Chef

Kevin Cory

Discipline: Chef
Based in: Miami, Florida, United States
Venue: NAOE · Restaurant

i. Biography

Before Kevin Cory became chef of NAOE in Miami, Japanese cuisine had already set the terms of his public work. The result is a career built through repetition, discipline, and measured progression, with a signature dish that became closely associated with him.

The Climb

Early in the line of work, Kevin Cory trained as a learner of Japanese cuisine under Executive Chef Nobuo Kase. That apprenticeship established the register: attention to detail, restraint, and a steady approach to technique. In 2001, he moved into the role of sushi bar operator / chef at Siam River in Miami, where the work brought him into direct contact with guests and the daily demands of exacting service. From there, the progression continued with more defined authority: chef of NAOE since 2009, and chef of N by Naoe since 2014. What the timeline shows is continuity. The work stayed centered on Japanese cuisine while becoming more exact in execution and more specific in expression. Learner, operator / chef, chef: each step added clarity to the same craft language. By the time Kevin Cory’s name was linked to NAOE in Miami, the career had settled into a disciplined pattern of technical focus and repetition.

Today

Kevin Cory is chef at NAOE in Miami, and that role anchors his public identity. The restaurant frames his work in Japanese cuisine, with the emphasis on continuity rather than display. His profile there is defined by sustained practice and by a style that reads as deliberate rather than expansive. The Bento Box remains a key reference in that work. Identified as a hallmark for Chef Cory and specifically not a typical omakase course, it gives a concrete point of recognition within his body of work. For anyone reading his cooking through the lens of craft, the Bento Box marks the hand behind the meal: compact, specific, and tied directly to Kevin Cory’s name.

Career - Chef — NAOE, Brickell Key, Miami (2009–present) - Chef — N by Naoe, Brickell, Miami (2014–present) - Learner of Japanese cuisine — under Executive Chef Nobuo Kase - Sushi bar operator / chef — Siam River, Miami (from 2001)