Miami Places

Is This Miami’s Best Soul Food Restaurant?

In an nondescript strip mall off of busy NW 27th in Miami Gardens is a project worthy of widespread attention.

Inside is a small restaurant with big dreams to save a culture before it dies out forever.

This is the story of the place that wants to save soul food in Miami.

At Miami Soul Cafe, soul food is serious business.

“I was raised up on soul food,” Carrollo Phillips said.

“Soul food kind of deals with the person who’s making it,” Willis Howard said. “Putting you heart into it. We were given a lot of scraps a long time ago and we had to make the best with those scraps.”

Well known Miami political operative Willis Howard has wanted to open a place like this for many years.

Why?

“it is the largest African-American city in the state. Almost 115,000 African-American residents. And there wasn’t really a black staple. We had a lot of other restaurants from Caribbean, Haitian, Bahamian, Jamaican. But not anything dealing with just African-American food.”

But Howard’s dream of a proudly black restaurant in a proudly black city wouldn’t be possible without this man.

Chef Carrollo Phillips.

“And when you taste that, you gonna taste that love. I don’t care what it is. You’re going to taste it.”

Phillips grew up in Miami and was a big time athlete at Miami Northwestern high school.

He was drafted into Vietnam where he got to hone his cooking skills while running mess halls near the front lines.

But he also saw action and was injured.

“It wasn’t no vacation over there brother. No sir. Still had to go out and survive. That’s what I called it. Survive.”

He came home from the war a damaged young man.

But Phillips took some of the love for soul food he had learned cooking with his mom and grandma and the organization skills developed by the army to start a long career as a successful caterer.

That’s how Howard and him would eventually meet.

Miami Soul Cafe has a large menu of southern soul food favorites.

Howard hopes that his place can help remind his community why soul food is so important.

He wants to save it from disappearing forever.

“Chef is amazing,” Howard said. “Just to have him and his presence. It’s his recipes. And I hope that we can foster something that these recipes don’t die out with us. That other folks come in here and see it. He has no problem showing you everything he does. ‘Let me shows you how to make a biscuit. Let me show how to make grits. Let me show you how to do the fish. Because hopefully, you’ll be able to go out and spinoff and make some more of these things. Because if not, our food will be gone. It will be gone.”

A “Cat Cafe” Just Opened In Miami Beach. Seriously

What’s News In This Story?


 

WATCH:

 

–After two years of waiting, Miami Beach finally has its very own “cat cafe”.

-The simply named Cat Cafe South Beach opened to the public on November 16. 

-Featuring nearly 40 adoptable cats of all ages, the shop also serves hot drinks like coffee and tea and offers some light fare. 

-Anyone can come to pet or play with the cats, but you are asked to give a minimum donation of $15 for adults and $12 for children 11 and under. 

Here’s another cool story: 

Before National Fame, Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho Started As An Undocumented Immigrant

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Have a news tip about this topic or something completely different? Send it to [email protected].

Making Little Haiti, Miami’s Next Big Tourism Destination

What’s News In This Story?


–For a group of young Haitian-Americans, Little Haiti is poised to become Miami’s next big tourist destination. 

-Each Saturday, Jean Cidelca leads dozens of people on a tap-tap bus tour around the area. 

-It’s the first of its kind in Little Haiti. 

-The tour takes visitors to historical landmarks including to the monument to Haitian Revolutionary leader Toussaint L’ouverture.

-L’Ouverture is a sort of George Washington figure to Haitians. He helped lead the slave revolt that resulted in the overthrow of French rule in 1804. 

-The bus also stops to let guests take pictures of street art produced by Haitians including Miami’s graffiti godfather Serge Toussaint.

-One of the more “wild” parts of the tour is when it stops at Earth N’ Us farms. It’s literally a hippie’s dream from the 1970s. 

-Complete with a three story tall treehouse, Earth N’ Us is a commune of sorts right in the heart of Little Haiti. 

-And there’s plenty of animals to check out while you’re there too. 

Cidelca’s tour is in partnership with the Little Haiti Cultural Complex, the centerpiece of goings-on in the neighborhood. 

-They tried to get some of the big tour bus companies to start coming to Little Haiti, but they didn’t get any takers. 

-But now, there’s a cool way to see the area with local eyes. 

IF YOU GO: 

WHEN: Every Saturday
TIME: 10am & 1pm & 3pm
DURATION: 75 Minutes
MEETING POINT: Caribbean Marketplace | 5925 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL, 33137
PRICE: $10

Reserve tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/little-haiti-bus-tours-tickets-49520491122?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Call: 205-649-0787 For More Information (Not a typo- the area code is 205)

Private Bus Tours Available Upon Request.

 

Here’s Something Completely Different: 

Meet The Three Frenchmen Who Are Taking Over Miami’s Culinary Scene

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Have a news tip about this topic or something completely different? Send it to [email protected]

Beloved Captain Jim’s Was Just Reopened By A Member Of Miami’s Seafood Royal Family

What’s News In This Story?


Captain Jim’s has finally reopened after being closed for nearly a year.

