Heads and chefs

Clay Conley

Executive chef
Mandarin Oriental Miami, Miami, États-Unis

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Biographie

At the age of 34, chef Clay Conley has already logged in a remarkable two decades of experience in all aspects of the restaurant industry, which he brings to his role as chef at Azul at Mandarin Oriental, Miami, one of Miami’s most acclaimed high-end dining destinations. A native of rural Maine who got his first taste of the business at age 12, volunteering to work in the kitchen of a local restaurant, Conley passionately pursued his calling, eventually becoming a protégé of renowned chef Todd English at Olives restaurant in Boston. Working with the celebrity chef for almost a decade at various temples of haute cuisine, including Olives at Bellagio in Las Vegas, he was tapped by Mandarin Oriental, Miami in 2005, to helm the kitchen at the award-winning Azul. Here, Conley works with the finest ingredients flown in fresh daily from all over the world, in a style that balances the robust flavors of his New England childhood with the sophistication of Asian cuisine and the rustic allure of the Mediterranean.

Conley’s signature dishes, such as study in tuna, consisting of a jewel-like cut of raw sushi grade tuna, Maine crabmeat, avocado tempura and paddlefish caviar with piquant Asian sauce, illustrate his respect for fine ingredients and his innovative cooking style. He reaches back to update a classic from his childhood with New England clam chowder revisited, a perfect mélange of crispy clams, confit of pork belly and a malt vinegar-spiked broth. Miso-marinated duck breast, inspired by Conley’s recent trip to Japan, where he fell in love with the country’s cooking and sense of balance, includes a delicate duck confit stuffed Napa cabbage parcel, paired with a heady Miso butter sauce and sesame ginger carrots, creating a lovely sweet and slightly sour balance of flavors.

Egalement dans cet hôtel:

Jorge Gonzalez

Managing Director

Voir la biographie

Mandarin Oriental Miami

Miami, États-Unis