The Yearly Bite2013

Happy New Year! In this special edition of the Bite, we’ve included a year in review for 2013. Check out the highlights and milestones of SAMBA BRAND’S MANAGEMENT

over the past exciting, event-filled 12-months.

SBM DeButS!AMBA BRANDS MANAGEMENT opened their seventh SUSHISAMBA location in Coral Gables, Florida in May. Located in The Westin Colonnade Hotel, the 6,500-square-foot space designed by acclaimed architectural firm Cetra/Ruddy, features the

area’s first Robata grill and outdoor bar. Coral Gables is also the first SUSHISAMBA location to offer breakfast daily, from freshly squeezed juices to Doce de Leite French Toast.

occe Bar – SBM’s newest concept – opened in Midtown Miami this past December to great critical acclaim and fanfare. The Italian restaurant features a menu by Executive Chef Timon Balloo, artisanal cocktails by Head of Spirit & Cocktail

Development Richard Woods, an enomatic wine system, the city’s first traditional bocce court, and a market, where guests can pick up an array of curated Italian and local products.

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USHISAMBA West Village unveiled striking new design following two months of extensive

renovation in August of 2013. The restaurant's transformation included everything from graffiti painted walls to furniture, a brand new ceiling, lighting fixtures and windows, which were stripped of the iconic Mondrian design to create a fresh, contemporary space. Cetra/Ruddy created two distinct aesthetics in the space both of which complement SUSHISAMBA's diverse cuisine.

he main dining room has been enlivened by graffiti artist Seb Gorey, a Parisian designer,

who has created a one-of-a-kind ambience with a fusion of Kanji, Brazilian urban life, medieval architecture and tropical forests. The room's new ceiling is lit by custom nature-inspired Canopy Designs' chandeliers. The reimagined rooftop has been transformed into a garden oasis with a canopy of lush greens and vines, open skylights, custom white Carrera marble tabletops and a beautiful Walnut bar. It is the perfect escape from City life!

SuSHISAMBA NYC WeSt VIllAge ReNoVAtIoN

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iving back is part of SBM’s philosophy. Each of SBM’s restaurants is involved in charity work, demonstrating the

importance of community service.

ost notably, in New York, SUSHISAMBA is proud to participate in City Harvest’s Chef Program for the 5th

consecutive year. In addition to supporting the program at numerous events throughout the year, SUSHISAMBA donates food to City Harvest every month, which is then transported to food banks citywide and made available to New York’s hungry.

n Miami, SUGARCANE raw bar grill and SUSHISAMBA Coral Gables participated in “Night on the RunWade,” a charity

fundraiser benefiting Dwyane Wade’s World Foundation.

SUSHISAMBA Miami Beach and SUSHISAMBA Chicago continue to support Best Buddies International founded by Anthony Shriver for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In Chicago, SUSHISAMBA also attended the annual MS Soirée in November, benefiting the National MS Society.

n London, Duck & Waffle participated in the Mince Pie Project for the second year in a row, benefiting Food Cycle and

the Kids Company! Executive Chef Daniel Doherty’s Lemon Meringue Mince Pie raised over £600! SUSHISAMBA London is a supporter of MTV's Staying Alive Foundation, an HIV prevention organization, as well as Benedict Cumberbatch's Macmillan Cancer Foundation.

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USHISAMBA Coral Gables celebrated its opening in style with a grand celebration sponsored by Ocean Drive, featuring passed appetizers, signature cocktails, Samba dancers and Taiko drummers and more!

elebrating the success of its first year, SUSHISAMBA London hosted a grand fête on November 12. The evening kicked off with a VIP dinner followed by a huge party for over 600 guests, where Nicole Scherzinger danced the night away with

designer Julien MacDonald; Mark and Sam Ronson partied with their family; Leona Lewis stepped on the dance floor to her song Bleeding Love, and rapper Neneh Cherry and DJ Nick Grimshaw performed live.

ondon also hosted Esquire’s Big Black Book launch party with such guest as Mille Mackintosh, Bobby Gillespie and Tinie Tempah. The restaurant also hosted a private dinner for the cast and creative team of Iron Man 3 and the official world

premiere after party for Man of Steel. In April, the restaurant was honored to host a special luncheon for the winners of S. Pellegrino’s “World’s 50 Best Restaurants.”

