside the front door and across the street protecting the golf cart the couple used for their transportation. Paparazzi were all over the place.

I waited outside for them because I was prepared to give Bezos my business card which detailed my photo op idea. The only trouble was that he and Sanchez left by a rear door. What I didn’t know was that there were two golf carts being used to transport the couple and the staff. Fancy schmancy.

I just got a tip that Bezos will be at Joe’s Stone Crab this weekend. Guess who will waiting for the world’s third richest man? Moi!

After A Week of Art, We Have a Weekend Of Music

We can’t fake it. We are exhausted. We walked miles and miles through the Miami Convention Center and several man-made tents to see art from all over the world. Art Basel and The Miami Art Fairs put on quite a show. Our imaginations really got a workout.

Now Miami gets to do it all over again this tropical season with music.  Every performing arts center in the Miami area has a full schedule of musicals, plays, concerts, and lectures. This weekend Eliot and I are going to a concert at The New World Center Saturday night and on Sunday we are seeing The Nutcracker at Adrienne Archt’s Performing Arts Center. When you live in Miami it’s very much like living in Manhattan. Every entertainment center is just a short mile or two away.

Once you are inside these venues you believe you are in the west side of London or in the center of Broadway. Everything is state of the art. Miami spares no expense. It’s wonderful to have the arts in the land of sun and beach. It wasn’t like that 25 years ago, but it is now. Maybe Jeff Bezos will be attending one of these.

It’s Happening! Miami Institutions Want to Be In The Three Tomatoes

I am getting pitched by restaurants, special exhibitions and exciting events to be included in the Miami Life section of the Three Tomatoes.  This is what I am experiencing,

Hi Lois,

Hope you had a wonderful Art Week! Reaching out to put another King Goose Hospitality restaurant opening on your radar. This Friday, on Dec. 15, acclaimed Chef Jose Mendín is unveiling the inaugural standalone location in Dadeland for the innovative wagyu burger concept, June, also housed within Julia & Henry’s. For more information, see the release below.

If you are interested in covering the opening, please let me know and I’d be happy to connect you to Chef Jose Mendín or King Goose Hospitality’s Managing Partners, Daniel Pena Giraldi and Andrea Petersen, for an interview.

Here is the release. I will call for an interview with Chef Mendin this week. Stay tuned.

From Classic to Creative: Chef Jose Mendín Brings ‘June’ to Dadeland

Miami, Fla. (Dec. 12, 2023) — Following the successful launch of his innovative wagyu burger concept, ‘June,’ at Julia & Henry’s, renowned chef and culinary visionary Jose Mendín is now expanding the brand with the opening of its first standalone location in Dadeland, set to open to the public on Dec.15, 2023.

Inspired by the ceaseless energy and year-round warmth of Miami, June is a premium burger-centric haven that embodies the city’s lively spirit. Rooted in his Puerto Rican heritage, Mendín wanted to transform the classic burger into a representation of Miami’s cultural diversity.

“I started with the simple desire to craft a burger joint that truly encapsulates the essence of Miami,” Mendín shared. “I wanted to create burgers that each have their own personality with vastly different flavors.”

Distinctive burger offerings such as the “Big Kahuna,” inspired by Hawaiian culture, and the reimagined “La Parisienne” burger, a playful nod to French cuisine, reflect Mendín’s commitment to diverse, yet harmonious, flavors. June brings together unique blends of high-quality meats made with no hormones or antibiotics, locally baked brioche buns, and visually striking presentations that showcase the vibrant layers of each burger.

Apart from the traditional dishes available at its Julia & Henry’s’ location, June Dadeland offers a more extensive range of unique options, such as hot dogs, fried chicken, soft-serve ice cream, and boba tea.

June Dadeland is located at 8975 SW 72nd Ct, Miami, FL 33156. It’s open from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, visit juneburgers.com. Follow on Instagram: @june_burgers.

About the Chef

Born to parents with an appreciation for cuisine (and a great-grandmother who was a cooking instructor), José Mendín didn’t discover his own love of cooking until he was off at college on a volleyball scholarship and preparing his own meals. Mendín moved from his native Puerto Rico to Miami in 1998 to enroll at Johnson & Wales University, from which he graduated in 2001 with a Bachelor’s Degree in the Culinary Arts. Mendín went on to help open Nobu Miami that same year and Nobu London in 2002, with chefs Mark Edwards and Thomas Buckley, respectively.

In 2003, Mendín traveled to Spain to work for Chef Jesús Ramiro in Valladolid, and later Chef Juan Pablo Felipe in Madrid at Michelin-starred El Chaflán. Upon returning to Miami, he joined Rising Star alum Jordi Vallès to open Mosaico.

In 2004, Mendín opened Sushisamba Miami Beach as chef de cuisine, rising to assistant corporate chef for the company in two years and later opening Sushisamba Vegas. Continuing his streak of successful openings, Mendín opened Mercadito Chicago in 2009 and Mercadito Miami in 2010, where he met chef de cuisine, Sergio Navarro. The pair partnered up with Andreas Schreiner to found The Pubbelly Restaurant Group in 2010, where the trio won StarChefs Rising Star Restaurateur Award in 2016.

Mendín is a five-time James Beard Award semifinalist for “Best Chef, Southeast.

My Review Of “The Maze” At Faena

I’m still not sure what all the fuss is about. The supposedly football-field-size maze, constructed out of sand on the beach in front of the Faena hotel, is definitely interesting but not something that I would tell others that they must see.

Chilean artist Sebastian Errazuriz said the maze was designed to facilitate human interaction. Entry points at four sides all lead to a central square where visitors are invited to meditate, talk to one another and to free ourselves from the craziness going on in the world today.

I visited the maze with Eliot and my cousins Elle and Milo, who were visiting from Manhattan. We all came away from it with a big yawn. It took us less than five minutes to walk through and it was as bland as it could possibly be.

We didn’t feel any of the introspective thoughts that the creator promised. The maze walk was too short to allow anyone to get into any sort of solitude mood. We also expected to get lost within the walls but that could never happen. There were openings to the outside of the maze at almost every turn so we never felt alone or challenged.  It kind of reminded us of the Peggy Lee song, “Is that all that there is?”