Alfredo Patiño

With powerful exposure from worldwide travel and culinary adventures, combined with his artistry and love of food, Chef Alfredo Patiño’s latest endeavor is the opening of his own trend-setting restaurant in Miami, Bin 18, which received an enthusiastic review by The Miami Herald.  
 
Alfredo, born in Caracas, Venezuela, grew up surrounded by friends and family in his mother’s kitchen and exploring other cultures during family travels to the Caribbean on yearly sailboat journeys from Aruba, Virgin Islands to Morocoy and Margarita Island. He finished high school in South Miami, and attended FIU seeking a degree in finance. Three years later, on his way to Wall Street, he decided to follow his artistic side and stepped into a chef de cuisine position on exclusive Fisher Island. Preferring culinary artistry to finance, he soon enrolled at J&W to obtain a culinary degree.
 
After graduating, Alfredo ventured through different areas of the United States, including California, Arizona, Georgia, New York and Florida, working with culinary masters at Marks Place, Mercer Kitchen and the Scottsdale Princess, the only Five Star Five Diamond hotel at the time, all the while gaining a new appreciation for regional cuisine.
 
After settling in Miami, he applied his culinary skills at Miami eateries including the Fisher Island Club, Mark’s in North Miami Beach, at the Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove, where he produced his trademark clean and sumptuous food.
 
With the lure of international travel beckoning, Alfredo spent one year as the chef of a private yacht, sailing the world and discovering culinary treasures and traditional cuisine throughout Europe and the Caribbean. “Going to Europe was eye-opening. I discovered that ingredients speak for themselves and awaken the palate on their own with natural flavors and subtle nuances,” he says. “I like using seasonal ingredients and maintaining the harmony of natural flavors. This is what I do — creating down-to-earth cuisine and using technique and elegance to create comfort food that is subtle yet completely satisfying.”