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S. Pellegrino's "50 Best" LuncheonNeneh Cherry

SuSHISAMBA - here, there and everywhereo one loves food and beverage events more than SUSHISAMBA! We shared our unique blend of Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian

cuisine at over two dozen events throughout the year all of which benefited local and national charities, including Chicago’s First Bites Bash, New York’s Kids Food Fest, Taste of Greenwich House, Bubble-Licious, Sake Fever, The Epicurean Affair, Bon Appetit’s Vegas Uncork’d, Taste of London, Taste of Gables, City Harvest Summer in the City, Taste of the Nation, BLU at the Shedd Aquarium, Harvest in the Square, Joy of Sake, Lexus’ Sabor De Lujo, Las Vegas Wine & Food Festival, Chicago Gourmet, Culinary Clash, Carnival of Cuisine and Lucky Rice.

USHISAMBA also participated in the South Beach Wine & Food Festival and the New York Wine & Food Festival! At both events,

excited guests and celebrity chefs alike showed their enthusiasm for SUSHISAMBA. At the NYWFF, Corporate Sushi Chef Koji Kagawa wowed guests at Masaharu Mormioto’s Rockin’ Dumplings and Rollin’ Sushi with a special Yellowtail Tartar Roll. During the SOBEWFF, SUSHISAMBA Miami Beach treated guests to signatures bites at the Thrillist BBQ & the Blues and the Red Hot Night event hosted by Ingrid Hoffmman at the Ritz-Carlton South Beach.

n the UK, SUSHISAMBA London and Duck & Waffle Head of Spirit & Cocktail Development Richard Woods held a tutorial for

SUSHISAMBA’s artisanal cocktail menu at The Lab festival, an incredible 3-day event of expert-led, interactive experiences, where he discussed the importance of aroma mixology and how it can affect the perception of taste. SUSHISAMBA London also attended Taste of London and hosted the acclaimed S. Pellegrino's World's 50 Best Luncheon.

edicated foodies who were unable to attend the various events we participated in, satisfied their taste for SUSHISAMBA during

Chicago, New York and Coral Gables Restaurant Weeks and Miami Spice.

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ollowing a Grey Goose competition win, Head of Spirit & Cocktail

Development Richard Woods kicked off 2013 with his award-winning cocktail “Smoke Screen,” (inspired by Zero Dark Thirty) which was served at the Weinstein Company Oscar party in Los Angeles, California.

n London, SUSHISAMBA was also named one of the city’s “hottest”

restaurants by Tatler’s Restaurant Guide for 2013. What’s more, the restaurant earned two Rosettes in the AA Restaurant Guide for 2014!

n the States’ side, SUSHISAMBA Miami Beach and SUSHISAMBA Las

Vegas landed spots on Open Table’s list of top 100 dining hot spots.

he Miami New Times’ editorial team awarded SUSHISAMBA Miami Beach

“Best Mojito” for 2013.

n the Yelp Pours it On competition, SUSHISAMBA Coral Gables Juan

Gonzalez won first prize with the inventive Inca Swizzle defeating The Social Club and SUGARCANE raw bar grill.

n TV, SUSHISAMBA Miami Beach was crowned supreme on Chopped

while SUSHISAMBA Las Vegas was featured on Bravo's Top Chef Masters.

hallenging the team’s physical fitness and determination,

SUSHISAMBA Las Vegas, London, New York and corporate locations and Duck & Waffle participated in Tough Mudder, “the toughest competition on the planet,” taking on a challenging 12 mile obstacle course with sub-zero water tanks and an electric eel mud pit. The teams showed true Samba spirit, dominating Tough Mudder!

