Valerie Chang

Chef Valerie Chang, originally from Chiclayo, Peru, moved to the United States at the age of ten and was inspired by watching her father Fernando cook throughout her childhood. In 2018, Chang, her brother Nando, and their father opened Itamae in the Miami Design District food hall. The following year, they launched B-Side, a fast-casual offshoot located in the popular Asian Food Hall 1-800-LUCKY. By 2020, Itamae had graduated to a standalone space in the Design District's Palm Court.

Chang quickly gained recognition as one of Miami's top young chefs, earning an Eater Young Gun nomination in 2018, James Beard semifinalist nominations for Rising Star Chef in 2019 and 2020, and nominations for Best Chef South in 2022 and 2023 -- an award she won in 2024. In 2021, Itamae was featured on the New York Times' coveted Restaurant List, and the following year, it was honored with a Michelin Bib Gourmand on the Guide's inaugural Miami list. In March 2023, Chang opened Maty's, named after her grandmother, in Miami's Midtown neighborhood. The menu there offers a modern take on comida criolla, the traditional Peruvian food of Valerie's upbringing.

Within just six months of its opening, Maty's was named among Bon Appetit's 24 Best New Restaurants and earned a spot on the New York Times' Restaurant List. In a historic achievement, Chang and Nando became the first siblings to be named together in Food & Wine Magazine's Best New Chefs Class of 2023. Chang has also been honored with a StarChefs Rising Star Game Changers award. She participates in The James Beard Foundation's Policy Advocacy Program: Chef Boot Camp for Policy and Change.