Chef Justin Shares the Florida Chefs Who Inspire Him

Justin Timineri, executive chef at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, notes there are a slew of great chefs throughout the state of Florida getting creative with Florida produce and other homegrown commodities.

“I’ve been traveling up and down this state my entire life, and it’s really a culinary paradise. There are many chefs who are not well known but are utilizing wonderful things that are grown locally and building relationships with farmers, fishermen and ranchers in their area, and getting that product into their restaurants,” he says. “They are preparing Florida ingredients in a lot of amazing ways. We have some of the most diverse food in the state of Florida.”

Timineri specifically names Chef Dean Max of 3030 Ocean in Fort Lauderdale, Chef Jim Shirley of Santa Rosa Beach hot spot Great Southern Café and restaurateur Richard Gonzmart of Tampa-based Ulele as three peers he admires for utilizing local products.

See more: What’s In Season? Florida Produce Calendar

Southern Specialty

Another chef Timineri admires is Southern cuisine expert Chef Art Smith, a sixth-generation Floridian who has prepared meals for former Florida Govs. Bob Graham and Jeb Bush.

“I call him ‘super chef’ because he’s been all over the Food Network, and his philosophy is to use fresh, local ingredients and put a Southern spin on those items,” Timineri says. “He takes these old-world Southern recipes and updates them with more modern techniques and fresh ingredients, whereas they were cooked with canned or frozen before.”

Smith oversees a restaurant in Disney Springs and has restaurants in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. He finds great joy in using local products from Florida farmers.

“When I came back to Florida six years ago, I became reacquainted with ‘Fresh From Florida’ and it all started with the opening of Walt Disney World’s Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’,” he says. “When you get past the magical gate, you see the real Florida, and my Florida is really special and also tastes good.”

That’s why the restaurant focuses on recipes full of items like locally grown strawberries or South Florida tropical fruits. He has a great understanding of what’s growing in the state and incorporates as much as possible in the scrumptious dishes he creates.

“What I try to do at Homecomin’ is bring that taste of Florida to Disney,” Smith says. “Every season, we promote a different Florida farmer, and we use products from their farms – fruits, vegetables, chicken and more.”

In July, the restaurant featured Florida alligator and fresh collard greens. Currently, Smith and his brother Gene own a working farm with a herd of black Angus in Jasper, where they grew up learning about the value of food.

“I grew up eating a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, and we didn’t do it because it was cool; it was just necessity,” he says. “My parents were children of the Depression, so a large percentage of our food was grown, and my father had hams cured and sausages made.”

Smith also founded the Common Threads program, an organization that focuses on teaching youngsters how to eat healthily and serves as a diplomatic way to introduce kids to different cultures. The program is currently in nine states, with Florida’s Miami program being one of the largest and most active.

See more: Get a Taste of Florida With Chef Justin Timineri

Good For All

While Florida is widely known for producing citrus, Smith says there are also great flavors coming from items like okra, sweet corn, baby spinach, arugula, peppers and more.

“I’d like to see more of it in the market because I think when people know it’s been grown around them, they are much more likely to want those items,” he says. “There’s just a lot of great stuff being grown all over the state.”

Timineri notes that when chefs buy local fruit and vegetables and other commodities produced in Florida, it keeps the money in the state and helps farmers, fishermen and ranchers who work incredibly hard to provide a safe and healthy supply of food.

“Any time we can support those wonderful people, it’s a win-win,” he says.