Pérez Art Museum Miami Names Stephen Starr Events Exclusive Caterer And Restaurateur

The Pérez Art Museum Miami, which is set to open its doors to the public in December, has just chosen Stephen Starr as the chef for its currently unnamed restaurant.

According to the museum's official press release, Starr will be the museum restaurant's exclusive restaurateur and caterer.

Hollie Altman, the museum's director of special events and sales, told the Miami Herald, "We met with a lot of groups who were either very good at catering or had successful restaurants. But Stephen really has this young, dynamic team that's able to come to Miami and bring its culinary experiences from both aspects."

Starr Restaurants is the force behind acclaimed restaurants such as Buddakan and Morimoto. This is not his first big-name catering partnership: his Steven STARR Events group is also the principal caterer behind a handful of other well-known cultural institutions, such as the New York Botanical Gardens and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and is responsible for putting on events like the New York Botanical Gardens' Conservatory Ball and the MoMA's Armory Party.

The museum hopes to become a "premier event venue in South Florida," and will have the capacity to accommodate on-site events for up to 400 guests. According to the Herald, Starr and museum officials are still building the menu and are discussing the possibility of serving dishes that complement the featured art exhibitions, and gave the works of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei — which will be displayed in the museum from December to March — as an example.

"We have already received great interest from people looking for a venue for everything from waterfront weddings to film screenings and performances," Leann Standish, the museum's deputy director for external affairs, said in the press release.