Pablo Zittzman

The Path

At Academia de Cocina Verde Oliva culinary school, the basics of the craft were put in place before Pablo Zitzmann entered Miami’s restaurant circuit and advanced with steady momentum. The line cook posts at Señora Martínez in Miami and Nobu in Miami gave him the pace and discipline required in demanding kitchens, while the sous chef roles at Matador Room and Market at EDITION in Miami extended his control over flavor, timing, and organization. Work as a stager at The Pig and the Lady in Honolulu's Chinatown (from 2013), Royal Garden in Honolulu, and Yardbird Yakitori in Hong Kong widened the frame further. Each kitchen brought a different rhythm and set of traditions, adding to a practical understanding of how a dish can stay tied to its roots while still feeling present. A return to Miami as executive chef at No Name Chinese in South Miami (2014–2019) marked a defining stretch in the development of his point of view. The same title at Thesis Hotel in Miami continued that refinement, with technique and consistency remaining central. Pablo is chef and owner of Zitz Sum (since 2020), where those years of kitchen work are brought together under one roof.

The Work Today

At Zitz Sum, the menu is shaped by a clear position on tradition: keep the original recipes in view, then adjust them with enough personality to make the result distinct without breaking the line back to the source. Pablo Zitzmann works from that tension directly, treating inheritance as something to be handled rather than simply preserved. “Our approach is, we stick to original recipes but look for ways that inspire us to put a different personality on it and still keep the traditions intact.” That method favors measured changes over display. It keeps the emphasis on the structure of the dish, while allowing small shifts to bring the present into the frame. In practice, Zitzmann’s cooking treats the familiar as material for revision, not repetition.

Signature

Pablo's signature dishes include Wonton in Brodo and Potato Beignets with Caviar and Cinco Jotas. The two dishes show the range of the kitchen at Zitz Sum: one built around savory depth and comfort, the other around crispness and a richer finish. Together, they describe the restaurant’s working range without pulling away from control.

In Their Words “Our approach is, we stick to original recipes but look for ways that inspire us to put a different personality on it and still keep the traditions intact.” “We make a strong dashi, taking all the edges and trimmings from our Parmesan and steeping them.”