Editor’s note February, 2018: Epicure has closed.

For over 70 years  Epicure Gourmet Market & Cafe has been “the” place for gourmet grocery items and Jewish deli,  basically having a lock on the South Beach market and also attracting customers from other parts of town. And then came the “foodie” movement and with it Fresh Market, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s. Now, even Publix has gourmet grocery items. So what’s a landmark like Epicure to do? That was the challenge of the Starkman family, the store’s owners, and Michael Love, former TV food show and cooking class guru and now Executive Specialty Chef of Epicure Miami.

With five years in development Epicure Miami has transformed its mission, though being sure to hold its traditional place as the “go to” spot for Jewish deli and gourmet grocery items. It’s staking out its new mission as being the place for the freshest prepared foods, what it calls four and five star grab and go items for takeout or eat in, and new lines of its own label products called Epicure with Love (Love as in Michael Love).  Part of the “new” Epicure was a more contemporary, inviting look with large windows that look out on Alton Road and let in more light and sense of spaciousness; lower shelves that serve to open up the space; and more café seating.

The favorite prepared foods are still there, with a big emphasis on made fresh daily salads (30 to 40 different ones that rotate) like the standout, a kale, vegetable and beet offering; ethnic influenced dishes such as stir fry filet of beef, purple jasmine sticky rice, and roasted root vegetables ; smoked fishes including the best freshly sliced smoked salmon in town, whole whitefish and their famous whitefish salad.

One of the newest additions are the grab and go Italian entrees made especially for Epicure including chicken parmigiana with house made mozzarella and fresh marinara; fresh pasta such as spinach and cheese lasagna rollups, cheese ravioli, sausage and mushroom lasagna and baked ziti. The single portion entrees are priced from a reasonable $7.

One of my favorites and that of other customers as well are the soups, especially the chicken noodle and matzoh ball. A new line of 10 soups  has been added, their own branded Epicure with Love that feature mouth watering varieties like Moroccan lentil with harissa, turkey chili, grilled chicken and corn chowder and a roasted 8 vegetable soup. This all-natural line created by Chef Michael Love is made using from-scratch stocks, fresh ingredients and no preservatives or additives.

Other Chef Michael branded food items include a line of spice blends (Love Rubs) to dress up meats, fish, poultry and vegetables; 15 house-made salad dressings; and a line of fresh baked cookies and brownies…

The large bakery department remains with cakes, pastries and breads, again all made in house to go or served in the separate cafe for coffee or other beverages and a pastry .

News about the grocery gourmet items is that prices have dropped. “We’ve done market research as we wanted to be competitive with all the other stores in town, and now we are, “ said Love. We’re no longer looking at that as a big profit center. It’s now more of a convenience to our customers, “ he concluded.

Speaking of Michael Love, he’s the author of  The Salvage Chef Cookbook, a valuable guide to repurpose leftovers. The book is sold at Epicure and if you mention MiamiCurated sent you, he’ll even sign it for a great gift.