Bal Harbor Village haute cuisine from Switzerland

Six chefs, great food, high-end culinary creations, and Michelin star chefs hit Florida for a week of fine dining.

Over four days in May Bal Harbor Village, a gorgeous enclave of impeccable style and pristine sand in Miami Beach, hosted the extraordinary Swiss gastronomic event, Haute Cuisine, in which six world-renowned chefs—nine Michelin stars among them—offered attendees unique experiences such as themed dinners and cooking classes.

The most exclusive area of South Florida was transformed into an incomparable dining destination as it welcomed more than 285 guests—including Bal Harbor Village mayor, Gabriel Groisman—who enjoyed four themed dinners and six private cooking classes with award-winning international chefs such as Frenchmen Jacques Pourcel (three Michelin stars), Thierry Drapeau (two), Joel Cesari (one) and Jean-Baptiste Natali (one), as well as Sergi Arola (two Michelin stars) from Spain and The Netherlands’ Alain Caron.

Haute Cuisine kicked off at the Bal Harbor Shops with a welcome cocktail in the iconic Center Courtyard followed by a themed dinner at the Le Zoo restaurant, inspired by the French luxury fashion house, Balmain. The menu was created by Pourcel, Drapeau, and Caron, who together have five Michelin stars.

The following night, Oceana Bal Harbor hosted a private dinner inspired by the architectural design of Piero Lissoni and the beautiful sculpture Seated Ballerina by Jeff Koons, and prepared by chefs Arola, Cesari, and Natali, who share four Michelin stars. The next day, a six-Michelin-star dinner fused Latin American musical influences with a delicious menu created by chefs Natali, Pourcel, and Drapeau at the Artisan Beach restaurant at Ritz-Carlton Bal Harbor.

The epic culinary adventure concluded with a formal gala inspired by the elegant atmosphere of Bal Harbor at night. Following cocktails at Ocean Terrace, the open-air restaurant of the St. Regis Bal Harbor Resort, the celebration continued with a nine-Michelin-star dinner at its exclusive beachfront event hall, comprising a menu created by all six invited chefs. Over four mouth-watering days, Haute Cuisine also presented six immersive cooking classes led by each of the chefs at the St. Regis Bal Harbor Resort and Ritz-Carlton Bal Harbor.

“We are delighted with the collaboration we made with W Verbier Switzerland, which allowed us to bring this extraordinary event to Bal Harbor,” said Trip Barre , director of marketing and tourism for Bal Harbor Village. “We look forward to hosting the second edition of Haute Cuisine Bal Harbor in 2020.”