Michael Mina is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author. He is the founder of the Mina Group, a restaurant management company operating over 40 restaurants worldwide. He is the executive chef at his two namesake restaurants in San Francisco and Las Vegas, which each have earned a star in the Michelin Guide. He authored his first cookbook in 2006 and has made numerous television appearances.
After working in Los Angeles at the Bel Air Hotel with Executive ChefGeorge Morrone, Mina followed Morrone to San Francisco to help with Aqua. Following Morrone's departure from Aqua, Mina became executive chef and received numerous awards and accolades. Michael Mina's approach to cooking revolves around balancing four basic elements: spice, sweetness, acidity and richness. Michael Mina has cooked for three United States Presidents. In 2002, Michael Mina met Andre Agassi in Mina's restaurant in San Francisco; they partnered to start The Mina Group and open concept restaurants such as Nobhill and Seablue in Las Vegas. In October 2006, Mina's San Francisco restaurant, Michael Mina, was awarded two Michelin stars, one of only four restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area to be a two star recipient. In October 2011, it was awarded Esquire Magazine's Restaurant of the Year. In 2009, Mina opened RN74 in San Francisco, which was named for Route Nationale 74, the highway that passes through France's Burgundy region. For the 2010 San Francisco Bay Area Michelin Guide, Mina's San Francisco restaurant, Michael Mina, was demoted to one Michelin star, then it was excluded altogether from the starred list in 2011. For 2012, it returned to the starred list with one Michelin star. In September 2012 Michael Mina launched Cook Taste Eat, a digital culinary media company that delivers video content through daily emails and video. Alongside co-host Michelle Branch, Michael Mina teaches viewers how to prepare restaurant quality meals in their own kitchen. Through daily emails and videos, viewers learn each meal one dish at a time along with useful behind the scenes culinary tips and tricks. Michael is a well known enthusiast of the Albany River Rats. In 2018 he opened Mina Brasserie in the DIFC financial district of Dubai.
Books
In November 2006, Michael Mina released his first cookbook, Michael Mina: The Cookbook. The book presents a number of recipes with his "Trio concept" as well as his "classic" dishes.
Introduced by Hell's Kitchen show host Gordon Ramsay as a master chef, Michael Mina appeared in episode 208 as a food competition judge. Later, in episode 809, Chef Ramsay and the challenge winners visited his XIV restaurant, but Mina did not appear.
In 2019 Mina appeared on the "Meze Fete" episode of "Guy's Ranch Kitchen" on the Food Network. At Guy Fieri's ranch Mina prepared salmon with a chermoula sauce and labneh and then melons with rosewater and pistachios.
