Miami Herald highlights Michelin May 28

Miami restaurant Cotoa was highlighted by the Miami Herald on May 23 as a possible new Michelin star candidate in Florida, according to a report republished by Ecuador’s Expreso. The report said the restaurant is owned by Ecuadorian chef Alejandra Espinoza and has been included among local favorites for possible recognition, but no star has been awarded yet. Michelin’s own website says the Florida 2026 ceremony will be streamed live on May 28 at 2:00 p.m. EST, when new stars and Bib Gourmands are expected to be announced. Michelin also said Florida’s guide is expanding to a statewide selection in 2026. ### Which restaurant is being talked about? Cotoa is the restaurant named in the report, and Expreso said it opened in Miami on May 22, 2024 as an expansion of Espinoza’s Quito restaurant Somos. The outlet said the project began in a downtown food market before moving to north Miami in 2024 and building a menu around seafood, chef-driven cooking and French techniques applied to Latin American flavors. Alejandra Espinoza is identified by Expreso as the chef behind both Somos in Quito and Cotoa in Miami. A 2024 Expreso report on the opening said Cotoa was launched inside The Bloom building as part of Chef’s Collective and planned to serve dishes including seafood, seco de pollo, maito, pan de yuca, llapingacho and Jipijapa-style ceviche. (expreso.ec) ### Did Michelin or the Miami Herald say Cotoa already has a star? No public Michelin announcement has confirmed a star for Cotoa as of May 24. Expreso said the Miami Herald included the restaurant among favorites or candidates for a Florida Michelin star, but the same report said Michelin had not yet confirmed whether new awardees would be announced before the scheduled May 28 ceremony. (expreso.ec) Michelin’s own Florida ceremony page says viewers can “watch the ceremony live” on May 28 at 2:00 p.m. EST to see which restaurants are added and which earn Michelin Stars or Bib Gourmand awards. That means the official result will come from Michelin, not from preview coverage or candidate lists published beforehand. (expreso.ec) ### Why is Cotoa even in the conversation? January 2025 is the key date cited by Expreso for Cotoa’s Michelin visibility. The report said Michelin added the restaurant to its Florida selection of recommended establishments in January 2025, describing that step as an important precursor in the restaurant world. (guide.michelin.com) Michelin’s official Florida restaurant directory shows a statewide list of selected restaurants and says the areas covered by the guide are increasing regularly. Michelin’s expansion notice said inspectors judge restaurants using five criteria: quality of products, harmony of flavors, mastery of techniques, the chef’s voice in the cuisine, and consistency across visits and throughout the menu. (expreso.ec) ### What changes in Florida this year? February 4, 2025 was the date Michelin announced that Florida’s selection would expand again. Michelin said that after adding Greater Fort Lauderdale, The Palm Beaches and St. Pete-Clearwater in 2025, the guide would become statewide in 2026. Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides, said in that announcement that Florida was raising the bar through “emerging culinary talent” and international influences. (guide.michelin.com) Dana Young, president and chief executive of VISIT FLORIDA, said the broader coverage would bring more restaurants across the state into Michelin’s orbit. (guide.michelin.com) ### What should readers watch on May 28? May 28 at 2:00 p.m. EST is the next concrete milestone. Michelin said its Florida 2026 Restaurant Guide Ceremony will be livestreamed that afternoon, and the company’s Florida guide pages are where the official list of starred, Bib Gourmand and selected restaurants will be updated. (guide.michelin.com) May 28 is also the date that will settle whether Cotoa moves from recommended status to a star, or remains only a candidate mentioned in advance coverage. Until Michelin publishes the 2026 Florida results, the Herald mention remains a preview, not an award. (expreso.ec) (guide.michelin.com)