Meet Isaac Perlman: Chef & Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Isaac Perlman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Isaac, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I think that risk taking is crucial for success. Many people can get comfortable with their job or company but if you don’t risk it to make it bigger then you will never know what the outcome could have been. From my personal experience I had to take a major risk to be able to start my own restaurant. 8 years ago when I began my private chef career I would have never realized that jumping from private chef to restauranteur would have been so risky. I say this because in order to open the place I call home *PERL” restaurant I had to give up a big piece of my private chef/catering business in order to get capital to build and establish the best restaurant in North Miami. 

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My job is definitely not easy so the people who put in the work and the hours usually stand out from the rest of the pack. Working overtime night after night and doing the things that most are too lazy to do sets me apart. I cook, run tables, wash dishes, oversee the operation, etc… I am really proud to say that my dream was to own a full-service restaurant before age 30 and I have accomplished that. Now the real fun (hard part begins) to keep this place impeccable and consistent. I would say that to get where I am now there was a mix of hard work, talent, dedication and fortunately the right relationships along the way. It was certainly not easy but since I do something I like I have been ok with missing out on family time, friend time, and such for the sake of my goal and my career. I have learned that if you have a goal and you keep pushing with persistency and hard work it will come. Patience. I would like the world to know that my success was not overnight and that it will not stop here. I will keep striving to be better and have a better team as I move forward with the opening of PERL.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My friends visit often so this is easy. I also have been in the industry and this city for over 20 years. Best fine dining places to eat in Miami in my opinion are Petit Maison, Surfclub, and Hiyakawa For the best every day dining I would say anything by hillstone I personally think people need to take advantage of the beaches, golf courses, and nice weather in town. I personally work 24/7 so I have not had time for that but if I could I would be on the water and on the golf course as much as possible.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to all my fans! My number one fan is my wife Zina – She truly is the fuel to my engine. She is the partner and support any man needs to run a successful business. My father Steven is also a crucial fan who runs the administrative side of the restaurant. Beside my father I would like to thank all my team, friends, family, and clients who have been supporting me and pushing me since day 1. The PERL team would not be what it is without the men and women who dedicate numerous hours a week to so a huge shoutout to them (Chef Malcolm, Chef Ahmed, Yasha, and the rest of the team).

Website: www.perlrestaurant.com
Instagram: perl_restaurant
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/perl-by-chef-ip-miami

Image Credits
All photography by Zina Perlman