Show notes
South Florida's dining landscape is the product of decades of immigration. Cuban, Haitian, Colombian, Venezuelan, and dozens of other communities have each added a layer to a food culture that is continuously evolving—and few people are better equipped to make sense of it than someone who grew up eating his way through it.
In this episode, host Angie Orth sits down with Fort Lauderdale native Ryan Pfeffer, Senior Editor at The Infatuation, where he oversees restaurant coverage across South Florida. With years of on-the-ground reporting from the ventanitas of Little Havana to the pop-up scene in Wynwood, Ryan brings local fluency and a journalist's instinct to the table.
You'll learn how decades of immigration shaped one of the most diverse dining cultures in the country, what dishes are truly native to this region, and how to build a realistic eating itinerary without burning away half your trip in traffic. Ryan breaks down the rituals every first-time visitor should know and explains why the best meal in South Florida is rarely the most obvious one.
What You’ll Learn:
3:08 How successive waves of South American and Caribbean immigration gave Miami a food identity unlike anywhere else in the country
8:17 What the cafecito ritual is, how to properly order it at a ventanita, and why it's a foundational piece of Miami culture
13:55 How to find the freshest local seafood in South Florida without falling into tourist traps
20:09 Why Palm Beach and the Florida Keys represent opposite ends of the South Florida food spectrum
25:24 The one thing Ryan says every visitor must do when eating their way through South Florida
Connect with Ryan Pfeffer:
Website: https://ryanpfeffer.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanpfefferoni/
What foods are you most excited to try in South Florida? Tell us in the comments!
Connect with AAA:
Book travel: https://aaa-text.co/travelingwithaaa
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/AAAAutoClubEnterprises
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AAAAutoClubEnterprises
Podcast: TravelingWithAAA.com
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