11 March 6-12, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | Contents | Letters | news | night+Day | CuLture | Cafe | MusiC | Month XX–Month XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | Joy of Cooking This restaurant collective in North Miami nourishes body and soul. BY ADRIANA SANTOS S ince November 2024, the space formerly occupied by North Mi- ami community gem Paradis Books & Bread has been run by coffee shop Blk Brw collective, chef Nu’Man Hall, and baker Julian Gheiler. These Miami-based culinary innovators have come together to create a restaurant pop-up called Four in the heart of North Miami. The trio has maintained Paradis’ homey en- vironment while offering an eclectic and ever- changing menu that goes from a bakery and café during the day into a restaurant serving Afro-Caribbean cuisine and wine at night. Four feels like a playground for its new inhab- itants, and that’s where its magic lies. Four brings together some of the most exciting tal- ent in Miami’s food scene and allows them to experiment in their craft independently. Oper- ating as a pop-up (it’s not confirmed if or when they will end operations) has allowed them to try things on for size without sacrificing qual- ity or the intimate vibe. And luckily, wherever the folks at Four want to take its customers, they’re in for the ride. To know what will be served at Four on any given day, you’ll have to follow the collec- tive on Insta- gram. There, the restaurant col- lective posts its offerings on its days of opera- tion (Friday through Sun- day). During the day, Blk Brw — made up of Tay- lor Morgan, Andres Cantey, Nick Murray, and Ashley Lindo — serves a rotating coffee and tea selection alongside an array of fresh baked goods by Gheiler. Then, come the evening, Hall creates and executes the food menu accompanied by a specifically curated lineup of wines. Blk Brw conceived of taking over the for- mer Paradis space in August 2024 after a suc- cessful dinner pop-up with Hall at the since-shuttered New Schnitzel House on the 79th Street Causeway. “They’re phenome- nal,” Hall tells New Times about the Blk Brw team. “If they were not there, none of us would be able to do this,” says Hall. “They re- ally give Julian and I this position to show up, make our product, and flex our creative mus- cle.” Blk Brw was founded in 2020 to shed light on the black coffee roaster scene and then grew into a hub for creation in the Mi- ami food and beverage world, prioritizing the work of fellow BIPOC and LGBTQ people. With Blk Brw’s stated values of “educa- tion, inclusivity, and community,” the crew walks the walk, regularly hosting affordable workshops like making latte art and espresso tastings showcasing local roasters. As for baker Gheiler, “He’s a beast, bro,” says Hall. According to an Instagram post by Gheiler, after seven years of baking consistently, he was thrilled to open a bakery of his own within the collective space at Four. Hall’s no newbie at this cooking thing, ei- ther. Hall has been experimenting with the evening fare, starting exclusively with De- troit-style pizzas, then offering a South Asian pop-up on select Wednesdays, and now fo- cusing on Afro-centric cuisine. “I started cooking when I was a little kid, like four,” he says. As a teenager, Hall started working in kitchens in both Miami and Los Angeles, where he attended the Los Angeles College of Music (he still makes music under the stage name Ilikebloo). Then, in 2022, to raise funds for victims of an earthquake in Haiti, Hall and his friend Marlon Lagos decided to sell pizza from Hall’s Miami Shores home. The pizza was such a hit that friends asked Hall to sell food regularly. “It was just the two of us making pizza every fucking day we could. Like any place they would let us sell pizza from, we would be there. So we would be at really lame concerts like selling pizza in the front.” Then, at the end of 2023, Hall moved back to Los Angeles and decided to try a pop-up on his own. “I started selling Trinidadian food, and just because I was older, I understood the game more. It picked up way more quickly, and I got a spot to sell at immediately.” That spot was Canary Test, an art gallery in the fashion district of Los Angeles. Canary Test is where I first met Hall. I remember it vividly. Hall was cooking outside in a giant wok while socializing, holding multiple conversations, and smiling ear to ear while doing it. In 2024, Hall returned to Miami, where he linked up with Blk Brw for the pop-up dinner, and Four began shortly thereafter. I’ve been to Four several times, and Hall’s joy has never wa- vered. The evolution, though, has taken place in the dishes themselves, with Hall finding his most realized self through the current Afro-centric selections he’s been serving. “When I started doing the pizza, it was be- cause I was sort of accommodating ▼ Café Photo by Monica McGivern The Four crew in the pop-up’s outdoor space: (clockwise from top left) Julian Gheiler, Nu’Man Hall, Ashley Lindo, Nick Murray, Taylor Morgan, Andres Cantey “SINCE WE’VE STARTED THIS AFRO- CENTRIC MENU, I’VE REALLY UNDERSTOOD THE COMPLEXITY OF HOW FOOD IS REALLY A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE.” >> p12