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O Richard Woods and the Smoke Screen Cocktail

Juan Gonzalez with the Yelp Pours It On trophy

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ince opening its doors on Park Avenue South in 1999, SUSHISAMBA’s team has been central to

SBM’s success. We would like to take this opportunity to celebrate employees, who have been part of the company for ten years! 2013 marked the decade anniversary of Corporate Marketing & PR Director Joanna Cisowska, SUSHISAMBA Miami Beach’s Eduardo Silva, Diego Ruzzo and Carlos Peralta Vergaray, SUSHISAMBA Gramercy's Nicolas Calixto, SUSHISAMBA Chicago’s Alfredo Rodriquez, Clever Gonzalez, and Agustin Gonzalez, and SUSHISAMBA West Village’s Ismael Juarez, Zhang Geng Lin, Macario Tepo. Your hard work and dedication are an inspiration to us all!

10-YeAR ANNIVeRSARIeS

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ringing their personality and knowledge of Japanese, Brazilian and

Peruvian cuisine to local and national television shows the SUSHISAMBA culinary team and corporate team captured the attention of viewers with their SUSHISAMBA spirit and delicious demos. SUSHISAMBA Gramercy Executive Chef Pedro Duarte appeared on Fox News, where he prepared the refreshing Seviche De Mariscos and a Pisco Sour cocktail. PopSugar filmed Head of Spirit & Cocktail Development Richard Woods as he demonstrated how to make the perfect Kaffirinhia. SUSHISAMBA London’s gorgeous exterior and tree bar were featured on the TV show, The Apprentice! Other noteworthy appearances include Coral

Gables Now TV, WGN TV’s “Lunchbreak”, WSVN’s “Bites with Belkys’”, Style File, Univision and CBS’ morning show!

USHISAMBA garnered an unprecedented amount of press

throughout 2013. Most importantly, Wine Spectator Magazine's amazing feature in its May issue on all things sushi, including a 15-page spread on Japanese Cuisine in which they called SUSHISAMBA's unique blend of Japan, Brazil and Peru "iconoclastic." Interviewing CEO & Founder Shimon Bokovza on his inspiration for the brand, the magazine showcases the story behind SUSHISAMBA, naming it one of the top seven sushi restaurants in the nation.

ther notable mentions include Elle, Vogue, The Daily Telegraph, The

New York Times, Zagat, Harper’s Bazaar, Miami New Times, Ocean Drive, Time Out, Square Meal, Nation’s Restaurant News, Life & Style, Condé Nast Traveler, Esquire’s Big Black Book, Forbes, Restaurant Hospitality Magazine, NBC Miami, CNN Travel, Esquire Magazine, The New York Post, The Independent, The Huffington Post, Glamour Magazine, People Magazine, Grazia, Wire, Where, Women’s Health, Food & Travel, Harden’s and London Evening Standard.

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SuSHISAMBA - lIgHtS, CAMeRA, ACtIoN!

SuSHISAMBA tHINKS outSIDe oF tHe BeNto BoX

n 2013, SUSHISAMBA locations worldwide launched nutrition menus to accommodate diners with gluten allergies or

vegan/vegetarian dietary preferences. SUSHISAMBA also introduced new menu formats featuring beautiful foil stamped logos and decorative artwork.

ead of Spirit & Cocktail Development Richard Woods launched a new beverage program at all the SUSHISAMBA

locations, featuring modern takes on classic cocktails.

everal locations offered unique culinary promotions throughout the year. SUSHISAMBA Chicago launched an

Omakase Series made up of regional dinners, highlighting the sake and food traditions from a different region in Japan: Akita, Nagano, Niigata and Chūgoku. Embracing tradition, the evenings kicked off with a kagami biraki, followed by a whole fish carving demonstration and a traditional tea ceremony.

