Bernie Matz
Bernie Matz, a celebrated South Florida Chef, is the owner of Café Bernie at 5600 Collins, an outdoor waterfront café/bar inside of an iconic “MiMo” condominium on Millionaire’s Row in Miami Beach. Café Bernie specializes in “South Florida Bistro Cuisine”, using fresh local ingredients to offer signature dishes reflecting Berne’s “Cuban Jewish” ethnicity. Some of his specialties at Café Bernie are his “Matz-O-Ball” soup and his “Masitas de Puerco”.
Prior to opening Café Bernie in 2021, Matz was the director of culinary for the Menin Hospitality group, and his claim to fame is the menu for the extremely successful and unique taqueria “Bodega”.
Chef Bernie, a staple on the Miami culinary scene, brings a unique flair and passion to his cuisine. Chef Bernie attended the University of Florida and graduated with his MBA in Finance in 1984. He opened his first restaurant, Wet Paint Café, on Lincoln Road in 1986, when he was only 24. It was at Wet Paint Café where Bernie and Chef Doug Rodriguez developed what was to become a signature style of cuisine called “Nuevo Latino” or New Miami American Cuisine. Chef Bernie also worked in New York before honing his culinary abilities at Johnson & Wales culinary school. Prior to Café Bernie and Bodega, you could see Chef Bernie at The Café at Books & Books and Bernie’s LA Café.
