THE ULTIMATE DRIVING CUISINE

LOCATED MERE

Feet From The Downtown West

PALM BEACH WATERFRONT, Avocado Grill’s tropical decor, vibrant style, and seamless indoor-outdoor flow more resembles an exotic locale than a renowned dining destination. However, this is no ordinary restaurant; its extensive menu of Caribbean and Florida-inspired cuisine is the masterpiece of French-trained, award winning, lifelong chef, Julien Gremaud. Should one be fortunate enough to spot a menacing slate gray BMW X5M Competition out front, there’s even a chance the proprietor himself will be found mixing it up in the open kitchen area just steps from the expansive bar.

Julien spent his early career in London, Chicago, and as a private chef for several celebrities in the Palm Beach area. However, Avocado Grill’s opening in 2014, followed by Avocado Cantina in Palm Beach Gardens, marked Julien’s foray into his own operation. As a nod to South Florida’s transient population, Julien’s goal was to bring Floridian food to Floridians. This means plates heavily influenced by a multitude of cultures; eschewing butter, cream and flour and substituting options such as coconut milk where necessary. The offerings are largely seafood based, locally-sourced, and include vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options. Two perfect examples are the restaurant’s hallmark dishes: grilled octopus, served with fingerling potatoes, chorizo, and paprika aioli, and a zucchini flower with goat cheese, tomato jam, and shallots, both of which have been on the menu since nearly day one.

These and other mouth-watering offerings earned Julien consecutive Judge’s Favorite awards in the Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival Chef Throwdown, among other accolades over the years. Though always true to his original concept, he also enjoys allowing his trusted chefs to cook up ideas of their own. The resulting culinary experimentation means various appetizer and dinner specials offered nightly.

Julien’s most essential ingredient however, is his commitment to philanthropy. He is dedicated to work that feeds those in need through organizations like No Kid Hungry, while also remaining at the ready when disaster strikes. In the wake of 2019’s Hurricane Dorian for example, Julien stepped up to support families in the Bahamas who had lost everything to the storm. Following Hurricane Ian’s devastation of Florida’s west coast, Julien was one of the first to cook and serve hundreds of meals onsite, as well as collect and organize the delivery of supplies to those who had lost so much.

For a man large in both figurative and physical stature, nothing less than the automotive equivalent of a full course meal would suffice. After owning both a Porsche Panamera Turbo S and Cayenne GTS from Porsche West Palm Beach, Julien has found his X5M Competition to be yet another fullcourse meal of a vehicle.

At a height of 6’4”, the headroom and space provided by the BMW have permanently swayed Julien away from smaller vehicles. While working in the kitchen requires precision and discipline, on the road Julien can indulge in the turbocharged V-8s power and aggression. For him, the potential danger is exhilarating.

Fans of Avocado Grill and Avocado Cantina will be heartened to learn that one of the next stops on Julien’s journey is an upcoming third restaurant set to be formally announced later this year. Experimenting with the limits of both the human palate and his hot-rod SUV are what continue to drive Julien forward—literally.