Miriam Bettant runs the Bettant bakery with her husband in South Beach. Though the space faces upheaval, she’s determined to remain in an area she loves.
Basically, the first week was just a bunch of Miami chefs and bloggers buying the sandwiches, Murray tells New Times. But it got to a point where I was selling out days in advance. My home fridge was like a storage center. In November, Murray reconnected with 33-year-old Michael Kaplan, a friend from culinary school. Based in New York City, Kaplan owns coffee shops as well as Two Forks, a fast-food, build-your-own restaurant with an emphasis on slow-roasted meats. Together, the duo set eyes on expanding Murray s homebred concept into brick and mortar. I knew I was going back to Pao eventually, but I also wanted to do something else, explains Murray, who started working at the Asian restaurant in the Faena Hotel in Miami Beach in 2016.
It s lunchtime on the ground floor of the historic Seybold Building in downtown Miami. But the socially distant throngs strolling past the open doorway of Motek Café would be forgiven for thinking for a moment that they ve stumbled into an indoor mall in Tel Aviv s central station, what with the restaurant s honey-colored tiles, vibrant lighting, and Middle Eastern music emanating from within, punctuating the buzz of the businesses that surround it. Situated between two jewelry stores, Motek the name means sweetheart in Hebrew is a fast-casual take on Mediterranean-Israeli dishes, with a menu that includes falafel, shawarma, and hummus. Founded by Tessa Levy and with chef Einat Admony (well known for her New York restaurants Balaboosta and Taim) behind the menu, Motek opened this past June during the pandemic. Focusing on fresh, quality ingredients, Motek has attracted a local following in an unprecedented time for the food-service industry. Admony has since left, but the menu remains the same.