Taste of the city: For Beauty and the Butcher chef, it’s all about community

CORAL GABLES – It’s like a culinary art photo book looking at dish after dish at Beauty and the Butcher in Coral Gables.

The artist behind them is rock and roll super chef Jeremy Ford, a Top Chef winner, a James Beard semi-finalist and last year his famous South Beach restaurant, Stubborn Seed, was awarded a Michelin star.

For La Belle et le Boucher, it all started at home.

“So my daughter is the beauty and I’m the butcher,” Ford said.

“I feel like I wouldn’t be where I am without her in my life, so I want to give something back with her name on it and it’s kind of our little joint project together.”

The restaurant is warm and inviting. The books on the shelves are written by fellow chefs and are there for a reason.

“I wanted it to be a place where when cooks wanted a little inspiration, they could come here and take a look at some of the stuff we have on the walls to bring certain dishes to life,” said Ford.

Near the top shelf bar is a nod to what’s on the menu.

“We do a lot of charcuterie here. We do homemade salumi, gabagool, duck prosciutto, so all of that, me and chef Juan, take a lot of passion out of it,” he said.

Ford himself lives just down the street and says he’s happy to share his kitchen with those closer to home.

“To me, it’s all about community,” he said,

“We’re very daring cooks, so we want to bring that to the neighborhood, so you don’t have to drive that far to get those amazing flavors.

Back in the kitchen, Ford and his team get to work on a menu that celebrates local farmers and suppliers.

His culinary approach is one of a kind.

“We wanted to highlight the things that we love to eat and that you crave. We have a smoked prime rib cooked for 2 days,” Ford said.

It is served with chimichurri and pickled coleslaw.

“It’s a labor of love there,” he said.

It all starts with the meat.

“It was smoked for 10 hours and cooked in a circulator for two days to give it that really sumptuous bite,” he said.

“That’s a really good word. I’ll use that, sumptuous bite,” said CBS News Miami’s Lisa Petrillo.

“I love the crunch of a lettuce, the coleslaw on the outside and it’s really tender and juicy. It’s really something chef special. Really something special.”

And finally, a whole Florida suckling pig is in this room, served with spring vegetables.

“So the elevation of these dishes is amazing, very ‘cheffy,'” Petrillo said.

“It’s amazingly good. I love the sauce and it’s also so crispy on the outside like a Chicharrón almost?” she asked.

“Yes! You get it, Ford said. I feel like you really get me,” said.

“I understand you,” Petrillo said.

Beauty and the Butcher is open seven days a week for dinner only.

An 8-course tasting menu will be released soon. Click here for more information.