Tonight: Timon Balloo Cooks a Five-Course Meal at His Own Banquet

Sugarcane Raw Bar Grill's Chef Timon Balloo will be honored this evening at his alma mater, Johnson & Wales University North Miami, and they'll hold a dinner to recognize him as the school's Distinguished Visiting Chef. The cost is $85 and proceeds will go to a scholarship fund in the university's College of Culinary Arts.

"It's going to be my first time back to the school in almost eight years ... You know, it went from being two blocks and a parking lot to a few blocks now and a parking lot," he said. "It's really nice to see it grow into an entity in Florida."

Balloo will even be cooking at his event. He has prepared a five-course tasting menu and pre-event activities included demonstrations for the students and working seminars earlier this week. "It's so the students can see what the chef's capabilities are after leaving such a great institution," Balloo said.

He worked for free at the Hotel Metropole in Belgium, continued training in the field with big names like Michelle Bernstein and at big places like Azul.

The guy's got gravitas. He says his about the culinary scene in Miami, "I really think our chefs are yearning to gravitate with each other."

He later told us he's extremely proud of events like Chef's Club (at 1500 Degrees) and Dinner with Friends at Sugarcane, where chefs gather and simply have an easy, good time.

The dinner takes place tonight at 7 and if the idea of spending a good $85 in someone's honor to help raise funds, RSVP to 305-892-7578.

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