Chef Carmen has recently partnered with Chocolate Cortés, a four-generation family-owned chocolate products company, where she is developing a “chocobar” concept for location in beautiful Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. Adding to these esteemed collaborations, Chef Carmen Gonzalez is now working with The Kitchen NYC, a newly launched 7,000 square foot state-of-the-art studio kitchen and event space located in midtown Manhattan. Chef Carmen will represent The Kitchen NYC to attract new business and clients, as well as consult on various culinary opportunities and events.

As the national chef ambassador for BACARDI Rums, Chef Carmen has perfected the art of cooking with the select spirits and in November 2010, developed a very special seven-course dinner for the James Beard House, with each course incorporating various BACARDI Rums into her original recipes.

Since Chef Carmen’s return to New York in 2007, she has also been involved in a variety of other food-related projects. Chef Carmen is currently creating and producing a bi-lingual television series on food and travel in Puerto Rico. She has completed Chef Carmen Gonzalez Cooks Bacardi, and is also at work on a series of cooking-related books for kids as well as her own cookbook. Chef Carmen is introducing a line of upscale take-home meals, Sazon by Chef Carmen, in the New York marketplace with plans for national expansion. Chef Carmen has been a featured chef at two of the most esteemed venues in the culinary world--the Food and Wine Classic in Aspen and the James Beard Foundation award ceremony, which Time Magazine calls “the Oscars of the food world”.

Chef Carmen was sole proprietor of Carmen the Restaurant, which she opened in March 2003. The restaurant received outstanding notices from esteemed food critics and colleagues alike.  John Mariani of Esquire magazine named Carmen the Restaurant “One of the Best New Restaurants in America,” the only restaurant in Florida that year to make the celebrated list. Mariani’s praise continued with, “You dunk a fritter into hot chocolate, take a sip of coffee and then ask Carmen to marry you,” in SKY magazine, March 2005.

Among the awards granted Carmen the Restaurant were the Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence for 2006-2004; AAA’s coveted 4 Diamond Award in 2005 and 2006; listing in the 2007 ZAGAT “America’s Top Restaurants” book; and Florida Trend’s inclusion of the restaurant among the state’s “Best New Restaurants.” The New York Times proclaimed, “One the cities hottest hangouts,” and the Miami New Times boldly stated, “The problem is that there are no problems.” Miami New Times 2004 Best of Issue named Carmen the Restaurant “The Best New Restaurant”; the 2005 issue voted her “Best Puerto Rican Restaurant.” The Miami Herald, Food and Wine and Bon Appétit have handed accolades to Chef Carmen. In the past year she has had feature articles in both Food Arts and Art Culinaire.

Upon graduating from the New York Restaurant School, Chef Carmen honed her skills at the fabled Quilted Giraffe. In 1990, she opened the acclaimed restaurant Clowns in Coral Gables, Florida. Loyal foodies followed her career and her cooking from The Miami Club to Tamarind at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel. During her reign at Tamarind, the Miami Herald stated, “It’s been a long time since a restaurant struck with such stimulating yet thought-out dining. Credit belongs to star Chef Carmen Gonzalez.”

Chef Carmen had a weekly culinary show on Univision and was a regular on the network’s top rated morning show, Despierta America. She is a television veteran with appearances on the Martha Stewart Show, NBC’s “The Today Show,” NBC’s WTVJ-TV “South Florida Today,” FOX WSVN-TV DECO Drive for Share Our Strength’s “Five Fabulous Female Chefs,” David Rosengarden’s “Today on Food” on the Food Network, as well as MGM Latino, Televisa, and Univision. Her weekly TV spot appeared on Univision Miami in 2006-07.

Chef Carmen brings her passion for the culinary world to her community outreach efforts and has been involved for many years with Share Our Strength, the James Beard Foundation and a variety of other local and international organizations. Additionally, she has founded two non-profit organizations based in South Florida - Chef Carmen Cooks for a Cure (CCCC) and Feeding the Mind Foundation (FTM). Through CCCC, Chef Carmen has pledged to raise funds for the ongoing research at the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. FTM’s goal is to provide a culinary education for disadvantaged women seeking employment in the food industry. The pilot program graduated its first class in August 2005. 

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