Major Food Group, the Manhattan restaurant empire that keeps churning out Miami versions of its New York venues—such as Dirty French, Contessa, Sadelle’s and Carbone, is breaking into Miami’s residential real estate business with the Villa.
“Food and beverage is now a forethought, whereas before it might have been an afterthought,” David Martin, chief executive of Terra, one of the developers, told The Wall Street Journal. Naturally, the Villa will be home to some of Major Food Group’s popular brands.
“Opening a restaurant, we’ve obviously done many times,” the co-owner Jeff Zalaznick told Journal. “This time we get to help create the building that surrounds it and all the amenities.”
The 58-story luxury condominium tower is Major Food Group’s first affiliation with a residential building; it will cost $500 million to build and will break ground this winter, Mr. Martin said. It is scheduled to open in 2026.
“From the first bite, the funghi pizza was almost overwhelmingly savory,” SFBW wrote about a recent visit to Contessa, “the flavors competing with each other for richness but somehow brilliantly cohering.
