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moments through food.” After moving back to Jacksonville and working at a few restaurants as a teenager, Ford ended up dropping out of high school and moving away to Los Angeles to chase his dreams of becom ing a chef. He started earning his culi nary degree from “the School of Hard Knocks,” he often jokes, by toiling away at multiple restaurants. Ford worked his way from mincing vegetables and frying shrimp at local spots to working at a French restaurant in Los Angeles called L’Orangerie, where he was men tored by executive chef Christophe Eme, as well as under master chef Joachim Splichal at Patina. “I worked at a two Michelin-star res taurant and really got high, high-end training. I got my ass kicked every day physically, and mentally abused every day, which thank god those days are in

the past,” Ford says, without naming or referencing a speci c restaurant. A few years later, Ford moved back to Florida to take care of his mother who had become ill, and set up shop in Miami. ere, he worked and learned for about ve years under acclaimed Chef Dean James Max, owner of farm-to-table food and beverage con cept DJM Restaurants, before getting the opportunity to serve as executive chef at Matador Room in Miami, run by the world-renowned French chef Jean Georges Vongerichten. “He was the one who really pushed me to do ‘Top Chef,’ because he’s had a lot of [people] either come in second place or have competed,” Ford says. Following his victory on the Bravo TV show, the Sunshine State native decided to strike out on his own and create his own restaurant in Miami.

Stubborn Seed MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA Opened: 2017 Cuisine Type: Seasonal, Contemporary American Owners: Chef Jeremy Ford, Ignacio Garcia Menocal, Francesco Balli (Grove Bay Hospitality Group)

PEANUT BUTTER CANDY BAR

Jeremy Ford

He called it Stubborn Seed, which he named after the resilience it takes for plants to grow—illustrating the persis tence required to open a new restaurant, and the dedication and time commit ment to ensure it grows and ourishes. Partnering with Ignacio Garcia-Meno cal and Francesco Balli of Grove Bay Hospitality, Ford opened his rst res taurant in September 2017 in Miami’s South Beach. With 74 seats and located on a busy corner in the South of Fifth Neigh borhood, Stubborn Seed has become known not only for its rotating sea sonal tasting menus, but also for its sleek design, with industrial chic decor

ANNA MARIA LOPEZ / GROVE BAY HOSPITALITY GROUP / MICHAL PISARRI

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