“I’m not a huge fan of these events,” chef Mashama Bailey told the crowd during her South Beach Wine & Food Festival dinner at the Eden Roc Miami Beach’s Ocean Social on Friday, Feb. 23. “I’m a huge fan when we do it like this.”

Bailey was referring to the sense of community in the kitchen as she prepared oxtail hand pies and smoked pork shoulder while cooking alongside Tiffany Derry, Vallery Lomas and Tristen Epps at a dinner that showcased the work of talented Black chefs.

Like many of the other prominent chefs at SOBEWFF, Bailey was in the middle of an intense, packed schedule. The dinner ended around 10 p.m., and then she had to wake up at 4 a.m. and fly to Savannah, Georgia, for chef Kyle Jacovino’s wedding.

“A lot of me is like, ‘I’m so tired,’” Bailey, who’s in her 10th year of running The Grey in Savannah, told Observer on Friday afternoon. “And then the other part of me is like, ‘Live it up. Take advantage. Be happy with what you have and what you’ve accomplished.’”

This was a sentiment echoed throughout the festival by other free-spirited, empire-building chefs who have busy years ahead. Here’s a look at what four culinary power players who were at SOBEWFF have in the works.

Bailey is in the process of revamping Austin restaurant Diner Bar.

“We have that beautiful oyster bar in the middle of the room, and we’re just going to start focusing on seafood,” she says. “And we’re going to tie that into our Paris concept. “

Bailey and partner John O. Morisano hope to open that forthcoming Paris restaurant, in the 7th arrondissement, by the end of this year.

“It’ll be super swanky, super cool, ’70s vibe, really great interior,” Bailey says. “It’s going to be French-based, but it’s going to be a Black woman [who] cooks French food. It really ties into The Grey and what we do there.“

Bailey, who studied in France, has been developing this idea in her head for a long time.

“When I was living in Bordeaux, I was like, ‘wow, I really think that Southern food reminds me of French food,’” she says. “I think of coq au vin and I think of........

© Observer