SWEET LIKE SUGARCANE
CHEF-PARTNER TIMON BALLOO DISHES ON THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF THE EXPANDING, GLOBALLY INSPIRED HOT SPOT NEARLY A DECADE AFTER ITS OPENING.
Chef-partner Timon Balloo dishes on the past, present, and future of the expanding, globally inspired hot spot nearly a decade after its opening.
Looking back, did you think Sugarcane would become the institution it is today?
I told [my] partners I wanted to build a brand. I feel like Sugarcane has become synonymous with Miami.
Not just Miami…
We opened Vegas in November and now Brooklyn [this month]. You know what they say, if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere.
How are the locations different?
I’m half Chinese and half Indian but originally from California, and my parents are from Trinidad, so Sugarcane Miami is more tropical and Latin whereas Vegas is more Asian with modern twists. Brooklyn is going back to Indian roots with flatbreads and a focus on vegetables.
You were appointed South Florida chair for Share Our Strength’s culinary benefit, Taste of the Nation.
Allen [Susser] was one of the people who put it in my sight that we had a responsibility to give back, so I’m very lucky that he sees me as his successor and trusts me enough to preserve his integrity and do my part in making it the prime event in fighting childhood hunger.
Like Sugarcane’s monthly initiative, Canvas (which invites guest chefs to create a dish to benefit No Kid Hungry)?
This was a good way to make a [mark] while getting friends and chefs I’m a fan of to give back and build camaraderie. What’s new at Sugarcane?
Miami has evolved very much through the years. Now that I have this big business, I have to be strategic to make sure it is executed properly. We started a Saturday bottomless brunch with a live band and want to do other fun things like cigar rollers. 3252 NE First Ave., Miami, 786-369-0353; sugarcane rawbarandgrill.com