Farm to table wasn’t enough for chef Niven Patel.
He had to have his own farm. He had to grow his own vegetables for the dishes he serves at his restaurant, Ghee Indian Kitchen in Kendall. He had to be the one to pick the food from the vines in his own backyard, where his twin daughters run through the rows of okra bushes laughing in the rain.
He took that same idea and applied to two more restaurants he opened in Coral Gables.
It’s a lot of work — being a farmer and restaurant owner and chef.
But you can’t argue with the results. Niven was named a finalist for a national James Beard Award last month in the category of Outstanding Restaurateur.
And it all started with a kind of restaurant he said he’d never open — an Indian restaurant.
Niven was born in Valdosta, Georgia and raised in Jacksonville. He loves making pasta more than anything else. He even has a little bit of a Southern twang.
He became the foremost authority on Indian cuisine in Miami. He became the guy who packs spices and seeds in his bags from his trips to India. Somehow, raised among Southern food, he became an expert in South Indian cuisine.
On the Feb. 9 episode of Sundial, Niven Patel tells us how he did that.
On Sundial's previous episode, we spoke with Miami chef and restaurateur Michael Schwartz. His Design District restaurant Michael’s Genuine Food and Drink earned him a James Beard Award in 2010 — and he was just nominated again for Outstanding Chef.
Listen to Sundial Monday through Thursday on WLRN, 91.3 FM, live at 1 p.m., rebroadcast at 8 p.m. Missed a show? Find every episode of Sundial on your favorite podcast app, such as Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify.
Stay in touch with us via text by joining our Sundial text club. Send us your thoughts, ideas or questions by texting the word “join” to 786-677-0767. You can also email us at sundial@wlrnnews.org.
