Emelina Becomes First Cuban Restaurant to Earn a Michelin Star

Husband-and-wife chefs Osmel González and Camila Salazar make culinary history at their 16-seat West Palm Beach tasting-menu restaurant

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., June 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Emelina, the 16-seat tasting-menu restaurant in West Palm Beach's historic Flamingo Park District, made culinary history at the 2026 Michelin Guide Florida ceremony on May 28, becoming the first Cuban restaurant in North America to earn a Michelin Star. The recognition arrived less than four months after Emelina's February 2026 debut, making it among the youngest restaurants ever to earn a Star in Florida — and placing Cuban cuisine on the global fine-dining stage for the first time.

Led by husband-and-wife chefs Osmel González and Camila Salazar, Emelina is a concept by APM Restaurant Group, founded by Venezuelan-born restaurateur Álvaro Perez Miranda, in partnership with Welteroth Property Group within West Palm Beach's Flamingo Park District.

Rather than reproduce familiar Cuban dishes, González and Salazar speculate — asking what Cuban cuisine might have become without decades of political isolation. The menu draws on memory and heritage, refined through training at SingleThread (Healdsburg), Disfrutar (Barcelona), and La Botica (Matapozuelos), and sourced from local Florida farmers. The chefs previously earned Michelin Stars at their Miami pop-up EntreNos in 2024 and 2025.

Guests dine at a U-shaped chef's counter referencing the glamour of Havana's golden age — warm walnut millwork, Shou Sugi Ban walls, and works by Latin artist Antonio Ugarte. The Infatuation Miami awarded Emelina its highest rating of the year and Bon Appétit named it among its Most Anticipated Restaurant Openings.

"This recognition is for the Cuba we remember, and the Cuba we imagine," said Chef Osmel González. "This Star belongs to every Cuban cook who came before us, and to my grandmother Emelina, whose name is on our door."

"Cuban cuisine has been waiting a long time for this moment," said Chef Camila Salazar. "We are deeply grateful to be part of it."

"Emelina is one of the most thought-provoking, emotionally charged, and genuinely exciting restaurants of our time," said APM founder Álvaro Perez Miranda. "For Cuban cuisine to be elevated to the Michelin-Star level for the first time is profoundly meaningful for Latin chefs everywhere."

Emelina is located at 424 Park Place, West Palm Beach, FL 33401. Reservations at exploretock.com/emelina-west-palm-beach. Follow @emelina_wpb on Instagram.

About APM Restaurant Group: APM's portfolio includes Michelin-starred Ogawa, Hiyakawa, Emelina, and Midorie, guided by the Japanese principles of omotenashi, komakai, and sensai.

Contact:
Nicole Paloux
Red Balloon Communications
C: 267-909-3309
[email protected]

SOURCE Emelina