When did you decide you wanted to open a restaurant?
I decided I wanted to open a restaurant when I was 17 years old. My aunt and uncle invited me to the Culinary Institute of America for a birthday dinner and I immediately fell in love with the school. I had always loved to eat and I loved cook but I hadn't considered a career in food until that trip. I decided I wanted to go to that school and become a chef and then open my own restaurant-miraculously, it all worked out and I couldn't be happier.

Where and when did your career in food begin?
When I was in high school I got a job working at Shea Stadium, the former home of the NY Mets. I was hired as a food vendor during the baseball games, responsible for walking up and down the aisles yelling "Soooo-dah!!" , "Iiiii Scream"...

If you didn't become a chef, what would you be?
Before I convinced my parents that I attending the CIA was a good idea, I went to Queens College for a few years and majored in Nutrition, I was going to become a Dietician. After working in the kitchen for several years after school, I made the switch to the dining room where I worked as a server, a dining room manager, a general manager and an event planner. While it was still the restaurant business and I enjoyed it, I found that my true passion is for cooking.

Who/what has shaped your cooking the most over the years?
My husband Mauricio and I run this business together and while he is primarily managing the dining room and selecting the wines, he also helps me with some menu ideas. When we first began talking about opening a restaurant together, we thought about many different concepts but we decided to cook what we know and we settled on the idea of making the food I would cook on our days off, a subtle fusion of Latin American and Italian flavors and techniques. The food is inspired by our heritage (Mauricio is from Mexico and my dad is from the Dominican Republic) and our experience with Italian cooking. Mauricio has a very discerning palate and he is always ready with a tasting spoon!

What influences your cooking style and particularly the menu at your restaurant?
I cook with the flavors I enjoy eating most, while using seasonal ingredients from local farms, whenever possible. When I was a kid, I would sometimes eat dinner at a friend's house whose parents were from Italy. I loved the way the meal was a big event even on a weeknight! The idea of having separate courses for different parts of the meal intrigued me. At Miranda we have 5 shapes of fresh pasta daily as well as unique entrees comprised of meat and fish. We also offer a number of vegetarian options.
My menu is broken down into categories you would enjoy in Italy- or with Italian neighbors- separated into 5 categories: Small Plates (Antipasti), Pasta, (we offer appetizer and entrée sized portions) Entrées (Secondi), Farmhouse Cheeses and Dessert.

What are your favorite culinary weapons in the kitchen?
I am in love with my Vita-mix blender; I use it to make sauces, for desserts such as our Horchata Pannacotta and for pureeing soups. That mixer goes hand-in-hand with a sturdy chinoise that we strain everything through and the end result is a velvety texture without using cream or butter.

What is the one rule or value you try to instill in all of your staff?
Mise en place!! I think organization would be the #1 value I try to instill in both cooks and servers. It is sometimes hard to predict if we will have a busy brunch or dinner service and the worst thing is to not being prepared. Knowing where your "tools for battle" are, what you need to focus your prep time on and setting up priorities is all part of organization.

What qualities do you look for when hiring cooks for your restaurant?
I think when hiring cooks as well as service staff, enthusiasm is the most important thing and the easiest thing to tell about someone from an interview; there are enough dead fish in the restaurant. I think punctuality is also very important. Every employee has a key role in my small restaurant and if one employee is consistently late or absent from work, the entire business is stressed. Lastly, a willingness to learn is more important to me than experience.

If I'm trying to watch my weight and I'm eating at your restaurant, what am I ordering to eat?
For those on a diet, dining at Miranda is easy. You could have one of our salads to begin with such as a Spinach and Chayote Salad with roasted pistachios and a Grapefruit-Chipotle Vinaigrette. My vinaigrettes are made with extra virgin olive oil and emulsified with Dijon mustard rather than eggs. If you are looking to go light on the starch, omit the pasta course or simply have an appetizer portion. For your entrée you could have the Grilled Orata with Organic Quinoa and Watermelon Pico de Gallo. For dessert we might send you a Cucumber-Lime Raspado, similar to a granita. We have a lot of vegetarians and vegans here in Williamsburg so I cook everything with a flavorful vegetable broth rather than meat stocks making it easy for us to omit meat or fish from many dishes.

What is your least favorite food?
I think it's important to try everything and if there is something I don't like I try it two times but I just can't seem to delve into a whole bowl of tripe. Mondongo, Trippa
alla Fiorentina, it doesn't matter; it's just not for me.

What is your beverage of choice?
I like wine. I used to prefer red wine especially in the winter but I find myself asking for rosé, anytime of the year, I find it refreshing especially after working in the kitchen. Mauricio searches for wine from small producers from Spain, Italy, South America and California and he always has a few rosés on the list both by the glass and by the bottle.

When you are not eating at your own restaurant, where are you eating?
Mauricio and I enjoy our day off exploring different neighborhoods of this amazing city and sampling the food. Welove to "research" new restaurants to keep up to date on what's new in the food world.

What was the most spectacular meal you have ever had?
Wow! It's hard to say what my most spectacular meal was but the first thing that comes to mind was a meal Mauricio and I shared on Bodega Bay, on the coast in Northern California. We purchased some wine from a vineyard we had tasted at; we had some salad greens and other veggies we picked up at a farmers market which I tossed with local olive oil and some lemon juice, some great freshly baked artisanal bread and some local cheese. We stopped to buy some oysters as fresh as they get and shucked them at a picnic table by the water. The weather was a perfect 70 with full sun, it was amazing and I'll never forget it!

What is your best cooking tip for a home enthusiast?
I think that when trying something for the first time it is always good to have a recipe you trust. Every chef has their own style and creativity is essential but using the recipe as a guideline is important when first starting out.

What do you eat when you are home?
Eating at home is usually a time for trying out a new recipe for the restaurant or experimenting with Asian flavors for fun. When Mauricio and I just want a late night snack, I usually heat up a few corn tortillas directly on the burner, roll them up with some fresh mozzarella and enjoy them with a quick guacamole.