The beloved restaurant and fish market has been delivering some of the best fresh seafood in South Florida since 1996. 

It was bought earlier this year by David Garcia. 

David is best known for running La Camaronera in Little Havana. He is from the famed Garcia family. 

-The family has a long history of fishing and being in the seafood business. They run Garcia’s, an historic seafood joint located on the Miami River. 

-David decided to keep Captain Jim’s name because of the near constant phone calls that he says he receives from old customers. 

-“Hopefully I meet everybody’s expectations,” David said in an interview. “I hope to be able to provide customers with fresh seafood and good service- make everybody happy and be a true, local, family restaurant.” 

IF YOU GO: 

Captain Jim’s

12950 W Dixie Hwy, North Miami, FL 33161

Monday to Thursday from 11:30 AM to 9 PM, Friday and Saturday from 11:30 AM to 10 PM, Sunday from 11:30 AM to 8 PM

(305) 892-2812

——Here’s Something Completely Different: ——

Meet The Three Frenchmen Who Are Taking Over Miami’s Culinary Scene

RISE NEWS is South Florida’s digital TV news network. Sign up for our awesome email newsletter to make sure you never miss a story!

Have a news tip about this topic or something completely different? Send it to [email protected].

Miami Shores Restaurant Was Forged On The Seas And Written In The Stars

What’s News In This Story?


 

–Quiet Miami Shores is an unlikely place to find a high-end restaurant that trafficks in international fusion. 

-But that’s where you’ll find Restaurant Côté Gourmet and its owners, Amina and Matteo.

–She was born in Senegal and is a classically trained French and Italian chef and he is a yacht captain who believes deeply in his wife’s unique approach to cooking.

 **IF YOU GO: 

Cote Gourmet, 9999 Northeast 2nd Avenue, Miami Shores, FL 33138

Sunday: 10 AM to 3 PM

Tuesday-Saturday 10 AM to 3 PM, 6 PM to 10 PM.

——Here’s Something Completely Different: ——

Meet The Three Frenchmen Who Are Taking Over Miami’s Culinary Scene

RISE NEWS is South Florida’s digital TV news network. Sign up for our awesome email newsletter to make sure you never miss a story!

Have a news tip about this topic or something completely different? Send it to [email protected].

Inside Miami’s Only Rastafarian Church

What’s News In This Story?


 

 

–Priest Douggie Smith and his team at the First Rastafari Church and Cultural Center of Florida are doing something unique. 

They are trying to get local Rastafari out of the shadows and into the center of the larger community. 

-Priest Douggie: “We didn’t create a space for Rastafari alone we created a space for the community so Rastafari and the community can interact together and build our community in a positive way.” 

-Priest Douggie’s message and style has attracted some interesting non Rastafari people to his new center for cultural events.

According to Priest Douggie, there is a large Rastafari community in South Florida, but they are scattered around the region. 

From 1993 to 2007, there was a Rastafari church in Miami but it was forced to close during the recession. 

-From that time to the opening of the new center, local Rastafari had to meet at homes and in parks to worship with each other.

 

Meet The Three Frenchmen Who Are Taking Over Miami’s Culinary Scene

What’s News In This Story?


 

–All the rage in North Miami is Cafe Creme, a French restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s the kind of place that you wouldn’t dream to find in this working class Miami suburb a few years ago.

-Cafe Creme co-founder Cory Finot and his partner Claude Postel were lured to North Miami by some grant money from the city’s community redevelopment agency.

-While additional future locations for Cafe Creme are in development, the three Frenchmen have embarked on another ambitious venture. 

-In mid 2018, they opened Sixty10, an old school place that serves classic French chicken dishes in a unpretentious way. 

-Claude owns the land it sits on in the heart of Little Haiti and the Frenchmen are betting that it becomes the Wynwood Walls of the neighborhood as it continues to experience gentrification. 

-If you think that sounds like a pipe dream, don’t be so hasty. Cory was mentored by the man who put Wynwood on the map, the late Miami developer Tony Goldman. 

 **IF YOU GO: 

Cafe Creme, North Miami- 750 NE 125th St, North Miami, FL 33161

Cafe Creme, Buena Vista- 5010 NE 2nd Ave, Miami, Fl 33137

Sixty10- 6010 NE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33137

——Here’s Something Completely Different: ——

Newly Reopened To The Public, Miami’s Iconic Freedom Tower Has Positioned Itself As An Ideas Hub

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Have a news tip about this topic or something completely different? Send it to [email protected].

Newly Reopened To The Public, Miami’s Iconic Freedom Tower Has Positioned Itself As An Ideas Hub

What’s News In This Story?


 

–The Freedom Tower (600, Biscayne Boulevard) is Miami’s most historic landmark.

-Known as the Ellis Island of the South, the tower recently reopened to the public with a slew of new features.

-And with the changes, the facility is poised to be a center of action for those who want to move the Magic City forward.

–The additions to the museum include the Kislak Center- a 2,600 square foot space that includes books, manuscripts, maps, and other artifacts from both before and after Christopher Columbus’ journey to the new world. 

