In an industry obsessed with the next big thing, Nando Chang is proving that lasting success starts with love, legacy, and late nights on the line.
WRITTEN BY: JEN KARETNICK
You might expect Nando Chang, chef-partner at Itamae AO and collaborator at his sister Valerie’s restaurant, Maty’s, to be basking in pride these days—and with good reason. The Peruvian-born chef, who moved to Miami at age 12, has racked up an impressive list of accolades. In 2023, he and Val became the first siblings to be named Food & Wine’s “Best New Chefs.” In 2024, their newly opened Itamae AO landed on Esquire’s “Best New Restaurants” list. By April 2025, the omakase spot had earned its first Michelin star. Not long after, Chang was named a finalist for the 2025 James Beard Award for “Best Chef: South,” after being a three-time semifinalist. The year before, he proudly watched Val take home the top prize.
And yet, there’s no ego in sight.
Chang is humble and grounded, quick to credit their upbringing and the work ethic instilled by their parents, who separated when he and Val were young. “Our mother always told us, ‘I don’t care if you’re a garbageman—just be the best one out there,’” he recalls. “Whatever we chose to do, we knew we had to do it well.”
Their father, Fernando “Papa” Chang, a sushi chef who got his start at Miami’s Matsuri, played an equally formative role. “As a single parent, Dad worked five days a week and catered on his days off,” Nando says. “Instead of hiring childcare, he brought us into the kitchen. Teaching us to cook was both practical and personal—a way to take care of us, and a way to connect.”
There was no sugarcoating reality, either. “He was very honest about money,” Chang continues. “We learned to adapt—like needing five outfits for school instead of a uniform. We worked Friday nights with him to make that happen.”
When Chang speaks in “we,” he really means it. He and Val are a unit. “All of my success is tied to her,” he says without hesitation.
The two, along with their father, launched their first restaurant, Itamae, in 2018 at what is now MIA Market in the Miami Design District. Fusing classic fish butchery with innovative Nikkei flavors, the casual counter quickly made waves—earning a spot on The New York Times’ “Restaurant List” in 2021 and a Bib Gourmand the following year.
But when Itamae closed, it wasn’t the result of conflict—it was evolution. Val struck out on her own to open Maty’s, where she explores broader, globally inspired Peruvian cuisine. Meanwhile, Nando took the opportunity to hone his technique and vision at Itamae AO, a 10-seat omakase counter where he experiments with tropical flavors and Japanese precision. “We keep each other sharp,” he says. “There’s always some competition—but I’ve always thought she’s the better chef. More versatile, stronger overall. Just not in sushi,” he adds with a grin. “That’s where I have the edge. I got obsessed early.”
Chang is quick to point out the many layers that support his work—including his team. “A kitchen is like a football team—it’s built in the trenches,” he says. He provides 50 percent of his employees’ health insurance and is deeply invested in their well-being.
Gratitude is another constant theme. He speaks with reverence about Ronald Tysoe, the family’s financial backer. “We wouldn’t exist without him,” Chang says. “It’s a strange time for immigrants in this country. But our story isn’t just immigrants supporting immigrants.
A white American man believed in us. What does that say to Latinos? Get to know your fellow Americans. These are the people who can help make your dream real.”
The Chang family left Peru during the chaos and terrorism of the late ’80s and early ’90s. That history isn’t lost on him. “I’m grateful for what we’ve achieved,” he says. “But as long as Val and I are running restaurants, our mission is also to empower each other—to be authentic, to talk honestly, to build empathy for everyone, immigrants and non-immigrants alike. We’re all workers going through it.”
Another James Beard Award this summer would be a sweet honor. But if it doesn’t happen, Chang won’t be shaken. “We’ll keep saying the same thing. We know we can cook—lots of people can. What matters is having the right attitude.”
