Executive Chef Heath Miles
Amici Trattoria is Executive Chef Heath Miles’ dream come true... a dream he sought through his energy and talents as he delectably treated the taste buds of Americans throughout the country with his award-winning cooking and creations.
Figure 1. Chef Heath Miles
Heath Miles came to Asheville in 2003 to open The Boathouse on Lake Julian, where he developed a menu that combined the freshest seafood with the best seasonal and regional products available. Miles made the decision to stay in Asheville because of the potential of the region, and because it brought his wife, Leslie, closer to her family and her Southern roots.
Having worked in the food industry since the age of 14, Miles began his professional culinary career in Atlanta at the five-star, five-diamond Ritz Carlton. He then joined Atlanta’s Bold American Food Company as sous chef for the opening of an innovative new restaurant, The Food Studio, which received four diamonds in its second year of operation.
Shortly thereafter, Miles was given a kitchen of his own. He helped create and build the concept and menu for the company’s newest endeavor, La Tavola Trattoria, where he was named executive chef and where his passion for Italian cooking began. La Tavola was consistently ranked in the top 50 restaurants in Atlanta by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Miles left Atlanta to return home to Pittsburgh, PA, as executive chef of Casbah, a Mediterranean, fine dining restaurant. While there, Pittsburgh Magazine recognized him as a Rising Star Chef.
Throughout his career Chef Miles has donated his time and talent to fundraisers for charities including Share Our Strength and Make-A-Wish Foundation. In Atlanta he enjoyed teaching pizza-making classes to disadvantaged pre-school children. A popular cooking instructor, he has demonstrated his skills on television and radio.
A 1993 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Miles served a six-month externship at the five-star, five-diamond Grand Wailea Resort on Maui, where he trained under Chef Kathleen Daelmons, Food TV Host and best-selling cookbook author. Upon graduation, Miles was accepted into the prestigious culinary apprentice program at the legendary five-star, five-diamond Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia, where he received several medals of achievement.
Outside the kitchen, Miles enjoys time with his wife, Leslie; daughter, Grace; and their Golden Retriever, Bailey. His interests including golf, woodworking and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
A Fun and Factual Dossier about Executive Chef Heath Miles
- What you’ll always find in his refrigerator
- Red Bull, Sierra Nevada beer, tortillas and Popsicles
- What he eats after a long night at the restaurant
- Pizza or Mexican food
- His first job:
- Cooking hot dogs and grilled cheese sandwiches at the Edgewood Club in Pittsburgh, at the age of 14.
- The women in his life
- Wife, Leslie; daughter, Grace; mother, Liz; sister, Jennifer; and Golden Retriever, Bailey.
- His favorite Southern food
- Pimento cheese
- The person he’d most like to meet
- Mario Batali
- Favorite vacation
- Honeymoon in Italy
- Hobbies
- Golf, woodworking and Pittsburgh Steelers games.
- Most valuable lesson learned from the Ritz Carlton
We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.
- The most valuable lesson he learned from the Greenbrier Resort
If you’re not tasting, you’re not cooking.
- Most memorable meal
- Six course dinner at Mario Batali’s Greenwich Village restaurant, Babbo Ristorante.
- What he tells his staff
The customer pays your rent.
- Italian Roots?
- Nonexistent.
Italian food is in my heart, not my heritage.
Make a reservation
Need a gift idea?
How about a Wine Dinner, Cooking Class or Gift Certificate to Amici Trattoria? — Contact Us to arrange a special gift for you!
Award Winning
Selection of Wine
2006. and 2007. Recipient of
WINE SPECTATOR MAGAZINE
AWARD OF EXCELLENCE