944

DiLido Beach Club in Miami Beach, Fla.

No one will argue that 30-year-old Jeff McInnis isn't easy on the eyes, but that's not why the chef of the Ritz-Carlton's DiLido Beach Club on South Beach is an instant fave. Although it might have helped land him a spot on Bravo's Top Chef this season, McInnis — or "Chef Jeff," as they call him — is known for using organic ingredients to create mouth-watering dishes that won't expand the waistline.

944: What made you want to be a chef?

JEFF MCINNIS: My love of cooking began at 15 years old while I was literally immersed in fresh fish, working on local boats and cleaning fresh catches of the day in my hometown of Destin, Fla. A year later, I was peeling shrimp, cleaning squid and cutting fish for the Marina Café, where the head chef gave me a chance to start working on the line.

What is your culinary philosophy?

My philosophy is to cook healthy using the most natural ingredients, while incorporating love and hard work into every bite.

What's the most bizarre food you’ve ever eaten?

Rocky Mountain Oysters, aka goat testicles. As a young boy growing up in Florida, I also ate squirrel, alligator, rattlesnake and almost all-raw seafood. I've eaten live fish, whole cold fish eyeballs, chicken sushi, poisonous blowfish and more. While working for a golf club in the country many years ago, we made and ate Haggis, an old Scottish dish that contains sheep's stomach stuffed with liver, kidneys, lungs, heart and intestines usually filled with a house-made sausage.  

DiLido Beach Club | 1 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, Fla. | 786.276.4000

  Add to Faves