USHISAMBA Coral Gables launched the first ever breakfast menu, featuring morning favorites such as Doce de Leite

French Toast and a classic American breakfast.

dditions to the dessert menu sent everyone's sweet tooth aflutter, namely, the Yuzu Tart Cheesecake with a beautiful

sugar sphere, crispy yuzu, strawberry gelée, yuzu-basil granité and orange zest and the reinvented Samba Split, which is quickly becoming a fan favorite.

s always, SUSHISAMBA NYC West Village and SUSHISAMBA Chicago hosted Sushi & Sake 101 courses throughout the

year, entertaining and educating participants! All locations offered limited edition spring nama sake specials in celebration of the new season.

USHISAMBA wouldn’t exist without the dedication and talent of our culinary team. New promotions in 2013,

included Cesar Vega to SUSHISAMBA Miami Beach Chef de Cuisine, Michelle Duran to SUSHISAMBA West Village Chef de Cuisine and Alyssa Travi to Reigional Pastry Chef for Las Vegas and Miami. This past year, we welcomed SUSHISAMBA Gramercy Executive Chef Pedro Duarte and Executive Sushi Chef Toshihiro Moroe, SUSHISAMBA Chicago Chef de Cuisine Jason Mousseau, SUSHISAMBA Las Vegas Executive Chef Joel Versola, SUSHISAMBA Coral Gables Executive Chef David Sears and SUSHISAMBA London Executive Chef Cláudio Cardoso!

tay up to date with the culinary team! Subscribe to Ingredient Blog and go behind the burners with

SUSHISAMBA’s master chefs.

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SugARCANe RAW BAR gRIllince opening in 2010, SUGARCANE raw bar grill has remained one of the hottest restaurants in Miami! Over the course of 2013, the restaurant continued to garner awards and acclaim, accolades that stand as a testament to its incredible menu and

dedicated staff. The restaurant landed a spot on OpenTable’s top 100 dining hottest restaurants! What’s more, the restaurant won “Best Mojito” for 2013 in the Best of Miami New Times’ Readers’ Choice Awards!

icking off of the year, SUGARCANE was honored with a AAA Four Diamond Restaurant Award. Only 2.6% of the 29,000 restaurants approved by AAA make the Four Diamond list so this was quite an accomplishment. Travel & Leisure magazine

named SUGARCANE raw bar grill the best place to dine al fresco in the outdoor garden space. What’s more, Executive Chef Timon Balloo was nominated by his peers to be included in the Best Chefs America guide; he was named one of South Florida’s “Fifty Most Powerful Professionals in Business for 2013” in The Miami Herald’s Legacy edition; and he earned the title of “Star Chef” by Food & Wine magazine. Among Chef Balloo's dishes that got recognition was the Ropa Vieja Grilled Cheese, which was rated one of the best sandwiches by Esquire magazine!

hroughout 2013, SUGARCANE raw bar grill participated in numerous events, including the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, where Executive Chef Timon Balloo treated guests to bites at Wine Spectator’s Best of the Best and Guy Fieri’s Reggae Jam

with Ziggy Marley. In April, Chef Balloo showcased his creativity at the annual Cochon555, where he prepared a whole hog. Going on a culinary adventure, Chef Balloo spent a weekend in Louisville, Kentucky at the James Beard Foundation’s “Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change,” where top chefs discussed challenges facing the food world. In the fall, Chef Balloo traveled north to the acclaimed New York Wine & Food Festival, where he attended Tacos & Tequlia hosted by Bobby Flay. Other events included the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, Taste of the Nation, Miami Spice, the kickoff of Bon Appetit’s Grub Crawl, Yelp Pours it On, Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival and Food & Wine's Test Kitchen, where Chef Balloo cooked with local kids.

