Capital One x The Cultivist x H&C Collective | 1111 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach
When winter everywhere else means coats and fireplaces, December 2023 in Miami meant an open-air rooftop, art installations, and a culinary collaboration that stole the season. For three days, H&C Collective partnered with Capital One and The Cultivist to bring to life Alex Israel’s Snow Beach: Frozen Treats, a true celebrity chef activation, where two Michelin-star chefs stepped into the Miami Beach skyline and invited the city to taste their vision.
For brands or hosts seeking to hire a celebrity chef, or explore the creative power of celebrity chefs for events, this project showcases collaboration, craftsmanship, and hospitality at the highest level.
A Three-Day Celebrity Chef Activation Above the Miami Skyline
The sun hovered low over Miami Beach as guests arrived. The city’s glow turned gold, the horizon stretching wide, and there, above it all, H&C Collective transformed the rooftop into something special: fine dining that felt like a curated gallery of taste.
Day One: Chef Dominique Crenn
Chef Dominique Crenn is the first and only female chef in the United States to earn three Michelin stars, celebrated for her poetic, art-forward approach to cuisine. Her presence alone signaled that night one would be more than dinner. It would be an artistic culinary narrative.
From the moment guests stepped into cocktail hour, the tone was set. A “Summer of Love Sour” in hand, they drank in the light, the view, the playlist soft under conversation. And then the plates began to arrive. The first dish carried the sea: aged fish layered over a delicate nori cracker and topped with a whisper of avocado mousse, evoking the essence of ocean breeze and sea salt.
Next, beets glimmered like rubies, paired with caviar and dashi in a nod to depth and luxury. Then tuna tartare edged with shiso and crispy shallots: bright, fresh, a little sharp. And finally the black cod, dry-aged and mellow, cushioned in oyster emulsion as though the ocean itself were being invited to the table.
The evening closed with a soft-serve bar: Lime in the Coconut and Cuban Breakfast flavors swirling like Miami sunsets, inviting guests to linger, to taste the moment. In every choreography of plate, pour, and floor step, this celebrity chef activation felt alive.
Day Two: Chef José Andrés
A global humanitarian and culinary innovator, José Andrés is a Michelin-star chef, founder of World Central Kitchen, and known for pioneering tapas in America. His food tells stories, but also invites joy. And night two embraced that fully.
Guests were greeted with interactive cocktail stations, the floral gin drink named “Floral Cloud” offering aroma before even a sip. The first bites set the tone: jamón carved tableside, melon paired with ham, and an extra indulgence when jamón met caviar.
Then the Black Truffle Bikini: cheese, truffle, warmth. Familiar yet luxurious. Sea scallops glistened next, touched by a sherry dressing that hovered between seaside and cellar. Short ribs braised by tamarind followed, rich and tender, and the final note, Key Lime Pie soft-serve alongside arroz con leche, handed guests dessert and nostalgia in equal measure. Paired wines spanning Laurent Perrier to Catena Zapata Malbec guided the palate home.
Behind the scenes, H&C Collective expanded operations, anticipating movement, managing each moment so this celebrity chef activation looked effortless even as it ran at peak precision.
Day Three: A Miami Sunset Social and Celebrity Chef Pop-Up Experience
With two elevated dinners complete, the final act opened the rooftop wider. The Frozen Yogurt Shop offered six inventive soft-serve flavors: Key Lime Pie, California Dramin’, Tahitian Vanilla and more, light, approachable, surprising.
As the sun slipped toward the horizon, the Sunset Social came alive with tray-passed bites like tuna crispies dressed in ponzu, Florida snapper ceviche bright with citrus, and crab cakes touched with lemon aioli.
The crowd felt the night shift from refined dinner to Miami’s golden-hour ease with cocktails in hand: smoked Palomas with Tajin rims and Aperol Spritzes glowing amber.
This was high-end, yes, but grounded in the joyful hum of community and connection. No longer just the guest of a celebrity chef activation, attendees became part of a story.
Behind the Curtain: Miami Catering, Production & Culinary Support
To bring this vision to life, H&C Collective did more than cook. We built kitchens and bars on the rooftop, staged seven frozen-yogurt machines, dressed teams in custom uniforms, and timed every rental installation so the moment felt natural, not manufactured. Every interaction, from bar pour to plate pass, reflected purposeful planning and world-class service.
Whether you are managing a brand dinner, looking for catering in Miami, or planning a large-scale celebrity chef activation, H&C Collective provides the infrastructure, the staffing, the logistics, and of course, the local knowledge.
Miami is home for us. We know its kitchens, its purveyors, its rhythms, and its people, which means out-of-town agencies and chefs can plug into a trusted ecosystem from day one, and operate smoothly.
Want to Hire a Celebrity Chef for Your Next Event?
If the idea of bringing in a high-profile chef for your event makes you excited, here’s your model. Working with celebrity chefs for events like Dominique Crenn and José Andrés demands vision, hospitality discipline and flexibility. But with the right partner? The result? Memorable, elevated, and distinctively you.
Ready to bring your next event to life? Reach out here to explore Miami catering and custom culinary experiences.