Christian Julien and Oscar Lastra
Façade | Coral Gables, FL
May 2025
Raised on roast pork buns in Queens, New York,Oscar Lastra left home to train at Miami’s Le Cordon Bleu. After graduating, he returned to New York to work at The Spotted Pig, Del Posto, and The Modern under Restaurateur Danny Meyer, learning the value of holistic mentorship and leadership. Lastra first crossed paths with Christian Julien when he moved back to Miami during the pandemic to work at La Natural.
Julien grew up in New Jersey, where he began his industry career in a small Italian restaurant. He later moved to California and worked in bakeries for the next decade before joining Bachour Miami, where he worked closely under Pastry Chef Antonio Bachour and Rising Stars alum Samira Saade. After five years, Julien left to lead the sourdough and pizza program at La Natural. A mutual respect for technique and craftsmanship quickly turned into a strong working relationship between Lastra and Julien.
Eventually, they both left La Natural to pursue their own ventures, but the friends stayed in touch. Over time, they realized they shared a vision for a menu driven as much by technique and seasonality as it is by “soul and heart,” according to Lastra. In November 2024, they opened Façade, where they combine their strengths— Lastra’s culinary expertise and Julien’s mastery of baking—to create something distinctive in Miami’s food scene. Façade’s menu is shaped by the pair’s collective food memories, which is almost as seamless as their teamwork. Julien bakes and Lastra builds dishes around what comes out of the oven, like their cruffin with local star fruit compote and pastry cream. The duo are also ride-or-die for their Coral Gables community, frequently trading recipes and techniques with neighboring chefs and donating as much bread as they can to the firehouse up the block.
