13 June 8-14, 2023 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | Contents | Letters | news | night+Day | CuLture | Cafe | MusiC | Weekly classes beginning June 12th, Monday – Friday, 9am – 2pm A hands-on cooking camp taught by Biltmore chef instructors with special workshops by our acclaimed hotel chefs. The weeklong sessions are open to children ages 9-16. Students are grouped by age and work in our fully equipped, professional kitchen. Class size is limited to 14 participants. For More Information, Please Call 305.913.3131 or Visit: www.biltmorehotel.com/dining/biltmore-culinary-academy/ C M Y CM MY CY CMY K BH_CulinaryAdF.pdf 1 5/8/23 4:55 PM 3201 RICKENBACKER CAUSEWAY KEY BISCAYNE, FL | 305.361.3818 WWW.THERUSTYPELICAN.COM BE SOCIAL WITH US! FIND US ON HAPPY HOUR miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | ▼ WYNWOOD ZAK THE BAKER WANTS YOUR MANGOS Summers in Miami are notorious for two things: afternoon thunderstorms and the an- nual mango drop. While having a mango tree in your yard is a wonderful thing, there’s one problem: It seems as though every mango on the tree de- cides to drop at once, leaving the tree owner looking for homes for all the extra mangos af- ter the squirrels get their fair share. Miamians usually handle their all-at-once mango situation by enjoying fresh mangos, mango juice, and mango bread. Then, they’ll cut up a bunch of mangos to freeze for smoothies. Finally — with dozens of mangos left — they’ll ask every neighbor they know to take some mangos off their hands before the iguanas have a feast. Zak Stern of Zak the Baker has the answer to your mango overage problem: a mango ex- change program at his Wynwood bakery. From now until the end of June, bring a bag of six mangos to the bakery and trade them for a loaf of bread. Stern says the program started as a silly idea among the staff but quickly solidified into a plan. “I grew up in Miami and realized everyone has a Publix bag full of mangos, and at some point, it becomes a burden. So why not preserve the harvest?” Stern says the bakery will take the mangos, clean them, process them, preserve them, and use them throughout the year. “Instead of strawberry jam, we’ll have a local jam.” Of course, according to Stern, there are some rules to the mango exchange: “Bring us six mangos, and we’ll trade you for a loaf of bread. But we’ll only do one trade per person daily, so please don’t bring in 50 pounds of mangoes at a time.” Mangos must be at least the size of a closed adult fist and can’t be crushed, mushy, or damaged. “Please don’t bring in mangos that have been bitten by a raccoon — which is something that happens in my own backyard,” says Stern. If you do happen to have an acre of mango trees producing bushels of fruit, Stern is will- ing to make a deal (but DM the bakery on Ins- tagram instead of filling your pickup truck bed, please). Oh, and if anyone has lychees to trade, Stern would like to hear from you. So far, Stern says people have already been bringing in mangos, and they’re being used in mango jam and cheesecake. Stern says he loves working with the tropical fruits that grow so well in Florida, like mamey, lychee, guava, and, of course, mango. Zak the Baker is currently offering lychee soda made with ly- chees from Tiny Farm and mamey tres leches, in addition to the mango offerings. Stern says these flavors help give Miami its culinary identity. “I think Miami has an inter- esting potential for regional cuisine. I mean, people love food from Italy — but can Italy grow guava?” Zak the Baker. 295 NW 26th St., Miami; 786- 294-0876; zakthebaker.com. LAINE DOSS ▼ SOUTH FLORIDA RESTAURANTS EMBARK ON THE ESTRELLA DAMM CULINARY JOURNEY The Estrella Damm Culinary Journey — spearheaded by Barcelona’s most famed beer — kicked off last week and runs through June 30. More than 70 restaurants are participat- ing throughout Miami-Dade and Broward counties. “This is our biggest year yet,” Marjanne Kalf, Miami market manager for Estrella Damm, tells New Times. “We’ve added a lot more restaurants, ranging from more bou- tique-style to chains. It’s a great time to get out there and support our local restaurants and have some great food along the way.” Estrella Damm Culinary Journey restau- rants offer one of two experiences as part of the program. The “Perfect Pair” entails a sig- nature dish from the restaurant paired with an Estrella Damm beer, while the “Chef’s Tasting” involves a multi-course meal paired with the beer. Chef’s Tasting participating restaurants include some of the area’s most celebrated, | TASTE TEST | ▼ Café Zak the Baker photo Zak the Baker’s mango cheesecake
