Nando Chang
Nando Chang is a Peruvian-born chef, restaurateur, and winner of the 2025 James Beard Foundation Award winner for “Best Chef: South.” Previously behind Michelin-starred Itamae AO in Miami, he has achieved national recognition for both introducing and redefining Nikkei (Peruvian-Japanese) cuisine in Miami. Born in Chiclayo, Peru, and raised by his grandparents, Nando immigrated to the United States at age 12 with his younger sister Valerie to join their father, Fernando “Papa” Chang, in pursuit of the American Dream. In 2023, he and Val made history as the first siblings to be inducted together into Food & Wine’s coveted “Best New Chefs” class. Itamae AO, his first solo concept, was named to Esquire’s “Best New Restaurants” and received its first Michelin star in April 2025.Nando’s early years working in Miami’s sushi kitchens and as a private chef laid the foundation of skills — fish handling, fish butchery — that would become signatures of his cooking.
In 2018, he, Val, and their father opened Itamae, a vibrant, technique-driven Nikkei restaurant, in Miami’s Design District; a year later, they followed this with a fast-casual off-shoot, B-Side, inside the popular Asian food hall 1-800-LUCKY. Itamae quickly drew national acclaim, earning inclusion in the New York Times’ “Restaurant List” in 2021 and a Bib Gourmand the following year in Michelin’s inaugural Florida guide.
In 2023, Itamae closed its doors, evolving a year later into Itamae AO, a 10-seat omakase restaurant in Miami’s Midtown neighborhood. At its helm, Nando offered a deeply personal menu rooted in Japanese technique, Peruvian soul, and the tropical ingredients of Miami, Peru, and beyond. The restaurant received great local and national acclaim leading up to its closure in August 2025, when Nando broadened his focus beyond Miami.
Nando lives in Midtown with his wife, Lauren Cedeño, and their dog Chapo. Outside of work, he can be found rooting for the Miami Dolphins as a diehard fan, taking joyrides in his 1998 Nissan Silvia, and prioritizing rest.