UGARCANE raw bar grill was featured in countless publications, namely, Southern Living, Elle, US Magazine, CNN Eatocracy and Esquire. People magazine featured Executive Chef Timon Balloo's Robata flank steak in their Labor Day recipe

recommendations. On the small screen, Chef Balloo appeared on NBC’s Today show with Al Roker, where he prepared Caribbean Snapper Stew alongside actress Vanessa Williams. WSVN’s Deco Drive filmed a behind the scenes preview for Cochon555 at SUGARCANE raw bar grill with Executive Chef Timon Balloo. Additionally, award-winning production company The Reel Miami Project filmed a portion of their six shorts at SUGARCANE raw bar grill. On the airwaves, Atlanta Living interviewed Timon Balloo about his participation in the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival.

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Chef Timon cooking with youth at Food & Wine's Test Kitchen

Chef Timon with Vanessa Williams on The Today Show

Toasting to Bon Appetit's Grub Crawl

Cochon555 2013

DuCK & WAFFlerom its amazing views to its inventive menu by Executive Chef Dan Doherty, Duck & Waffle is just as popular as when it first opened in 2012. As a testament to the ongoing success of the brand, the restaurant received an incredible amount of

press coverage with mentions in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Virgin Atlantic, Financial Times, Caterer & Hotelkeeper, Restaurant Magazine, Olive magazine, Zagat, Hot Dinners, Nation’s Restaurant News, The Huffington Post, Time Out, Stylist, London Times, Cosmopolitan, Food & Wine, The New York Post, CNN Travel an more. In January, Channel 4 featured Duck & Waffle’s Spicy Ox Cheek Doughnut on their Sunday Brunch segment on gourmet morning goodies. The Spicy Ox Cheek Doughnut wasn't the only menu item to send the press abuzz. Another culinary revolution of 2013 was the dosant craze, when Executive Chef Doherty sent the Twittersphere into overdrive with the launch of his limited edition pastry.

n the beverage side, Head of Spirit & Cocktail Development Richard Woods launched a new Bar Menu, featuring D&W's signature serves and a list of classic cocktails. The menu has been a huge hit with both guests and critics, especially the

Roasted Cosmopolitan and the Salted Caramel Manhattan, recieving notable mentions in Financial Times and Food & Wine.

uck & Waffle's inventive approach to cuisine was recognized by food critics. Tatler’s Restaurant Guide named Executive Chef Dan Doherty “2013 Rising Star Chef” at their annual awards event. What’s more the acclaimed magazine included Duck

& Waffle in their list of top restaurants to dine at with a view! Later in the year, Restaurant magazine honored Duck & Waffle with the 81st spot on the list of “top 100 restaurants in the UK” and The Michelin Guide for 2014 included Duck & Waffle in their recommendations. While Time Out awarded Duck & Waffle one of the best breakfast places in the city.

hroughout the year, Duck & Waffle attended some of the biggest foodie events the city had to offer, including Meatopia, The Slider Decider Competition, Taste of London and Jamie Oliver’s anniversary celebration, where Chef Doherty treated guests

to the restaurant’s signature dishes. Duck & Waffle Executive Chef Daniel Doherty represented the brand by landing a spot in the top 5 at the annual Scotch Egg Challenge. Executive Chef Doherty also brought his knowledge to The Lab, an interactive foodie experience spearheaded by the creators of Taste of Noma and Taste of London. Here, Chef Doherty showcased his forward-thinking and creative approach to cuisine at the AEG Experiment stage headlined by Brazilian master chef Alex Atala.

xecutive Chef Dan Doherty became a weekly contributor to The Independent’s blog spot, “Dish of the Day.” Stay tuned for Duck & Waffle's very own cookbook of signature recipes slated to hit shelves in the fall of 2014.

