CHRISTIAN LECOLE NAMED FOOD AND BEVERAGE DIRECTOR

MiamiCentral’s Central Fare is developing into a premier culinary destination under the leadership of Brightline Food and Beverage Director Christian Lecole. Lecole is charged with developing and implementing the food and beverage program for the new MiamiCentral, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach transit-oriented developments. His primary focus is curating the program of restaurant partners that will comprise Central Fare, developing partnerships and overseeing the first such food hall in South Florida along with Monger by the Voltaggio Brothers, the signature restaurant lead by celebrity chefs Bryan and Michael Voltaggio.

“Christian is creating a true culinary destination in downtown Miami bringing together a diverse representation of restaurants that reflect the many tastes and talents of our South Florida community,” shares Brightline Senior Vice President of Operations David McIntyre. “Paired with celebrity chefs Bryan and Michael Voltaggio’s Monger, along with additional restaurant announcements in the pipeline, Central Fare is positioned as one of the most highly anticipated dining experiences to open in 2017.”

Christian brings an extensive career in the hospitality industry spanning across Europe, Asia and North America. Prior to joining Brightline, Lecole held leadership positions at such hotels as the Waldorf Astoria, The Hotel de Paris and Four Seasons Hotels before embarking in corporate food service, managing global hospitality and food service operations for financial institutions including Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs. These global operations included innovative programs and partnership firsts with guest chef series featuring such names as Thomas Keller, Danny Meyer, Daniel Humm, Jacques Torres, Francois Payard and Daniel Boulud. Lecole is a graduate of the prestigious Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne and has continued hospitality studies at Cornell Hotel School.

Central Fare is South Florida’s first true food hall. This dynamic, urban marketplace will offer authentically crafted and carefully curated culinary experiences – featuring chefs Bryan and Michael Voltaggio, Richard Hales of Blackbrick Chinese; and Andres Barrientos and James Bowers of Miami Smokers, among others. Opening in summer 2017, Central Fare will encompass approximately 50,000 square feet on the first and second levels of MiamiCentral. Featuring six restaurants and more than 20 food and retail purveyors, Central Fare and Monger by the Voltaggio Brothers have been designed by award-winning global hospitality design and concept firm, AvroKO.

More exciting announcements are planned for MiamiCentral and Central Fare, including additional food and beverage, retail and office tenants. For the latest, visit www.MiamiCentral.com and www.gobrightline.com.

About MiamiCentral

MiamiCentral is an 11-acre, transit-oriented mixed-use development spanning over six city blocks in the heart of downtown Miami from Florida East Coast Industries, one of the oldest leading real estate and infrastructure developers in Florida. The project’s initial phase features 300,000+ square feet of Class A office space; 180,000+ square feet of innovative retail and dining experiences including Central Fare, Miami’s first true food hall; 800 smartly designed residential rental units; and the home of Brightline, redefining train travel in the United States. For more information, visit www.miamicentral.com. 

About Brightline

Brightline will redefine what it means to travel by train in America with express inter-city passenger rail service arriving 2017, providing an important transportation alternative to connect Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, with future service to Orlando. The service will ease the stress of traffic, provide a simple and intuitive experience from door to destination, and foster new opportunities to explore more of Southeast Florida. Brightline is the only privately owned, operated and maintained passenger rail system in the United States. For more information, visit our website: www.gobrightline.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.