Miami Beach, FL – July 20, 2021 – Miami Beach’s exclusive South of Fifth (SoFi) neighborhood is home to some of the most renowned and luxurious restaurants in the city. Noticing a gap in the market for upscale Chinese cuisine, local restaurant veteran and hospitality entrepreneur, Ken Ray, decided to open Jia, a brand-new modern Chinese Dinner Club concept in SoFi. The highly-anticipated dining destination is the first to introduce elevated Chinese cuisine to the area, spearheaded by award-winning internationally renowned Executive Chef Weng Choon “William” Lai, with notable expertise in the Modern Cantonese Culinary Arts. Jia extends the ultimate upscale South Beach dining and nightlife experience, in a relaxed and welcoming setting that fuses high-style design with an edgy yet sophisticated ambiance. The new neighborhood dinner club hotspot will feature a regular menu with an elevated combination of authentic Cantonese-style Chinese dishes, a specialty late-night menu with an array of delectably curated Dim Sum platters, an outstanding cocktail program led by acclaimed local bartender Michael Parish, and unique entertainment programming, beginning with Karaoke night in the private dining lounge.

“We are beyond thrilled to finally be able to open the doors to Jia and bring such a unique experience to the South of Fifth area – a genuine synergistic fit,” says Ken Ray, Owner of Jia. “From the very start, we let the neighborhood and space dictate the Jia concept. The South of Fifth community has the heart of a small island in the Pacific, and the vibrancy of an exceedingly electric city. There couldn’t be a more ideal spot for Jia’s introduction in Miami.”

World Red Eye went behind the scenes with Ken Ray for an exclusive first look at the trendy new SoFi dinner club, and discussed the process behind bringing his idea for this new concept to fruition. Read the full Q&A below.

By Gaby Cuevas

WRE: Ken, you’re a local veteran of the restaurant and hospitality industry. Tell us about some of the projects you’ve previously worked on in Miami.

Ken Ray: From 2006-2017, I founded and operated Maso Group, a hospitality-focused development and management company. Prior to that, I worked my way through all facets of the food and beverage industry. In late-2017, I became particularly focused on the Food Tech sector, and launched Alacarte Delivery, the first to market virtual restaurant/ghost kitchen.

WRE: South of Fifth is home to a plethora of restaurants, known for providing an upscale and intimate dining experience. What made you decide to open Jia in such an exclusive neighborhood?

KR: I’ve been a part of the SoFi (South of Fifth) neighborhood for the past 15+ years and have watched the area explode with extraordinary luxury high rise developments and properties. The restaurant scene took some time to mature, but now is home to some of the most successful brands and businesses in the country, with Milos, Papi Steak, CARBONE, and the Prime Restaurant Group establishments, to name a few. A plethora of businesses and esteemed entrepreneurs have recently moved from New York and the West Coast to the South of Fifth area. Chinese cuisine has been the one culinary genre that seemed to be most underrepresented in the neighborhood and even beyond, all throughout Miami.

I’ve been a part of the South of Fifth neighborhood for the past 15+ years… Chinese cuisine has been the one culinary genre that seemed to be most underrepresented in the neighborhood.

Ken Ray

WRE: Tell us more about the dinner club element of Jia. What additional entertainment components to the restaurant can guests expect?

KR: My goal with Jia is to be able to offer guests the ultimate upscale South Beach dining and nightlife experience, in a relaxed and welcoming setting. As a part of that offered experience, we’ve created a private lounge area/dining room that lives in the back of the restaurant, idyllic for exclusive dinner parties and elevated entertainment scheduling such as Karaoke night, which will soon roll out as one of Jia’s weekly night programs. The music component will also play a fundamental role in catering to Jia’s overall dinner club element, with nightly LIVE music activations and music programming by LA-based artist advisor, Hayes Bradley.

WRE: For the restaurant’s interior, you tapped famed Miami Ink tattoo artists, Ami James and Morgwn Pennypacker, to create custom murals. Tell us more about this collaboration.

KR: During Jia’s design and concept phase, we fell in love with the Chiang Mai Dragon wall covering. Inspired by an edgy Art Deco print, we decided to base Jia’s entire interior scheme on its particular color palette. Ami and Morgan did an amazing job of incorporating their traditional tattoo style design to complement the area and the rest of the decor that reflects edgy modern elegance throughout the 2,500 sqft. space.

WRE: Ruth, tell us about the menu at Jia. What are some exciting dishes guests can look forward to?

Ruth Castilleja: Jia’s menu does a phenomenal job at really encompassing all of the different regions of China. With such a diverse selection of offerings, guests will be able to indulge in a new culinary experience each time they dine with us. Nevertheless, some of our ‘must have’ dishes include our Crystal Noodles with Crab Roe Sauce, Crispy Radish Cake, Crispy Pork Belly, and of course, the Black Cod, a real traditional delicacy that we are super excited to share with our guests.

WRE: How does Jia’s menu differ from other traditional Chinese-cuisine restaurants?

RC: A majority of Chinese restaurants in the United States base their menus on Cantonese-style dishes. Chef William and I wanted to focus on covering the whole country, offering many traditional dishes with an added modern technique approach that embodies different flavors and delicacies from all around the country.

WRE: What’s special/different about Jia’s ‘late-night’ menu that’s going to be offered?

RC: Jia’s late-night menu features a diverse selection of delicious bites such as Edamame Dumplings, Crispy Honey Garlic Chicken, Prawn Siew Mai, and many more that are made to be enjoyed while having a specialty cocktail or paired with some of our delicious champagne offerings.

Jia’s menu does a phenomenal job at really encompassing all of the different regions of China. Guests will be able to indulge in a new culinary experience each time they dine with us.

Ruth Castilleja

My goal with Jia is to be able to offer guests the ultimate upscale South Beach dining and nightlife experience, in a relaxed and welcoming setting.

Ken Ray

WRE: Michael, what was your inspiration behind creating the beverage menu at Jia?

Michael Parish: Jia’s beverage menu is uniquely inspired by the Silk Road and local “flavor” of Miami! Without the Silk Road there would be no distillation, which means there would also be no distilled spirits. The menu also plays off of Chef’s worldly flavors and dishes and incorporates some tropical flavor and innate “miami style.” We will also have an extensive wine and champagne list with an exceptional wine by the glass program to compliment the dishes.

WRE: How do you make a cocktail menu that simultaneously stands out and compliments a restaurant’s menu?

MP: There has to be harmony between the kitchen and the bar when creating a beverage program. With Jia having access to flavors and spirits from around the world, it was an amazing canvas to work with and will be ever evolving.

Jia’s beverage menu is uniquely inspired by the Silk Road and local “flavor” of Miami!

Michael Parish

WRE: What is Jia’s signature cocktail going to be? Can you tell us what’s in it and why this particular cocktail is going to be signature to Jia?

MP: Pandan Colada – a riff on the Piña Colada with the flavors of pandan (a tropical plant with nutty and floral leaves), which pairs with creamy fresh coconut and roasted pineapple. This riff on the classic Colada also combines Baijiu (a Chinese distillate, which also happens to be the largest consumed spirit in the world) and Blanco tequila to offer a whimsical take on a true classic. Ingredients include Baijiu, Blanco Tequila, Coconut, Roasted Pineapple, and Pandan

GALLERY SLIDER