Chef & Team - Chef John Critchley - Area 31, a Miami Restaurant at EPIC Hotel, Where Miami River Meets Biscayne Bay

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Rising-star John Critchley was the natural choice to head the kitchen at Area 31. A Massachusetts native, Executive Chef Critchley brings over 17 years of experience and a deep passion for quality seafood to Area 31. He has created menus that honor the restaurant's name, featuring sustainable fish and fresh local produce. His signature creativity and skillful preparations enhance every ingredient for a singular dining experience.

Born and raised in the small fishing town of Scituate, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod Bay, Chef Critchley has the sea in his bones. He also grew up working in the restaurant business, beginning as a dishwasher at age 14 and working his way up to a line chef by the time he graduated from high school.

Chef Critchley graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York in 1997, then developed his craft while working alongside some of the nation's top chefs and restaurateurs. From cooking at Ford's Colony Dining Room in Williamsburg, Virginia, to time spent with David Everett, Jimmy Snead, Marcel Desaulniers and Jean-Louis Palladin, Critchley has earned his accolades. Yet among the many notable people he's worked with, Chef Kenneth Oringer has influenced Critchley the most.

In 2003, Critchley became Oringer's line chef at Clio Restaurant in Boston, and within a year was promoted to sous chef. He also worked as sous chef at Oringer's Uni Sashimi Bar. During his tenure, both restaurants received numerous accolades, including the prestigious "Best of Boston" award.

Global inspiration was enhanced through Oringer's and Critchley's extensive travels together throughout Southeast Asia. The two even joined prominent chefs Francois Payard, Michael Ginor, Tetsuya Wakuda, Sergi Arola and Todd English at the Gourmet Food Festival in Bangkok, Thailand. When they returned in 2005, they opened Toro, a Boston tapas bar, which Critchley ran for two years. At Toro, Critchley was lauded for his exceptional Spanish-style small plates menu, receiving numerous awards and a near-perfect ZAGAT rating. Esteemed chefs such as Thomas Keller, Jacques Pepin and Jean-Claude visited Toro to taste Critchley's famed morcilla recipe.

In 2007, just before joining Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Critchley took a break to return to the place of his heart: the ocean. "I worked with the father-and-son team at the Island Creek Oysters Company," he says, "and helped harvest and grow oysters with some of the most passionate growers I have ever met." That passion mirrors Critchley's own and translates to the enthusiasm, skill, creativity and commitment that Critchley brings to Area 31.