The roundabout route of restaurateur Alvaro Perez Miranda
By Guiselle Arciniega Gomez/Communitywire.Miami
With South Florida hosting the largest concentration of Venezuelans in the United States, one might easily guess why Alvaro Perez Miranda migrated to the area in 2015. Hailing from Valencia, the country’s third-largest city, the veteran restaurateur and art dealer found he could be culturally comfortable in Miami, where Spanish is commonplace and the local cuisine encompasses arepas, tequeños, and tostones.
But that was not his inspiration for coming to Miami, nor his mission here. Perez Miranda’s global travels – including stints in Italy, California, and 15 years in Japan – provided the experience and incentive to promote a different cultural and culinary vibe in his new hometown. “I chose Miami because it was a virgin market for what I wanted to do – bring the authenticity of Japanese cuisine to a Latin American market,” the restaurateur says.
Now Perez Miranda is tempting local palates with iconic Japanese staples like donburi (rice bowls), ramen (egg noodles), and sushi at his three local restaurants, each of which serves authentic Japanese cuisine. Wanting to improve the “good” but not sensational sushi offerings at South Florida restaurants, Perez Miranda opened Wabi Sabi in 2018 on Northeast 79th Street. Next, the more ambitious and dramatic looking Hiyakawa (the interior is framed by undulated wooden beams) debuted in edgy Wynwood in 2020, followed by the newly opened Midorie on Main Highway in downtown Coconut Grove. Ogawa, an omakase eatery, is set to open later this year in the Little River area.
“We bring the fish from Japan,” says Perez Miranda, president and owner of Japan Authentic Food Systems LLC, referring to the seafood brought daily from Tokyo’s Toyosu Fish Market, one of the largest wholesale fish markets in the world. “My concept is about quality versus quantity.” Master sushi chefs are also part of the authentic Japanese cuisine experience.”
Growing up wanting to become an artist, the entrepreneur did not know that his pursuit of a career in art would lead to the restaurant industry. He attended art school in Italy, where he became immersed in the country’s regional cuisines and wines. He continued his education in Los Angeles but went down a different career path when the opportunity arose to work for Royal Host, a food and beverage company with 400 restaurants in Japan. Perez Miranda spends a decade and a half in Japan, helping the firm open an Il Forno Trattoria and other restaurants there.
From Japan, Perez Miranda moved to Miami, where he fused his passion for art with his new knowledge of the restaurant business, opening Black Ship Art Gallery adjacent to Wabi Sabi. Showcasing mostly Japanese works, the gallery supplies the pieces he uses to decorate his restaurants.
Perez Miranda’s efforts to promote authentic Japanese cuisine and culture in Miami did not go unnoticed by his former host country. In February, Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries appointed Perez Miranda a “Goodwill Ambassador for Japanese Cuisine.”
He is the first Latino to receive the honor since the award was established in 2015, and says he was humbled (in true Japanese tradition) by the recognition. Predicting growing global interest in all things Japanese, he pledges to keep the momentum going. “Now, with the title of goodwill ambassador, I will definitely keep promoting Japanese culture and Japanese cuisine through my gallery and through my restaurants,” says Perez Miranda. Meshiagare!
