Massachusetts native Michael Reidt had taken a job at an omelet bar to make enough money to study civil engineering. But, as often happens, Reidt unexpectedly fell in love with the passion and pace of the kitchen. So after a brief tenure at the world-renowned Copley Plaza in Boston, Reidt enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America, solidifying his new passion with training.

After graduation, Reidt began working under Todd English at Olives in Charlestown, Massachusetts, an experience he credits as the most rewarding of his career. Next for Reidt were leadership roles in the kitchens of Restaurant Zinc and Bomboa, where he experimented with traditional South American ingredients and Latin-fusion. In 2001, he left Beantown’s cold climes for Miami and executive chefdom at Wish, where he was named a StarChefs.com Rising Star.

In 2005 Reidt opened his first restaurant, Sevilla, in California, serving the Latin-fusion cuisine and earning the restaurant Esquire’s “Best New Restaurant” in 2005. Still hungry to learn, Reidt embarked on a tour of Asia and South America, where he was reinvigorated by the food culture and deep local passion for life. An inspired Reidt moved back East Coast, showcasing his talents as the executive chef of B&O American Brasserie in Baltimore, Maryland, and earning more plaudits, including the most recent “Best New Restaurant” by Baltimore Magazine. In 2011 he moved back to Miami, opening Area 31, where he focuses on sustainable seafood and his hallmark Latin flavors.