Chef Joseph Bonavita is the Executive Chef at WET Miami, an upcoming restaurant in Miami, FL. Joseph realized his passion for the culinary world while working in various kitchens around New York City. Chef Bonavita had a natural talent for cooking and his family helped inspire him to turn it into a lifestyle. After attending Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, Joseph worked as an apprentice in some of the most prestigious kitchens around Chicago and New York City, including multiple Michelin starred restaurants. His career took him to Florida next and he has since led teams at The Tideline Ocean Resort, STK Steakhouse, and The Deck at Island Gardens. Currently, Joseph is working hard to prepare for WET’s opening in early 2022.
WET Miami
WET Miami is a globally influenced Surf n’ Turf restaurant that offers a classic steak and seafood experience while modernizing the flavor and presentation of their cuisine. On top of the fresh and exciting food, WET includes a second floor lounge with a large bar where clientele can enjoy the inviting ambience. Chef Bonavita has spent over six months locating the highest quality ingredients the restaurant can offer, to give the food an unforgettable flavor. A very well-known chef that Joseph worked under told him “You and I can cook the same recipe. If I source better ingredients, I will be a better chef.” Bonavita combines top of the line ingredients with subtle notes that highlight the overall flavor of the dish. Chef Joseph stated “Too many restaurants in Miami are all about the show. We want to provide modern, quality food with a beautiful high end environment that ties the whole experience together.”
Dry Aging Program
Both Chef Bonavita and WET’s future diners are very excited about the dry aged beef program. WET’s dry aged beef program is a membership program which gives guests the opportunity to buy an entire primal of beef ranging from Prime Tomahawks to Australian Wagyu Porterhouse to Japanese Wagyu Ribeyes and the restaurant will store it in their dry age meat lockers. Think of this as if you had a wine locker at an old-school new year steakhouse. Imagine being able to say to one of your clients, “Go dine at Wet tonight, they will cut a steak off of my private reserve for you.”
The dry aging process has certain peaks of aging that yield the most flavor and tenderness, and WET will cut a steak from the loin at each peak. Chef Joseph said that by doing this the diner is able to experience the true experience of dry-aging beef at all of its peaks starting at 45 days aged all the way to 120 days aged. By joining this exclusive members program, the diner is given a custom steak knife with their name on it as well as each time they come to the venue and dine they are welcomed with an off menu custom cocktail, as well other surprises the chef may send out throughout their meal.
Future Plans
Joseph is a chef with an entrepreneurial spirit and has big plans for the future. While Wet is getting ready to open in Brickell, he is also working on another project with the group, Dust Miami which is set to open late 2022 in the downtown neighborhood. Chef Joseph is dedicated to building other people up and that mindset dictates the culture of any team he heads up. The culinary scene in Miami has been changing in recent years to move away from the many restaurants that focus on aesthetics and putting on a show instead of the food and service. Chef Bonavita is determined to build restaurants that deliver dining experiences giving the guests the true meaning of hospitality and will never forget.
Learn More
To learn more about WET Miami click here.
