Since it opened in November 1998, Wish, the Mobil Four Star restaurant at The Hotel on South Beach, has remained a south Florida dining hotspot. Under the auspices of executive chef Michael Bloise (32) since December 2003, Wish continues its evolution as a bright spot on the national culinary map. Bloise brings to Wish an eclectic cooking style informed equally by his American upbringing and his Vietnamese-Italian roots.

Prior to his appointment, the Johnson & Wales graduate served as executive chef of Miami Beach’s Tantra restaurant, was executive sous chef at The Gaucho Room, formerly located in Miami Beach’s Loews Hotel, and served as executive sous chef under former Wish chef E. Michael Reidt from November 2001 to November 2002. In fact, it was his work under Reidt that led Tony Goldman and Jessica Goldman-Srebnick of Goldman Properties, who own/operate Wish, to approach Bloise during their national chef search. "We were blown away," said Goldman-Srebnick of that first tasting with Bloise. "He’s got star quality and a distinct sense of style that has taken Wish to the next level."