{"id":254488,"date":"2026-05-01T20:53:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T20:53:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/254488\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T20:53:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T20:53:10","slug":"iconic-south-florida-chef-returns-for-one-night-in-fort-lauderdale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/254488\/","title":{"rendered":"Iconic South Florida Chef Returns for One Night in Fort Lauderdale"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"\"
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJames Beard Award-winning chef Allen Susser revives his iconic restaurant, Chef Allen’s, with a 40th-anniversary pop-up in Fort Lauderdale.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Chef Allen Susser photo<\/p>\n

For one night, a cornerstone of South Florida dining history is stepping back into the spotlight. On Friday, May 1, James Beard Award-winning chef Allen Susser will revive the spirit of his seminal restaurant, Chef Allen\u2019s, <\/a>with a multi-course pop-up at Sunness Supper Club<\/a> in Fort Lauderdale. Consider it a 40-year anniversary celebration that\u2019ll double as a reminder of how far the region\u2019s culinary scene has come.<\/p>\n

\u201cForty years ago, 1986, the restaurant scene was very different,\u201d Susser tells New Times. \u201cThere wasn\u2019t much of a restaurant scene\u2026 it was a lot of flash, but there really weren\u2019t restaurants that had good food and good service using high-quality ingredients.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"His approach \u2014 once entirely novel \u2014 may now be a blueprint for the modern South Florida menu. <\/p>\n

The Blueprint for South Florida Cuisine<\/p>\n

His answer at the time was to build something new. The result was a distinctly South Florida cuisine rooted in fresh fish, tropical fruits, Caribbean spice, and Latin ingredients. \u201cI wanted to do a Miami cuisine\u2026 that brought in the local resources,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Former New Times food critic Jen Karetnick reviewed Chef Allen\u2019s in 1994<\/a>. \u201cPassover comes just once a year, but the chef sees to his customers\u2019 dietary requirements nightly, with a menu that is frequently revised and rotated,\u201d she says. \u201cSusser\u2019s dishes reflect a tropical outlook, forgoing fats in favor of light, fresh fare cooked with a minimum of oil \u2014 foods that are comfortable to eat in this heavy humidity. One of five salads listed on the menu, a cool mix of organically grown arugula and endive, was the perfect embodiment of this philosophy.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a reminder that Susser is truly one of South Florida\u2019s culinary pioneers. His approach \u2014 once entirely novel \u2014 may now be a blueprint for the modern South Florida menu. And for this one-night return, Susser isn\u2019t tinkering with the formula. \u201cI\u2019m actually bringing it as authentic as I was cooking it years ago,\u201d he says. \u201cYou look at the menu and go, \u2018This looks like today\u2019s menu.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Longtime fans of Chef Allen\u2019s can expect his signature flavors and some of his original dishes<\/p>\n

A Menu Built on Nostalgia and Influence<\/p>\n

The lineup pulls from decades of dishes, a collection shaped by both nostalgia and relevance. There\u2019s a lionfish ceviche, a contemporary twist on a dish Susser says he helped introduce to Miami. \u201cI\u2019ve always done a ceviche on the menu,\u201d he says. \u201cHere I\u2019m using lionfish\u2026 and being mindful of sustainable seafood and educating guests about the choices they make.\u201d<\/p>\n

The menu also nods to one of his most talked-about indulgences: black market caviar. And yes, the name comes with a story. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t just a cool phrase \u2014 this was actually black market,\u201d Susser says, recalling the influx of Russian caviar during the breakup of the USSR. \u201cMiami was flooded with it, and we loved it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s the dish that quietly became a signature across South Florida: pistachio-crusted grouper with rock shrimp, leeks, mango, and coconut rum. \u201cIt brought in tropical fruit, rum, coconut\u2026 and great grouper, which was underutilized here,\u201d he says. Today, he still spots versions of it across menus. \u201cI\u2019ve seen it on about six different menus,\u201d he adds with a laugh. \u201cSome of my chefs call me and ask\u2026 others don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Details That Defined the Experience<\/p>\n

Beyond the composed plates, Susser is reviving smaller touches that helped define the original experience. Bread service, for one, is making a return \u2014 albeit in his own style. \u201cWe didn\u2019t serve bread,\u201d he says. \u201cI didn\u2019t want people to fill up before dessert.\u201d Instead, guests will find 24-inch breadsticks presented in flour-filled vases, meant to be snapped, shared, and dipped \u2014 a playful, interactive start to the meal.<\/p>\n

Dessert, meanwhile, remains sacred territory. The double dark chocolate souffl\u00e9 \u2014 available for two \u2014 reflects Susser\u2019s long-standing commitment to pastry. \u201cIt takes technique and timing and talent,\u201d he says. \u201cI always felt desserts were a significant part of the meal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sign up for the Food Alerts: Miami Bites newsletter to get the latest stories delivered to your inbox<\/p>\n

THANK YOU!<\/p>\n

You’re all set.<\/p>\n

CLOSE\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\"\"The room itself aligns with his long-held philosophy of hospitality, something shaped in part by his wife, Judi, who will be by his side for the evening.<\/p>\n

A Comeback That Looks Forward<\/p>\n

The setting, Sunness Supper Club, adds another layer to the story. Susser serves as culinary director there, and the idea for the pop-up grew organically. \u201cIt came on demand,\u201d he says. \u201cPeople come in, they see me, and they\u2019re in disbelief. They say, \u2018You\u2019re not Chef Allen.\u2019 And I say, \u2018No, I am.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The room itself aligns with his long-held philosophy of hospitality, something shaped in part by his wife, Judi, who will be by his side for the evening. \u201cAll you have to do is go in the dining room and meet the guests and make sure they\u2019re happy,\u201d he recalls telling her early on. \u201cThat\u2019s what hospitality is about. They\u2019re coming into our house.\u201d<\/p>\n

That mindset still drives him. After decades in the business, what keeps him going is simple: \u201cHappy guests,\u201d Susser says. \u201cThat\u2019s really what I love to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

And with this one-night revival, he\u2019s also looking forward. \u201cFort Lauderdale is coming up\u2026 becoming a very interesting culinary destination,\u201d he says. \u201cI want to set a flag to say, this is a good place to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chef Allen\u2019s Pop-Up at Sunness Supper Club. 5 to 10:30 p.m. on Friday, May 1, at Sunness Supper Club, 2465 E. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 954-491-6611; sunnesssupperclub.com<\/a>. Seatings are $160 per person with wine pairings for $75 per person. Advance reservations required.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"James Beard Award-winning chef Allen Susser revives his iconic restaurant, Chef Allen’s, with a 40th-anniversary pop-up in Fort…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":254489,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[289,684,249,251,250,2310],"class_list":["post-254488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-lauderdale","tag-chefs","tag-events","tag-fort-lauderdale","tag-fort-lauderdale-headlines","tag-fort-lauderdale-news","tag-interviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254488","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=254488"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254488\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/254489"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=254488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=254488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=254488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}