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Osmel González, a 36-year-old Cuban chef who left the island at the age of 22, has just written an unprecedented chapter in the history of world cuisine: his restaurant Emelina, in West Palm Beach, Florida, has become the first Cuban cuisine establishment in the world to receive a Michelin star, just four months after opening its doors.
The recognition came at the Michelin Guide Florida 2026 ceremony, held on May 28, and made Emelina the only restaurant in all of Palm Beach County to receive this award.
What makes this achievement even more remarkable is that it is not González's first Michelin star. In 2024, he had already received that recognition with EntreNos, a contemporary American cuisine restaurant in Miami Shores.
But that time, the distinction came with a proposal for fusion; now, for the first time in the history of the guide, the spotlight is on a restaurant serving distinctly Cuban cuisine.
Emelina, named in honor of the chef's grandmother, operates as a tasting menu restaurant with only 16 seats.
The Michelin Guide describes it as follows: "Most of the ingredients come from South Florida to tell a unique story. The local oysters poached with cassava foam and mushroom powder showcase refinement, while the cherry tomatoes with Cuban oregano chimichurri and macadamia milk foam demonstrate how simple ingredients can shine."
For González, the proposal is not about replacing traditional Cuban cuisine but rather expanding it. "We are not trying to reinvent Cuban food. We love our traditions and our classic cuisine... We are just here to dream a little and take that Cuban food we love on this journey of creativity," he stated to Fox News Digital.
The chef directly links the historical absence of Cuban cuisine in high gastronomy circuits to the consequences of the dictatorship. "What has prevented Cuban cuisine from evolving is simply the revolution that took place in Cuba. For 67 years, people have been struggling just to get food," he stated.
That personal experience shapes every decision on the menu. Beef holds a prominent place on Emelina's menu, a deliberately symbolic gesture: in Cuba, access to this food has historically been very restricted or outright prohibited for the population.
"Beef was never part of our everyday menu. Here we chose to present it in a way that we believe we might have had it in Cuba," González explained.
The restaurant also evokes, in its atmosphere, the memory of a Cuba before the regime, one that many exiles hold dear. González describes his grandmother Emelina as a representative of "that beautiful Cuban woman" from another era.
This distinction adds to a moment of expansion for the Michelin Guide in Florida: in 2026, the guide covered the entire state for the first time, evaluating 200 restaurants across 41 different types of cuisine.
In 2024, when González earned his first star with EntreNos, three restaurants in Miami were recognized with that award, and Florida had a total of 26 starred establishments.
González looks ahead with collective ambition. "I believe that in five years there will be many more chefs like us who will move to the area and contribute," he said about the culinary future of West Palm Beach.
However, the chef is clear that the real challenge is just beginning: "Every chef's dream is to earn a Michelin star. But maintaining that star is the really hard work."
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