The museum also features the Cuban Legacy Gallery, a space that looks at the impact of Cuban’s to South Florida’s history. 

–The museum is trying to position itself as a place where Miami can come to learn about its past while also brainstorming ideas for its future. 

The museum also features the Cuban Legacy Gallery, a space that looks at the impact of Cuban’s to South Florida’s history. 

–Opened in 1926 as the original home for The Miami News, the tower became iconic after it was pressed into service as the processing center for Cuban refugees who were fleeing the rise of the Castro regime.

The building has been owned by Miami-Dade College since 2005 and in recent years the offices for the Miami Film Festival and the Miami Book Fair were moved into the tower. The building was previously owned by a number of private owners, including the Mas family, who donated it to MDC. 

 

**IF YOU GO: Open 1-6 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays; and 1-8 p.m. Saturdays.

The Museum of Art and Design at Miami Dade College- Freedom Tower (600, Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, 33132)

Admission: $12 general, $8 senior and military, $5 students, children under 12 enter free. MDC students, faculty and staff enter free. Ticketed events vary in price.

——Here’s Something Completely Different: ——

The TV Weatherman Who Is Trying To Save Miami From Drowning

RISE NEWS is South Florida’s digital TV news network. Sign up for our awesome email newsletter to make sure you never miss a story!

Have a news tip about this topic or something completely different? Send it to [email protected].

Lower East Coast Is Bringing Miami’s Hipsters And Zine Fans To Allapattah

What’s News In This Story?


 

–Lower East Coast (3418 NW 7th Ave, Miami) is a small storefront that features zines and has a hipster feel.

-It’s one of those independent places that Miami doesn’t seem to have enough of.

–Founded by longtime friends and coworkers Steven Sanz and Rees Escobar, Lower East Coast is starting to get some buzz in the Miami artsy scene. 

–It also serves as a pop up venue for musicians that Lower East Coast Management represents, and others. 

–The shop is one of the anchors to a bunch of recent activity  in the Allapattah area. 

The full story: 

Lower East Coast is a small hipster shop that specializes in selling local zines, independent magazines and local apparel brands that are a bit obscure and weird.

It’s also something that co-founders Steven Sanz and Rees Escobar say that they have to do for Miami.

“We’ve been friends for a long time and we’ve been talking about doing something for Miami and this is what we landed on,” Sanz said in an interview with RISE NEWS.

The shop is an outgrowth of Lower East Coast Management, a local talent agency that manages the careers of artists like Denzel Curry and PSYCHIC MIRRORS.

Sanz and Escobar first met over 15 years ago and have similar interests.

They decided to launch a Lower East Coast storefront during last year’s Art Basel.

Since then, they have hosted a series of pop up events with artists they manage, and others.

They also sell street wear brands like the Miami based Stray Rats and their own original tees.

“Everything we do is small batch runs,” Sanz said. “What we do is very niche. When you work with the young art kids, the rarer it is, the cooler it is.”

The interior of the shop is an all-white industrial space with high ceilings. It also features wood bleachers were you can sit and read through the collection of rare zines.

Ultimately Sanz said that they are trying to create a sense of community in Miami with Lower East Coast.

“It’s inspired by places we visit in New York and London,” Sanz said. “We need more mom and pop shops here. It’s something we’re missing.”

***HOT TIP-  You can also watch World Cup games and hang at the store. Lower East Coast is also partnering with Hialeah thrift and consignment store, Ropa Vieja, to sell a variety of select 90’s soccer kits and a custom, limited edition World Cup T-shirt. 

**IF YOU GO: Open Wednesday through Sunday from 12 PM to 8 PM.

Lower East Coast (3418 NW 7th Ave, Miami, 33127)

——Here’s Something Completely Different: ——

The TV Weatherman Who Is Trying To Save Miami From Drowning

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Have a news tip about this topic or something completely different? Send it to [email protected].

There Are Now Robot Floor Cleaners At Miami International Airport

What’s News In This Story?


–Miami International Airport (MIA) is now home to two autonomous cleaning vehicles that help polish the floors of busy Concourse D. 

According to a press release announcing the program, the robots are programmable, self-driving machines that are capable of running for more than four hours at a time.

-The robots can polish up to 80,000 square-feet of terminal floor space in four hours, which is roughly equivalent to two football fields.

–C&W Services runs facilities maintenance at MIA and they claim the robots will free up time for their 672 on-site cleaning professionals to focus on other projects. 

“We’re excited to launch these customer-oriented cleaning initiatives at MIA, which is one of C&W Services’ most prominent U.S. partners,” said Milagros Diaz, Operations Director for C&W Services at MIA said in a statement. 

–MIA sees over 44 million visitors each year and over 125,000 per day. It is one of the busiest airports in the United States. 

 

——Here’s Something Completely Different: ——

The TV Weatherman Who Is Trying To Save Miami From Drowning

RISE NEWS is South Florida’s digital news network. Follow us on Facebook to make sure you never miss a story!

Have a news tip about this topic or something completely different? Send it to [email protected].

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