Congratulations to Juan Camilo Liscano, chef of Palma and the 2025 MICHELIN Guide Florida Young Chef Award Winner, presented in partnership with Sysco!
With a firm foundation rooted in the food itself, the Miami-born chef focuses on minimalism and a changing menu based on what’s freshest at his local farm. He cooks with ambition and care, delivering attractive and creative plates in a simple space in Little Havana—chosen for its proximity to every major neighborhood in Miami.
Recently, we spoke with him about his journey to becoming the chef he is today.
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What inspired you to become a chef?
I had always enjoyed cooking early on. I enjoyed cooking at home, even if it was just potato hash with fried eggs on top. The act of it was nice to slow down and do that. My dad worked for American Airlines, so there were always these random trips to Argentina or Beijing. So we got to eat.
I’d finished high school, did community college, and that just was not my thing. I started cooking in Los Angeles, stayed there for three and a half years. The best part was working with Miles Thompson at Michael’s because every Wednesday we’d wheelbarrow a few carts from the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market to the restaurant. It was incredibly eye-opening. That way of purchasing product is the best way to do it, having relationships and doing business with people that you're having fun with. You learn so much more about what they do.
Which other chefs did you learn from, and who do you look up to?
The team at Maison—Sota Atsumi, Rikako Kobayashi the pastry chef, and Marcine Krol, who’s now opening Cypsèle in Paris. They're incredible, creative, kinetic, energetic, very talented, very knowledgeable. I'd always wanted to go, and finally I got the reply via email. I bought an EasyJet ticket right away. This is the best work environment that I'd ever been in. Everyone is just so kind, so creative, they were just wizards. It makes you want to stay as long as you can and learn as much as you can. I stayed there for four months.
I really admired Jeremy Chan from Ikoyi. I respect anybody who has their own style. When you see it, you know that's a plate of food from Ikoyi. I spent five weeks at Ikoyi, and it was such a fun time to be there. They made it a point to let me make almost every single recipe that went in every single dish just to learn as much as I could.
Carey Hynes from Sunny's Steakhouse; he is so organized, and everything is very logic based.
I did a stint in Mexico City at Quintonil and another at Momofuku Ko (with Sean Gray, he’s incredible).
What is a distinguishing characteristic about your food?
As time is going by, it’s developing itself. A restaurant is like raising a child. It's growing into its own personality and direction. Something you'll always find at Palma is creativity and eclectic combinations that just work. I think the cuisine is on the lighter side, to my own preference.
Do you have any sustainable initiatives?
We don't throw out very much food. We try to use everything. If there's trimmings, it goes in a sauce. If we're juicing something, for example, we'll ferment the solids and cook it down.
I work as much as I can with French Farms, a local farm. I've become friends with everybody over at the farm.
What is your favorite dish on the menu?
One I'm happiest with is keeping a version of Bouquet on the menu. Everything comes from Chris from French Farms, and it’s a nice way to showcase how good his herbs taste in one handheld bite. There's so much time that goes on his part. It's like this when you're walking around the farm yourself and picking from the herbs and trying everything yourself.
What motivates you in the kitchen?
Cooking is so much fun. It is incredible getting to come in and still treat what you're doing like you're a child. It's never stopped being fun. Luckily, I think my staff looks at it the same way. We're just all trying our best and remembering at the end of the day, no one's gonna die.
Part of why we change the menu every month is not just to make sure we're not getting bored, but it's because there's a peak marker for each product that we're using. We're trying to hit that sweet spot for the ingredients that we use on the menu. That’s a big driver. I get a list from Chris of what will be available for this six-week period of time. It's like a spider web. You're kind of trying to put the ingredients together where you think they'll fit best. It's just moving with the seasons like that.
How do you motivate your team?
I'm very transparent about everything. I don't like to put on a poker face. They say, “we can see when you're bothered or upset or happy. Honesty is important and that brings us all to the same human level, where we are all here to work with each other and do our best. At the end of the day, we need each other to do our jobs properly. I'm so proud of the team right now. They're just so thoughtful and considerate. There's no space for ego. It's working from love.
What advice would you give to a young person who wants to become a chef?
I tend to talk about the Field of Dreams. If you build it and put a hundred percent of yourself into it, people will come.
Not just as a chef, but anything. Be sure, and when you're in that moment where you know you're sure. This is what you want to do. Prepare to give yourself to it for a certain amount of time where it's just the only thing you think about. Do it for yourself and don't compare yourself to anybody, just do your best every day. There's no ceiling when you just try your best every single day. If you're comparing yourself to someone, that's your limit.
Hero image: Will Blunt / Star Chefs - Juan Camilo Liscano
