Helen Witty remembers the day she heard sirens wailing down her quiet neighborhood block in Pinecrest. It was a clear June afternoon when her daughter, 16-year-old Helen Marie, had left the house to go inline skating on a bike path near the family’s home, something she often did after school. “I had just gotten home
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The 18th annual South Beach Wine & Food Festival, which ranks as one of the largest food events in the nation, returns to Miami this month. From Feb. 20 to 24, you’ll find a schedule complete with more than 100 events in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Some of the events on this year’s
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There’s a lot more to a Miami burger these days than a meat patty with a slice of cheese on a sesame bun. It might be layered with sizzling strips of candied bacon, topped with heaps of macaroni and cheese, or hugged between two crisp, golden plantains. Today, South Florida restaurants and fast-casual spots are
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From early each morning until just before midnight, Homa and Ali Khakpour serve the cuisine and culture of their homeland inside a Pinecrest storefront. Together with their son, Reza, the family owns Rumi Persian Grill in Pinecrest, a popular neighborhood spot for traditional Persian food. Named in honor of the 13th century Persian poet and
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With a high prevalence of mental illness and substance abuse, South Florida represents one of the nation’s areas of unmet need. No one knows this better than John W. Newcomer, a psychiatrist who has dedicated the past 30 years to studying mental illness and substance abuse. For more than 20 years, the Pinecrest resident worked
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Just west of Wynwood, near Miami International Airport, one of Florida’s tallest murals stretches more than 13 stories high. Artist Rey Jaffet spent nearly four months hand-painting the piece—splashed in vibrant red, purple and yellow hues and titled “We Are One”—onto the eastern façade of Pinnacle Heights, an affordable housing community created by Pinnacle Housing
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Cynthia Kohanek, a Pinecrest Elementary School music teacher, remembers Camila Cabello like it was yesterday. Cabello, a Cuban-American singer-songwriter and a former member of the pop group Fifth Harmony, was one of Kohanek’s star choral students. She also was named best new artist at the 2018 American Music Awards. Then there’s Ashley Levin, a contestant
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Inside The Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove, a vintage-inspired cocktail bar slings Manhattans, Negronis and elevated snacks. The dimly lit space, featuring floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, plush leather couches and a fireplace, feels more like a quintessential study room than one of Miami’s newest watering holes. But that’s the point. Located in one of Miami’s oldest neighborhoods, The Commodore
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Inside a bustling Pinecrest shopping center at the corner of Chapman Field Drive and Southwest 82nd Avenue, brothers Cassidy and Jordan Athos—owners of Brewing Buddha coffee shop—experiment with flavors like pistachio, lavender and smoky s’mores. From the outside, one would never guess that the inconspicuous storefront brews some of Miami’s most interesting coffee. “We’ve been
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When Rosario “Chary” Rico-Toro sold her first painting almost 10 years ago, she earned a couple hundred dollars. But she couldn’t get herself to spend the money. As the months went on, she sold more pieces. She sold brightly colored geometric prints, such as cityscapes of Paris and Istanbul or abstract works of people, places
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With music blaring, a group of seven women move in tandem across a dance room inside the Pinecrest Community Center. Up front, instructor Kathy Gurdjian showcases choreography for a new line dance, which the women will perform later this year. “Line dancing is so much more than country-western,” Gurdjian says. “All you need is music
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At Zuuk in Downtown Dadeland, dollops of roasted red pepper hummus and mint tzatziki are perched on a bed of turmeric basmati rice with baked falafel, crumbled feta cheese, Kalamata olives and tomato and cucumber salad. You might already be familiar with the fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant, which opened in Downtown Dadeland this past spring. Its
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