A Kwickie With Kevin Kelley
The man behind Wynwood's newest southern spot is surprisingly humble
You’d be forgiven if you read this headline and asked, “Which Kevin Kelley?” Could be the artist. Could be your cousin from New Jersey. Could be all kinds of people. But this Kevin Kelley is setting himself apart as the name behind one of the fastest growing restaurant concepts in America – Kitchen + Kocktails by Kevin Kelley – a large-scale-but-homey-feeling Southern spot that’s opening in Wynwood this weekend.
After massive success in Atlanta, DC, Dallas, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Charlotte, Kelley decided Miami was his next stop because, as he put it, “that’s where the best food is.” And interestingly enough, as a life-long lover of leftovers, he’s crafted his food in a way so it’s even better the next day. We sat down with him over oxtail and grits, and he told us about his favorite spots in Miami, and why you’ll never see him drinking matcha.
Name: Kevin Kelley
Position: Founder, Kevin Kelley Kitchen & Cocktails
Childhood leftover memory: Fighting for ‘em, trying to get ‘em first.
Favorite restaurant to take leftovers home from: Growing up were Benihana. Benihana’s were always good the next day, but that’s also a sign of good food too - good leftovers. Even now, they taste better than the original food when it was cooked, ‘cause the ingredients settle in more. The texture and the liquid may change a bit. But I’m a big fan of leftovers.
My last meal would be: It would be pizza. I think I’m Italian in another life. <laugh> <laugh>. I love, I love pizza. I can eat pizza every day.
What music is playing in your kitchen? I’m a big fan of an artist called The Dream. I think his music is fantastic. He’s known for writing a lot of songs for Beyonce like “Single Ladies,” songs of that sort. But he’s got a fantastic catalog of music on his own.
What do you wear at home in the kitchen? Usually a suit? (Laughs) Nah, Probably sweatpants, Nike tennis shoes and a t-shirt.
What is your favorite thing about the Miami restaurant scene?
Man, you guys have the most glamorous and fantastic restaurants, from Mila to Papi Steak, to Komodo, all those places. Giselle, which is my favorite restaurant in Miami. These places are fantastic.
What is your least favorite thing about the Miami restaurant scene?
I think in Miami you have a lot of stars, but I think often in hospitality in Miami, the general managers, the chefs, the wait staff, the hostess, a lot of the times they act like they’re the star. And I’ve experienced that in Miami and I haven’t received the highest level of hospitality despite the money that I paid.
After work, what do you drink? Vodka. When I’m sipping vodka, I’m sipping E11even vodka. E11even vodka. E11even Vodka is my favorite spirit to drink.
What would people be most surprised to know about you?
Probably how humble I am. I have to be clear that I think that my food is the best southern food in the country. And when people hear you make statements like that, they can take you as someone who’s bragging. But I get how life is. People have great days, they have bad days. I never forget that. When people walk in our restaurants, we have a chance to make their life better, even if it’s for an hour and a half. We have people who celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, but we also have people who are having financial problems, who are depressed, who are going through bad things in life too. I think people will be surprised to understand how much that motivates me and how much I care to make sure our customers get the best.
What are your go-to spots in Miami? Brooklyn Chophouse. They just opened up in Wynwood. I’ve been there a few times. Giselle is my favorite restaurant in Miami. Joe’s Pizza, right over here in Wynwood. I had Joe’s Pizza yesterday. Last Lap, a Caribbean restaurant, I like that a lot.
Most overrated culinary trend: Matcha. I don’t get matcha. It tastes like green dust to me. I don’t get it. I’ve tried it a few different ways, but I’m just not a matcha guy.
What’s your go-to kitchen tool: Grill. I love the grill. I love to cook food on the grill at home. I live in a condo and I don’t think we’re supposed to have grills on the patio, but I had a grill built ‘cause I heard a few other residents had them. And so I’m like, I’m gonna fight for the right to have a grill. No one said anything to me yet.
Favorite thing to cook at home: Probably steak.
If you weren’t a chef, what would you be doing: I’m a lawyer also, I’ve been a lawyer 23 years. So, I’d probably still just be practicing law - civil litigation, wrongful death cases.
Favorite city to travel to for food: Miami’s my favorite food city. It’s important for me to be where the best food is and I think Miami has it. I think the creative of concepts have done a great job. And even when you look at the top revenue restaurants, you see so many Miami-based restaurants. I’ve been a big fan of the Groot Hospitality concepts, every time I would come here to celebrate a birthday I’d go to Papi Steak. I don’t think there’s a better food city than Miami. I mean, you’ve got the Carbone, you have everything here in Miami.
What advice would you give aspiring restauranteurs: I would give them the advice that they can do it. When you hear hospitality spoken of, you hear so often that it’s difficult and the chance of failure is really high. But the chances of failure in any profession are high. Whether you want to be an astronaut, a doctor, if you wanna open a car dealership, your chances of failure are high at everything. You just have to be able to say, I’m gonna move forward regardless of what the odds are and I’m going to put in the work to ensure that I can have success.