Head Chef Daniel Doherty at Meatopia

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BoCCe BARhile it's only been open for a month, Bocce Bar already has publications and foodies everywhere abuzz, including Food Republic, Zagat, Tasting Table, City Eats, Eater, Miami New Times, Miami Living, Miami Herald, Digest Miami, Urban Daddy,

WSVN Channel 7 News, Style File and more! The location is now open daily for lunch and dinner, featuring a Mediterranean-style menu created by Executive Chef Timon Balloo, who traveled on a culinary journey with Beverage Manager Pietro Riccobono throughout Italy for inspiration. Head of Spirit & Cocktail Development Richard Woods designed a cocktail menu to complement the food with house-made liqueurs, artisanal cocktails, Italian beer and wine and more! Guest are invited to eat, drink and play bocce on Miami's first traditional court.

Stay tuned for Bocce Bar's newly designed website slated to launch by the end of January 2014!

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Chef TImon with La Nonna in Sicilly Pietro Riccobono in Italy

FAMouS FACeS WHo DINeD WItH uS IN 2013mong the celebrities spotted at SBM locations throughout the past year are Jimmy Fallon, Will Smith, Vince Neil, Michael Caine, Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Princess Beatrice,

Eva Longoria, Brad Green, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Martin, Simon Harris, Keira Knightly, Victoria Beckham, Billy Joel, Chris Bosh, Paula Abdul, Venus Williams, Oscar De La Hoya, Tyson Beckdford, Ric Ocasek, Paulina Porizkova, Coco Rocha, Sean Penn, Idris Elba, Derek Jeter, Mohamed Diamé, Hugh Grant, Alyssa Milano, Sean Paul, Kenan Thompson, will.i.am, Karolina Kurkova, Garcele Beauvais, Vanessa White, Cheryl Cole, Kimberly Walsh, Gok Wan, Jimmy Carr, John Goodman, Pauly Shore, Jason “Mayhem” Miller, José Bosingwa, Sidney Rice, Michelle Williams, Ray Winstone, Swedish House Mafia, Edie Falco, Allan Pineda, Taraji P. Henson, Gabourey Sidibe, Paul Wall, Dot Jones, Carlton Cole, Martina Navratilova, Joakim Noah, Antonio Brown, Chad Johnson, Dita Von Tesse, Mario Lopez, Wilmer Valderrama, Juwan Howard, Ross Matthews, Luke Evans, Landon Donovan, Seth Cohen, Fernando Torres, Kris Humphries, Douglas Booth, Thomas Sørensen, Anthony Anderson, Lenox Lewis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Fabolous, Shane Battier, Alex Rodriguez, Nathan Sykes, Ariana Grande, Apolo Ohno, Mark Teixeira, Leonardo DiCaprio, Miranda Kerr, Vanessa Hudgens, Antoine Walker and Lewis Hamilton.

Will Smith Michael CaineKeira Knightley

Billy Joel Idris Elba Leonardo DiCaprio

Gwyneth and Chris Jimmy and Nancy Fallon Mario Lopez

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teCH MIleStoNeShis year marked the launch of redesigned websites for SUSHISAMBA and SUGARCANE raw bar grill. Both domains are aesthetically pleasing and

user-friendly, attracting tens of thousands of online visitors. SUSHISAMBA and Duck & Waffle have the most visitors per month, drawing in 150,000 and 80,000, respectively. SBM’s website unifies all concepts and is the new home to the SHOP, where guests can purchase gift cards for all locations and other fun goodies. In addition to the websites, SUSHISAMBA, Duck & Waffle, SUGARCANE raw bar grill and Bocce Bar are all active on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest interacting with diners, posting mouthwatering pictures and sharing the latest SBM news! Stay tuned for Bocce Bar’s website slated to launch by the end of January 2014.

WHAt’S CooKINg FoR 2014e on the lookout for SUSHISAMBA’s very own sake label slated to launch this year. Kanpai!

USHISAMBA has World Cup fever! Stay tuned for special events, entertainment and promotions in celebration of the 2014 World Cup, which kicks off June 12 in Brazil!

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Thank you for making 2013 so memorable! We look forward to the year ahead and many more exciting endeavors!