Lux for Life
Tyler Florence is excited he did well on a pop-quiz. The acclaimed chef, food entrepreneur and one of the Food Network’s most recognized stars is feeling great his Miller & Lux team at the Four Seasons Hualalai recently scored a perfect 100 on a blind test given by hotel management.
“Once a quarter, they’ll have a sort of a blind dining experience with somebody. They do this with every restaurant and it’s really hard to score a perfect hundred and we just scored a perfect hundred our first time out, so we’re really excited about it,” says the chef, who is looking relaxed from his hotel room in Louisiana where he’s shooting the next season of The Great Food Truck Race.
Creator of luxury steakhouse Miller & Lux and host of one of the longest running food shows on television — a competition series showcasing food trucks, it’s an interesting juxtaposition that makes one wonder, who is Tyler Florence? “A really nice guy,” is how mutual acquaintances and chefs who have worked with Florence describe him. He occupies a unique position in the culinary world at the intersection of respected chef, enduring marquee personality on the Food Network and successful entrepreneur. While many chefs leverage their celebrity status to launch multiple products and brands, the longevity and scope of Florence’s career and his ability to maintain a high level of culinary cred is rare. He’s on season 27 with the Food Network and in San Francisco, a city where restaurants come and go, his first restaurant, Wayfare Tavern (opened in 2010) is still buzzing.
“I grew up in television — in a way. My mom was the accountant for the local NBC station in Greenville, South Carolina. Phyllis Olson is her name; she was the accountant for WYFF and so once every couple months, she would have to work weekends to make sure she closed the books on time and she would take my older brother and me to the station if she was working on the weekends. And then we would just run around the television station, like wild raccoons, just kind of get in the mischief or whatever. We would go sit in the studio and watch them cut the news live,” says Florence.
But it was his time working at Fishmarket, a French restaurant in Greenville, that set his future. After graduating from high school, he enrolled at the College of Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales University in South Carolina and upon getting his culinary degree headed to New York, doing stints under Charlie Palmer at Aureole and The River Cafe, before taking the top spot at Cafeteria as executive chef. A new food channel was just starting and executives at the network took note of the young chef’s charisma and ease in the spotlight. After well-received guest appearances, Florence was given his own series, Food 911 on the then-just-emerging media platform. Almost two decades later, the chef who helped build the Food Network into a global empire is still curious about new opportunities and ways to impart food knowledge.
“Everything I’ve done in my life has added up to who we are now. I’m a businessman and I do television, but most importantly, I’m just a cook. The ceremony of food and that nurturing element of hospitality has always been something I was really attracted to as a kid. And then, you know, when you get your chance to start cooking and kind of celebrating what that’s like, that’s when you feel like you get really good at it,” says Florence. “I try my hardest to be the best person I can be where I am at that given moment.”
His vision of a modern American steakhouse, Miller & Lux opened in 2021 in San Francisco’s Chase Center, followed by pop ups in Vail and Hawai‘i. Last December, the Hawai‘i pop up evolved into a permanent stay at the Four Seasons Hualalai. “It’s been an amazing opportunity for us to grow and go to one of the most beautiful places in the world, hang out, have a good time and showcase kind of what we do in San Francisco. And it’s been really, really well received so far,” says Florence.
The luxury steakhouse serves a 45-day, dry-aged prime Black Angus Tomahawk ribeye steak that’s grass-fed and grain finished with barley. When asked about opening a beef-centric restaurant at a resort noted for its oceanside location, Florence references Hawai‘i island’s paniolo culture and ties to San Francisco. He was also quick to note that locally sourced prawns, oysters and Kampachi are also on the Miller & Lux Hawai‘i menu.
Hawai‘i food personality Lanai Tabura and his brother Adam Tabura along with their best friend Shaun Felipe won season four of The Great Food Truck Race. Tabura says Florence shared with them what was most valuable — his time. “We hear the production guys saying Tyler is flying in today from here or he’s coming from another production, you know that his time is tight, but he would always take the time to talk with us. He said, ‘You guys can win this, everyone loves Hawai‘i,’ that helped build our confidence, says Tabura.
Late last year, Florence partnered with the city of San Francisco and opened two cafés: Miller & Lux Provisions around Union Square in an effort to help revitalize the iconic shopping district and bring economic growth to an area that’s struggled to recover since COVID-19 shutdowns in 2020. The cafés — one is a rotisserie offering rotisserie chicken, farmer’s market side dishes and a brunch all-day menu while across the plaza, on the Powell Street side, is a patisserie featuring pastries by Miller & Lux pastry chef Karla Marro. Her cheesecake was recently named one of the best in the city by the San Francisco Chronicle.
Miller & Lux is a premium brand in stellar locations, some might wonder why Florence would take on the challenge of opening in an area where retail outlets are closing. “I think the ability to stick with it, and I have an insatiable curiosity for cooking,” says Florence, who is also about to launch his latest cookbook this May, American Grill: 125 Recipes for Mastering Live Fire.