Nando Chang is the Peruvian-born chef and restaurateur behind Michelin-starred Itamae AO in Miami. A 2025 James Beard Foundation Award nominee for “Best Chef: South” and three-time semifinalist, he has achieved national recognition for both introducing and redefining Nikkei (Peruvian-Japanese) cuisine in Miami. Born in Chiclayo, Peru, and raised by his grandparents, Nando immigrated to the United States at age 12 with his younger sister Valerie to join their father, Fernando “Papa” Chang, in pursuit of the American Dream. In 2023, he and Val made history as the first siblings to be inducted together into Food & Wine’s coveted “Best New Chefs” class. Itamae AO, which opened in May 2024, was named to Esquire’s “Best New Restaurants” and received its first Michelin star in April 2025.

Nando’s early years working in Miami’s sushi kitchens and as a private chef laid the foundation of skills — fish handling, fish butchery — that would become signatures of his cooking. In 2018, he, Val, and their father opened Itamae, a vibrant, technique-driven Nikkei restaurant, in Miami’s Design District; a year later, they followed this with a fast-casual off-shoot, B-Side, inside the popular Asian food hall 1-800-LUCKY. Itamae quickly drew national acclaim, earning inclusion in the New York Times’ “Restaurant List” in 2021 and a Bib Gourmand the following year in Michelin’s inaugural Florida guide.

In 2023, as both Nando and Valerie embarked on their first solo concepts, Itamae closed its doors, evolving into Itamae AO, a 10-seat omakase restaurant in Miami’s Midtown neighborhood. At its helm, Nando offers a deeply personal menu rooted in Japanese technique, Peruvian soul, and the tropical ingredients of Miami, Peru, and beyond. This April marked the return of Itamae in its original, more casual format as Nando embarked on a limited-time residency at Maty’s, Valerie’s restaurant in the adjoining space.

Nando lives in Midtown with his wife, Lauren Cedeño, who also serves as general manager of Itamae AO, and their dog Chapo. Outside of work, he can be found rooting for the Miami Dolphins as a diehard fan, taking joyrides in his 1998 Nissan Silvia, and prioritizing rest.

Valerie Chang is the chef and co-owner of Maty’s, a Peruvian restaurant in Miami’s Midtown neighborhood that opened in March 2023. She has garnered acclaim for her modern take on comida criolla, the traditional food of her upbringing in Chiclayo, Peru. At Maty’s, Val won the James Beard Foundation Award for “Best Chef: South” (2024) and, alongside her brother Nando, was named to Food & Wine’s “Best New Chefs” class of 2023. Maty’s has been named to Bon Appetit’s “Best New Restaurants,” the New York Times’ “Restaurant List,” and Condé Nast Traveler’s “Hot List.”

Part of a multigenerational family of chefs, Val moved to the U.S. at ten, learning from her father Fernando. Since then, the Changs have opened Itamae, B-Side, Maty’s, and Itamae AO. Maty’s marked Val’s solo debut, inspired by cooking alongside her grandmother. She also earned a StarChefs Rising Star award and participates in the James Beard Foundation’s Chef Boot Camp for Policy and Change. She lives in Miami with her two dogs, Mero and Sashimi.