Grilled Okra By Chef Niven Patel, from Orno Miami

Author Notes

As more and more U.S. chefs embrace growing their own food, true farm to table dining continues to cement itself as a growing trend in the culinary landscape. One chef that has been well ahead of this trend is James Beard Nominee and Food & Wine Award-Winning Best New Chef of 2020, Chef Niven Patel, who has been growing his own produce for all his critically acclaimed restaurants for years.

Chef Patel’s two-acre farm, Rancho Patel, is located just up the road from some of his most popular restaurants in Miami, Florida, including long standing favorite Ghee Indian Kitchen, Coral Gables hidden gem Mamey, and Orno, a new concept that debuted October 2021 inside the THesis Hotel.

Patel starts every morning walking the farm. When he first purchased the property seven years ago, only lychee trees lined the perimeter as well as a sole mango tree. Now the multi-acre property boasts a unique lineup of fruit trees and vegetables, all grown organically, including ones curated from Patel’s extensive collection of seeds and saplings that he has brought back from his travels around the world. Farm to table ingredients that can be found on Rancho Patel include makrut lime, jackfruit, seedless white guava from Thailand, mamey, starfruit, papaya, curry from the Grand Cayman Islands, cucamelons, ginger, eggplant, carrots, romano beans and heirloom tomatoes as well as various fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers.

But it's his okra dish, now available at Orno Restaurant in Miami, that is his favorite. It's a simple dish that illustrates just how good the vegetable can be. Okra sometimes gets a bad reputation since many home cooks don't know how to prepare it. If it's not cooked directly after its picked, it can be woody. Other times, depending on the preparation, it can be slimy. The recipe below showcases the delicious flavors of okra, which is perfect for the season. According to chef Patel, everyone should love okra. Make this dish at home or stop into Orno Restaurant at THesis Hotel in Coral Gables, FL to give it a try!
—Food52