A first look at Emelina, West Palm Beach’s new Cuban chef’s counter
- Jake Nicholas
- 16 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Michelin-starred chefs Osmel González and Camila Salazar are bringing something entirely new to West Palm Beach. Emelina, an intimate 16-seat tasting-menu restaurant created in partnership with APM Restaurant Group, has officially announced that it will open its doors in the city’s rapidly growing Flamingo Park district on February 3.
Created by the Michelin-starred minds behind Miami’s EntreNos, the project introduces an intimate, chef-driven experience unlike anything currently in the city—bringing a deeply personal, concept-led approach to dining that positions West Palm Beach at the center of South Florida’s most thoughtful new culinary movement.
Rather than recreating Cuban food as it exists today, Emelina asks a different question: what might Cuban cuisine have become if shaped by freedom of movement, global exchange, creativity, and abundance? The restaurant approaches the menu through this speculative lens, drawing on González and Salazar’s heritage while embracing Florida’s seasons, coastline, and producers. The result is a tasting experience rooted in memory and identity, yet unmistakably of this place and moment.
“This restaurant is for her, and for that imagined Cuba,” says González, referring to his grandmother, for whom Emelina is named. “It’s a way to honor where we come from while cooking the food we might have cooked if history had been different.”
Emelina is designed around intimacy. The space features a 12-seat chef’s counter and two two-top tables, with a single tasting menu served across two nightly seatings—just 16 guests per service. The format allows González and Salazar to engage directly with diners while presenting a tightly choreographed progression of dishes that evolve with the seasons.
The couple’s global training shapes every aspect of the experience. González’s path runs from Jean-Georges’ Matador Room in Miami to Spain’s Disfrutar, California’s SingleThread, and stages in Japan at Kikunoi, Den, and L’Effervescence, before returning to Miami as Chef de Cuisine at Ariete and co-founding EntreNos. Salazar’s journey spans Colombia, Miami, Spain, and California, where she trained at SingleThread and later led operations and sustainability as COO of EntreNos. Together, they bring a philosophy grounded in hyper-seasonality, responsible sourcing, and narrative-driven cooking.
At Emelina, that philosophy is expressed through close collaboration with Florida farmers, fishermen, and small producers. The tasting menu will shift frequently, but guests can expect refined interpretations of the tropical pantry through modern technique—anchored in restraint, story, and a deep sense of place. Sustainability and mindful hospitality remain central, reflecting the values that earned the duo both a Michelin Star and a Green Star at EntreNos.
“We’re incredibly excited to bring this concept to West Palm Beach,” says Salazar. “West Palm Beach has an energy that feels both coastal and cosmopolitan, and there’s a growing community of guests who are curious, open-minded, and eager to support thoughtful dining experiences. Emelina is our way of honoring where we come from while rooting ourselves in this place—working with local producers, telling personal stories through food, and creating the kind of intimate, intentional experience we’ve always dreamed of sharing with our guests here.”
The project pairs González and Salazar with APM Restaurant Group founder Álvaro Perez Miranda, whose Miami portfolio includes Hiyakawa, Midorie, and the Michelin-starred Ogawa. While Emelina marks his first non-Japanese concept in South Florida, it is guided by the same core philosophies that define APM’s work: omotenashi (mindful hospitality), komakai (attention to detail), and sensai (sensitivity).
“As a regular at EntreNos, I was consistently moved not only by Osmel’s food but by Osmel and Camila’s impressive and compelling trajectory in the industry,” says Perez Miranda. “Even though Emelina is not Japanese, it lives fully within the values that guide all of our restaurants—omotenashi, komakai, and sensai. Partnering with them felt completely natural. They cook with heart, purpose, and precision, and I believe Emelina will redefine what Cuban cuisine can be—not just in South Florida, but on the world stage.”
Located at 424 Park Place within a mixed-use community developed by Welteroth Property Group, Emelina also features art by Miami-based Venezuelan artist Antonio Ugarte, curated by Perez Miranda’s Black Ship Gallery. Reservations are now live on Tock, with seatings at 5:00 and 8:00 PM at the chef’s counter and 5:30 and 8:30 PM for the two-top tables.
