Chefs From Two Michelin-Starred Restaurants Combine Their Talents 

APM Restaurant Group is expanding its presence in West Palm Beach with Niwa, a Japanese restaurant and tea garden opening in West Palm Beach’s Flamingo Park neighborhood, directly across the street from Emelina, APM’s Michelin-starred Cuban restaurant. 

Niwa, which means “garden” in Japanese, will mark the first collaboration between two chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants: Master sushi chef Masayuki Komatsu of Ogawa and Emelina executive chef Osmel Gonzalez. Emelina became the first Cuban restaurant to receive a Michelin star when Florida’s 2025 Michelin selections were announced earlier this year. These two seasoned professionals will combine their culinary talents to create dishes that marry Latin flavors with Japanese techniques. 

Highlights of the restaurant include fish imported from Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market and a tea program developed in partnership with Miami-based JoJo Tea. The menu will include nigiri, hand rolls, raw preparations, donburi, and hot dishes. 

Niwa. 523 Park Place, West Palm Beach; aplrestauratgroup.com. Opening October 2026.  

You May Also Like

Leave a Reply

Sunday in the Park With Sweetwaters

There’s about to be another reason to linger along Fort Lauderdale’s New River.  Sweetwaters is slated to open this fall inside the newly reimagined Huizenga Park, bringing waterfront dining, cocktails and plenty of outdoor space to downtown Fort Lauderdale.  The restaurant comes from the family-owned hospitality group behind Miami’s longtime waterfront favorite, Rusty Pelican. Expect a chef-driven menu inspired

Read More
Outdoor restaurant patio with white umbrellas, string lights overhead, modern white chairs, and tables set for dining. A contemporary building with large windows serves as the backdrop, while lush plants decorate the seating area—creating an inviting atmosphere reminiscent of a Sunday in the Park at Sweetwaters. Lifestyle
Marc Falsetto Bets on a New Era of Luxury on Las Olas

As founder and CEO of Falsetto Hospitality, he has a restaurant portfolio that includes Tacocraft, Pizza Craft, and Apothecary 330. In addition, Falsetto is also a partner in the iconic Runway 84. Now, the restaurateur is preparing to open Caviar Club on Las Olas Boulevard this fall. For Falsetto, the ambitious restaurant and nightlife concept represents more than another opening. It is a bet

Read More
A man in a suit leans against a bar, holding a glass of wine in a dimly lit, luxury restaurant on Las Olas, with framed photos on the wall and warm ambient lighting, evoking the sophisticated atmosphere inspired by Marc Falsetto. Lifestyle
Naia Reflects a New Fort Lauderdale

The Restaurant People (TRP) has been creating restaurants and nightlife concepts in South Florida for nearly three decades, but CEO and co-founder Tim Petrillo sees something different happening in the company’s home city of Fort Lauderdale.  This fall, the hospitality group will open Naia at 904 E. Las Olas Boulevard, a restaurant that Petrillo believes reflects both

Read More
Elegant restaurant interior with wooden tables and cushioned chairs, set for dining. At Naia in Fort Lauderdale, a dramatic red fabric sculpture hangs from the ceiling, with warm lighting, plants, and artistic wall details creating a cozy, upscale atmosphere. Lifestyle
Flight West Opens in South Miami

A new restaurant is raising the bar for dining in South Miami. Flight West Miami has opened at 5984 Sunset Drive, bringing live-fire cooking, globally inspired cuisine, and one of the area’s largest whiskey collections to the neighborhood. The restaurant centers its menu around a Mibrasa charcoal oven, which imparts a subtle smoky flavor to

Read More
A bartender wearing glasses, a cap, and an olive apron shakes a cocktail shaker behind a bar stocked with various liquor bottles in South Miami’s popular Flight West. Lifestyle
Other Posts
A Restaurateur Finds Healing Through Food, Movement, and Community 

For Estelle Bellegy, wellness has increasingly become about nourishing the body in different ways — first through food, then through movement and, more recently, through the experience of confronting her own health.  Bellegy and business partner Benjamin Amsallem built Café Bastille around the idea that food, hospitality and community could be part of an everyday ritual. The pair, who previously

Read More
A person wearing loose blue pants, a white shirt, and a headscarf stands barefoot on a wooden floor in a softly lit room with shelves and decorative items on the wall, evoking a sense of movement and quiet connection within the community. Lifestyle
At 40,000 Feet, Wellness Is on the Menu

  For nearly three decades, Mike Linder has watched food trends come and go.   The veteran restaurateur and CEO of Silver Lining Inflight Catering has prepared thousands of meals for passengers aboard private jets. Today, he says, one trend stands above the rest: people are eating more mindfully than ever before.  “The younger generation has become much

Read More
A croissant sandwich with bacon, egg, and sprouts, served with sliced avocado, a small bowl of sauce, and a skillet of roasted sweet potatoes and vegetables on a white plate—a delightful option inspired by airline wellness trends to elevate your in-flight dining experience. Lifestyle
Dine Out Lauderdale Offers Broward’s Best 

From August 1 through September 30, locals and visitors are invited to explore Greater Fort Lauderdale’s diverse dining scene. Since 2008, Fort Lauderdale’s finest restaurants have offered chef-driven experiences, pre-fixe menus, and more. The annual program allows the opportunity to savor an array of specifically curated, three-course prix fixe menus available at participating restaurants for lunch at

Read More
A table set with assorted gourmet dishes, including a central platter of oysters with lemon, surrounded by plates of steak, seafood, pasta, salads, and drinks—all artfully arranged on a wooden surface—offers the Best Dine Out Lauderdale experience in Broward. Lifestyle
Drink the Pear Necessities for a Good Cause

Cocktailing never felt so good. Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse, located on Fort Lauderdale’s downtown riverfront, is continuing its Giving2Sips program this July, an ongoing initiative in which proceeds from Ukiah’s signature cocktails give back to the community.   For the month of July, $2 from every Pear Necessities cocktail sold will be donated directly to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation, supporting vital pediatric care for families across South Florida. Pear Necessities

Read More
A red Pear Necessities cocktail in a glass, topped with foam and garnished with a lychee on a cocktail pick, sits on a light-colored surface with blurred chairs and windows in the background—a drink crafted for a good cause. Lifestyle