Richard Hales
One of Florida’s most successful chefs and restaurateurs; Chef Hales is CEO & Founder of Grateful Hospitality which owns and operates with his wife Jenny, Blackbrick Chinese in Miami and Tampa and Society BBQ Nationwide. Hales has appeared on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives over a dozen times, as well as co-hosted an episode of DDD with Chef Guy Fieri, Three time winning Guy’s Grocery Games All-Star Chef, Guy Fieri’s Tournament of Champions on the Food Network, Americas’s Best Bite for best burger, 24 Hour Layover with Anthony Bourdain, Fast Casual Nation, The Great Food Truck Race, The Daily Meal annual best in the country top 100 for Sakaya Kitchen, Blackbrick and Dim Ssam a gogo, and Food Network’s Beat Bobby Flay. Hales has been nominated and awarded Top 50 Restaurant in America by Bon Appetit Magazine for Blackbrick, Best Hotel Restaurant Miami for Bird & Bone, Best Fried Chicken & Best Brunch, Best Chinese Restaurant for Blackbrick, Best Healthful Fast Food by Miami New Times for Sakaya Kitchen, Top Food Truck in America Bon Appetit, South Florida Food 50 by Miami Herald, Chef of the Year and Restaurant of the Year nomination by Eater. Chef Hales began his career in New York City after graduating from The French Culinary Institute. Hales worked under iconic chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten at Vong and further honed his restaurateur skills under restauranteur Drew Neiporent. After staging in Asia and Southeast Asia Hales moved to Miami to join the team at the Mandarin Oriental, Miami. While at the Mandarin Oriental Hales moved from Chef de Cuisine to Sommelier to ultimately Corporate Wine Director in New York City at Mandarin Oriental, New York. Hales has opened some of the top restaurants in South Florida, Sakaya Kitchen, Dim Ssam a gogo, Bird & Bone, Blackbrick and Society BBQ. Hales currently lives in Tampa with his Wife Jenny and children, Lily and Violet.
