Michael Mina has a long history with the culinary world. The Cairo-born Mina grew up in the town of Ellensburg, Washington, where he has fond memories of cooking.
Upon graduating from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, Mina worked at venerable restaurants in New York City, including Tribeca Grill and Aureole.
Mina then moved to The City by the Bay, making a name for himself at Aqua at the young age of 21. It was here where Mina met tennis great Andre Agassi; the two founded Mina Group in 2002.
In October of 2010, Aqua was transformed into Michael Mina, the chef’s eponymous fine dining restaurant. Since then, The Mina Group has grown to a portfolio of 30 restaurants that spans the globe from Chicago to Dubai; the casual International Smoke opened last month.
We asked Mina to reflect on his relationship with the MICHELIN Guide.
What was your first encounter with the MICHELIN Guide?
Michael Mina used to be at the Westin. The year Michelin came to San Francisco, we got two stars in 2003. It was a life-changing experience for me as a chef—that’s why you cook. You always dream of getting a Michelin star. Then when we moved down the hill back to the old Aqua space, we wanted to go no tablecloths and be more casual. Now we have one star. But we’re going more formal again and eliminating some seats. So we’re pushing to grow back to two stars and hopefully one day to three. We will be relentless.
When you get a star, how do you celebrate?
Wherever you are you celebrate. Right after they call you gather everybody together and tell the staff and drink Champagne. You rejoice the moment. It’ s never ending work to get a star and to keep it. You have to take a day and really celebrate. It’s an unbelievable achievement. Everybody says that’s what I want but it’s different to actually do it.
Does a star impact business?
It definitely brings in customers. It’s very impactful. I’ll get 1,000 to 2,000 congratulations the day it comes out. Everybody knows.
What advice do you have for young chefs aiming for Michelin stars?
My advice to any young chef is the same: you need to learn about every single aspect of the business, and of your restaurant. When I started, I made sure I had a good understanding of every role within the restaurant. You have to know exactly what each person does—from the busser, to the prep cook, to the line cook, to the hostess, to the sommelier and on and on. As a leader, it’s important to know the ins and outs of the business. No matter where your focus is, having this understanding will help you understand what type of experience your guest is receiving. All of this contributes to the consistency of the restaurant, which ultimately leads to success. We all want to keep learning. The magic of this business is you can never stop learning.
Images courtesy of Michael Mina.
