About

Born and raised in Oakland, California, Chef Ronny Miranda’s culinary education started long before he ever set foot in a professional kitchen. A third-generation Azorean-American, his foundation was built on the family recipes cooked in his mother’s and grandmother's kitchens—a legacy started by his forebears who immigrated from Portugal in the 1930s. "Cooking is simply a part of my family’s history and continues to be," he says.

That deep-rooted connection to food eventually collided with the relentless grind of the Bay Area's culinary scene. With over 24 years in the industry, Miranda cut his teeth at San Francisco's acclaimed Fifth Floor, mastering classical French-American technique, before taking the reins as Food and Beverage Director for Top Chef alumnus Nelson German at Sobre Mesa and Alamar. His operating philosophy in the kitchen is simple but ruthless: "Strategy will compensate for talent. Talent will never compensate for strategy."

That calculated, methodical approach earned him the nickname "The Professor" during his national television debut on the first season of NBC's Yes Chef!, hosted by Martha Stewart and José Andrés. Today, he blends Michelin-level discipline with the soulful, unpretentious cooking of his heritage.