Pharrell cooking up a scene in Miami

MIAMI — Grammy Award-winning singer Pharrell Williams may have been fired from three different McDonald’s as a teen, but that didn’t stop him from opening what has become one of the hottest restaurants in Miami.

The singer hosted a soul food brunch Saturday with his dad, Pharaoh Williams, a self-taught chef known for his sweet and spicy Nono Sauce, as part of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. Growing up, family meals were the heart of the Williams home.

“Cooking is a reflection of your parents, the energy, the love,” Pharrell said. “Food is a connector and it’s a meeting place.”

Back home, Pharrell’s father was always in the kitchen and so were his grandmothers. Favorite dishes included his dad’s chicken and pork and fried catfish with a special sauce that Pharrell says was more savory than spicy.

“His seasoning was what was always so distinctive with my dad’s cooking, and both my grandmothers cooked like that,” he said.

At Saturday’s sold-out brunch at the upscale Swan, they served platters of cornmeal-crusted catfish with chow chow, juicy BBQ chicken and ribs, cheddar grits and French toast with candied oranges and amaretto whipped cream.

Fellow Grammy winner DJ Khaled, and former “Breaking Bad” co-stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul were among the guests savoring the food.

But Pharrell is clear about his role in the restaurant business — he happily stays out of the kitchen.

“I didn’t cook then. I don’t cook now,“he said, laughing, then added: “I love food!”

KELLI KENNEDY/AP Grammy winner Pharrell, left, and his father, Pharaoh Williams, at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival.