Food Chefs
THE ‘GREEN-THUMB CHEF’: NIVEN PATEL TAKES ‘FARM-TO-TABLE’ INTO HIS OWN HANDS At his trio of Miami restaurants, the rising chef serves globe-trotting fare with homegrown produce, meticulously curated, cultivated, and harvested on his very own farm By Nick Dauk
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Niven Patel, chef and partner at Alpareno Restaurant Group in Miami.
Much of the produce on Patel’s menus is grown on his own twoacre farm, Rancho Patel, surrounding his family’s home.
cook sliced into an heirloom tomato and threw half of it in the trash. It was a thoughtless act committed routinely in kitchens around the country— but chef Niven Patel saw it as an opportunity to teach his team about the effort required to grow Ghee Indian Kitchen, and harvest ingredients. Patel’s debut “Do you know how long it took restaurant, to grow that tomato?” asked Padraws from tel, now head chef of three Miami his family’s restaurants: Orno, Mamey, and heritage. Ghee Indian Kitchen. His cook, not unlike many restaurant employees and much of the general The menu at dining public, hadn’t a clue. Orno, Patel’s Patel invited his team to his newest then-new, two-acre property in restaurant, Homestead, Florida—where he is centered and his family live—where they around a woodfired kitchen. trenched through limestone to run irrigation, built raised crop beds, and planted thousands of seeds. That was six years ago. Neither Patel nor his cooks were professional farmhands, but, as the Age: 38 years passed, Rancho Patel grew Born: Valdosta, from a gratifying team activity Ga. into the embodiment of everyLives: thing Patel does in his restaurants. Homestead, Fla. This hands-on approach was inspired by Patel’s time running Favorite Country to a restaurant in Grand Cayman Eat in: India that had its own dedicated fishing boats and farm plot. Now, with Favorite Country to Cook the help of a full-time farmer, he in: Italy grows everything, from the Thai basil on Mamey’s plates to the Most Difficult Dish: Ponk, a Sungold tomatoes used at Orno, snack made with at Rancho Patel. green sorghum “The farm is special to me be- grains cause I am fully involved in the Favorite Indian harvesting process—from seed Dish to Spin: to plate—of all produce grown Ponk, a snack [there],” Patel said. The bedrock of made with green their culinary ambitions features sorghum grains dozens of fruits and vegetables
NIVEN PATEL
these unique dining experiences. “He’s a green-thumb chef,” Alkassar said. “Niven lives on his farm and harvests his own produce. He runs a loving, zen kitchen, and his humble approach is contagious.” Ghee Indian Kitchen was recently awarded a Bib Gourmand award in the Michelin Guide’s Florida debut; Orno also received a Michelin Guide mention. Patel and Alkassar are proud of these honors but noted that the recognition stems from their approach. “We focus on good ingredients, flavors, and experiences,” Patel said. “If the awards happen, they happen.” Nick Dauk is an Orlando-based writer whose work has been featured in BBC News, Insider, Fox Business, and The Telegraph.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALPARENO RESTAURANT GROUP
66 I N S I G H T July 15–21, 2022
from countries including Syria, India, Brazil, and Italy, grown from seeds he’s collected on his travels or been gifted by other travelers. Patel also invites others to join him for backyard feasts throughout the year. “‘Sundays at the Ranch’ was originally my test kitchen for [my first restaurant] Ghee’s menu,” he said. “I would randomly invite a dozen people to the farm to taste my ideas. Today, we bring as many as 100 out, prepare a feast, and show them where our restaurants’ cooking truly begins.” Mohamed Alkassar, Patel’s business partner and chief operating officer of Alpareno Restaurant Group, which they co-founded, was far from surprised when Patel invited strangers into his home for
