CHE F The day after graduation from Academia de Cocina Verde Oliva culinary school in Bogota, Colombia, Pablo Zitzmann moved to live with his dad in Miami—his first step in a culinary career that would take him all over the world. Aside from working as a dishwasher/tortilla-maker at age 14, his first restaurant job was as a line cook at Señora Martínez by Michelle Bernstein, then Nobu under Chef Thomas Buckley. Zitzmann staged around NYC before landing the sous gig at Matador Room and Market at EDITION by Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Interested in Asian cuisine, Zitzmann traveled to Hawaii in 2013 to stage at The Pig and the Lady in Honolulu’s Chinatown. From there, he moved on to Royal Garden Chinese Restaurant in Honolulu and Yardbird in Hong Kong. When he was ready to return to Miami in 2014, he opened the 75-seat No Name Chinese in South Miami as executive chef. The restaurant drew praise from local media but closed in 2019, and Zitzmann took an executive chef position at the THesis Hotel. When the coronavirus crippled the hotel industry, he launched his own business, Zitz Sum, a tribute to his nickname and love of dim sum. He was cooking out of his home and selling through Instagram until January, when the owner of a space in Coral Gables approached him about opening there. So in early 2021, Zitzmann’s dumplings found a kitchen of their own.
ZITZ SUM
pablozitzmann / zitzsum
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Favorite kitchen tool: Cake tester and cast-iron pan
Most important kitchen rule: Be respectful and mindful.
Tool you wish you had: Rational oven
Place to visit for culinary travel: NYC
Favorite cookbook: Night + Market by Kris Yenbamroong and Garrett Snyder. Fantastic stories, great wine pairings.
What you eat on your nights off: I love Itamae and Ariete. Both are Miami’s culinary driving forces and inspiration sources for me. Great people, good friends.
STA RCH EFS RISI NG STA RS
P H OTO S : J A C Y L N WA R R E N ; I L L U ST R AT I O N : C A R LO S L U C I A N O
Pablo Zitzmann
