Michael Mina facts for kids
Mina in 2011
|
|
| Born | 1969 (age 55–56) Cairo, Egypt |
|---|---|
| Cooking style | Modern American, Seafood, Mediterranean |
| Education | The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, New York |
|
Rating(s)
Michael Mina (San Francisco)
- Michelin stars   |
|
| Official website | |
| http://www.michaelmina.net | |
Michael Mina (born in 1969) is a famous American chef, restaurant owner, and author of cookbooks. He started the Mina Group, a company that runs more than 40 restaurants around the world. He is the main chef at his two special restaurants in San Francisco and Las Vegas. Both of these restaurants have won a star from the important Michelin Guide. Michael Mina wrote his first cookbook in 2006 and has been on TV many times.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Michael Mina was born in 1969 in Cairo, Egypt. When he was young, his family moved to the United States. He grew up in a town called Ellensburg, Washington.
When he was 16, Michael started working in a French kitchen in his hometown. After high school, he went to the University of Washington. He also worked at a restaurant inside the Space Needle. This was his first time working in a very busy restaurant. After one year, he left to study at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.
Chef Michael Mina's Career
After finishing his studies, Michael Mina worked at famous restaurants in New York City. He then moved to Los Angeles to work at the Bel Air Hotel. In 1990, he went to San Francisco to help open a restaurant called Aqua. When the main chef left Aqua, Michael Mina became the executive chef. He won many awards for his cooking there.
Michael Mina's Cooking Style
Michael Mina's way of cooking focuses on balancing four main tastes. These are spice, sweetness, sourness (acidity), and richness. He believes that getting these four elements right makes food taste amazing.
Cooking for Presidents
Michael Mina has had the special chance to cook for three different United States Presidents.
Starting The Mina Group
In 2002, Michael Mina met a famous tennis player named Andre Agassi. They decided to work together and started The Mina Group. This company opened new restaurants like Nobhill Tavern and Seablue in Las Vegas.
In 2009, Mina opened a restaurant called RN74 in San Francisco. Its name came from a highway in France known for its wine region.
Cook Taste Eat Videos
In 2012, Michael Mina launched a digital cooking company called Cook Taste Eat. This company sends out daily emails with cooking videos. Michael Mina and his co-host, Michelle Branch, teach people how to make restaurant-quality meals at home. They share useful cooking tips and tricks.
Restaurants Around the World
In 2018, he opened Mina Brasserie in Dubai. This restaurant is in a busy financial area.
Awards and Recognition
In 2021, Michael Mina was honored by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. He received the Great Immigrants Award. This award celebrates people who have moved to the U.S. and made important contributions.
In 2024, one of his recipes was featured in the Mercury News. It was highlighted as a great recipe for the Super Bowl.
Michael Mina Restaurant in San Francisco
In October 2006, Michael Mina's restaurant in San Francisco won two Michelin stars. This was a big deal because only a few restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area had two stars.
For the 2010 Michelin Guide, his San Francisco restaurant was given one star instead of two. Then, in 2011, it was not on the starred list at all. But in 2012, it returned to the list with one Michelin star.
In October 2011, Esquire Magazine named it the Restaurant of the Year. In 2018, the main Michael Mina restaurant started to include more Middle Eastern food on its menus.
Recipes from International Smoke, another restaurant he opened in San Francisco with Ayesha Curry, have been shown in newspapers like the Mercury News.
Cookbooks by Michael Mina
In November 2006, Michael Mina released his first cookbook. It was called Michael Mina: The Cookbook. The book shares many recipes that use his "Trio concept." This concept involves serving three different versions of a dish. It also includes his classic recipes.
Michael Mina's Restaurants
Active Restaurants
- Michael Mina. Bellagio. Las Vegas, Nevada
- Stripsteak. Mandalay Bay. Las Vegas, Nevada
- Stripsteak Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii
- Bungalow Kitchen. Tiburon, California
- Bungalow Kitchen, Long Beach, California
- Bourbon Steak. The Americana at Brand. Glendale, California
- Bourbon Steak. Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club, Aventura, Florida
- Bourbon Steak. The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. Scottsdale, Arizona
- Bourbon Steak. Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California
- Bourbon Steak. Midtown, New-York.
- Bourbon Steak. JW Marriott, Nashville, Tennessee
- Bourbon Steak. Waldorf Astoria, Dana Point, California
- Clock Bar. San Francisco
- Bourbon Steak. Four Seasons Hotel, Washington, DC
- Mina Brasserie. Four Seasons Hotel DIFC, Dubai
- PABU. San Francisco
- Wit & Wisdom. Four Seasons Hotel, Baltimore, Maryland
- Wit & Wisdom Sonoma. The Lodge at Sonoma Resort, Autograph Collection, Sonoma, California
- The Handle Bar. Jackson Hole, Wyoming
- Michael Mina Stripsteak. Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami Beach, Florida
- Bardot Brasserie. Aria Resort & Casino. Las Vegas, Nevada
- Mina Test Kitchen, San Francisco, California
- Locale Market, St. Petersburg, Florida
- PABU. Boston, Massachusetts
- Mina's Fish House. Four Seasons Hotel, Ko’Olina, Oahu
- International Smoke, San Francisco, California
- International Smoke, MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada
- Trailblazer Tavern San Francisco, Salesforce East, San Francisco, California
- Mi Almita, Honolulu, Hawaii
- Prime Grill, Dubai, UAE
- Cal Mare, MGM Springfield, Massachusetts
- Wit & Wisdom, Sonoma, California
Closed Restaurants
- Arcadia. San Jose, California (closed, 2019)
- American Fish, Aria Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada (closed, 2015)
- International Smoke, Houston, Texas (closed)
- Nobhill Tavern, MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada (closed, 2013)
- PABU. Four Seasons Hotel, Baltimore, Maryland (closed, 2014)
- Pub 1842. MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada (closed, 2019 and rebranded as International Smoke)
- RN74. San Francisco, California (closed)
- RN74. Seattle, Washington (closed, 2021)
- Seablue, MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada (closed, 2012 and rebranded as Pub 1842)
- Pizza And Burger, Fontainebleau Miami Beach, Florida (closed in 2022 and rebranded as Arcadia Grill)
- Stonehill Tavern. Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach, Monarch Beach, California (closed 2017, and rebranded as Bourbon Steak)
- International Smoke Del Mar, One Paseo, Carmel Valley, San Diego (closed in 2022)
- Bourbon Steak. Seattle, Washington (closed 12/31/2023)
Television Appearances
- Michael Mina was introduced by Gordon Ramsay, the host of Hell's Kitchen. He appeared as a judge in episode 208. Later, in episode 809, Chef Ramsay and the challenge winners visited Mina's XIV restaurant, but Mina himself did not appear.
- In 2019, Mina was on the "Meze Fete" episode of "Guy's Ranch Kitchen" (season 2, episode 14) on the Food Network. At Guy Fieri's ranch, Mina cooked salmon with a special sauce called chermoula and labneh. He also made melon with rosewater and pistachios.
- In 2021, Mina appeared as a guest judge on MasterChef (American season 11) in Episode 6.
See also
In Spanish: Michael Mina para niños
