![\"Co-owners](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MIA_204RedRooster00NEWPPP.JPG\" "\\"Co-owners")
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Co-owners Derek Fleming (left) and Michael Simkins (right), pose on the stairs leading up to the pool hall at the Red Rooster restaurant in the heart of Miami’s historic Overtown neighborhood on Friday, March 13, 2026.<\/p>\n
Pedro Portal<\/p>\n
pportal@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n
In 2020, restaurateur Derek Fleming was excited. He planned a big party to celebrate the opening of Red Rooster, the Miami version of his popular Harlem, New York, restaurant. Patrons could see gorgeous Black art and taste delicious soul food and Caribbean cuisine.<\/p>\n
But the pandemic happened. Red Rooster never had that celebration.<\/p>\n
Fleming and his partners, real estate investor Michael Simkins and chef Marcus Samuelsson, pivoted and temporarily made Red Rooster a community kitchen serving up free meals.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe worked with our farmers and brought food in, cooked it, and then gave out food to folks who were dislodged from their work or didn\u2019t have homes,\u201d said Fleming, 52. \u201cWe served over 7,000 meals.\u201d<\/p>\n
The experience reflects how Red Rooster has sustained itself over five years as a Black-owned business central to Miami\u2019s culture and a community fixture in Overtown as the neighborhood undergoes a renaissance.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: $175 million boost coming to resurgent Overtown, Miami\u2019s original Black neighborhood<\/a><\/p>\n From New York City to Miami<\/p>\n Initially, Overtown community leaders like Overtown Community Redevelopment Agency Executive Director James McQueen were hesitant about what a new restaurant would mean for local residents.<\/p>\n \u201cOriginally, I was perplexed as to why we needed to go all the way to New York to get a restaurant to go in the space,\u201d McQueen said. \u201cLooking back, it\u2019s the best thing that we could\u2019ve done.\u201d<\/p>\n McQueen was impressed by how Red Rooster ownership decided to postpone opening the restaurant and feed people in Overtown instead. \u201cI knew right at that moment that they were the perfect fit,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n In the last two years, McQueen said he has noticed an increase in Overtown\u2019s residents. He expects residents in the 600 housing units at the community\u2019s Atlantic Square mixed-use complex and 500 housing units at Block 55 at Sawyer\u2019s Walk to pursue local dining and shopping options.<\/p>\n \u201cAs we grow the population base, we will see more food options populate the area,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n But in some cases, new businesses need to do outreach to better connect with the neighborhood\u2019s residents. Booker T. Washington Senior High School is within walking distance of Red Rooster, but Principal Anthony Simons learned that many of his students didn\u2019t feel welcome, as if they weren\u2019t good enough to go there.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re in a historic area, but a lot of kids don\u2019t go to those places,\u201d said Simons, 51. \u201cA couple of student leaders said, \u2018We aren\u2019t allowed to Red Rooster.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Simons reached out to Fleming, and the restaurant hosted 75 students for a catered lunch last year. Other community leaders, like Miami City Commissioner Christine King and scholar Dorothy Fields, spoke to the high school students during the lunch.<\/p>\n \u201cA year later, kids still talk about the event,\u201d Simons said. \u201cI want them to know they\u2019re not excluded from anything in this country. They\u2019re not second-class citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n The magic behind the menu<\/p>\n Samuelsson, 55, has won eight James Beard awards and owns several restaurants worldwide. As a partner with Fleming in the first Red Rooster, he was compelled by Overtown\u2019s history to help make Red Rooster Miami a thriving cultural spot. He noticed many similarities between Overtown\u2019s heritage and Harlem\u2019s.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, Red Rooster has always been about more than a restaurant. It\u2019s about honoring neighborhoods that have shaped culture, music and food in America,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Overtown\u2019s history of hosting musicians like Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald during segregation captivated Samuelsson. Miami\u2019s strong Bahamian and Caribbean influence was the metaphorical cherry on top.<\/p>\n Pittsburgh native Charles Page, 38, is the executive chef at Red Rooster and has been cooking since he was in the eighth grade. Page has traveled extensively across America and focuses on putting bits of that in his food.<\/p>\n \u201cI lived in Atlanta, all up and down the East Coast, and traveled to Louisiana a lot,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s where a lot of my influences come from. Outside of that, it\u2019s just me just tapping into the culture.\u201d<\/p>\n Throughout the week, The Creamery, Red Rooster\u2019s dessert space next door, serves sweet treats during the daytime hours. On Friday and Saturday nights, Red Rooster\u2019s second-story pool hall hosts The Shrine, an event that celebrates Black music ranging from hip-hop to amapiano. Guests frequently take photos under the red lights above the staircase leading up to the pool hall.<\/p>\n Simkins, the restaurant\u2019s co-owner, grew up in Miami Beach and graduated from the University of Miami. He had previously purchased properties in Overtown and initially owned the property where downtown Miami\u2019s E11even nightclub is located. In buying properties in Overtown, he learned about its history and how many people called it \u201cThe Broadway of the South.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was where Black people had to live, but thinking of the nightlife, it was pretty integrated,\u201d said Simkins, 48. \u201cGuys would play in Miami Beach hotels then come to Overtown to play.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2013, Simkins was introduced to Fleming and wanted to partner with him to develop a restaurant in Overtown. That finally panned out with Red Rooster.<\/p>\n Looking ahead, Simkins sees the possibility of a Samuelsson-branded hotel opening in Overtown. Until then, he\u2019s glad to see Red Rooster attracting guests like Gia McKenzie, a remote worker from South Carolina who is living in Miami for two months. On a recent evening, she told the Herald that Red Rooster has become a home away from home for her.<\/p>\n \u201cI look forward to seeing people that look like me,\u201d she said. \u201cI look forward to seeing beautiful people. I love the ambiance and the art. [Coming here is] always money well spent.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"View](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MIA_200RedRooster00NEWPPP.JPG\" "\\"MIA_200RedRooster00NEWPPP.JPG\\"")
View of the Red Rooster restaurant in the heart of Miami’s historic Overtown neighborhood on Friday, March 13, 2026. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n![\"Charles](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MIA_206RedRooster00NEWPPP.JPG\" "\\"MIA_206RedRooster00NEWPPP.JPG\\"")
Charles Page Jr., executive chef, gets ready to prepare snapper at the Red Rooster restaurant on Friday, March 13, 2026. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MIA_213RedRooster00NEWPPP.JPG\" "\\"MIA_213RedRooster00NEWPPP.JPG\\"")
An oxtail bolognese with plantain gnocchi dish by executive chef Charles Page Jr. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n![\"View](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MIA_209RedRooster00NEWPPP.JPG\" "\\"MIA_209RedRooster00NEWPPP.JPG\\"")
View of an area at the pool hall in the Red Rooster restaurant on Friday, March 13, 2026. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com Moving forward<\/p>\n