Valerie Chang

Valerie Chang is the chef and co-owner of Maty’s, a Peruvian restaurant in Miami’s Midtown neighborhood that opened in March 2023. She has garnered acclaim for her modern take on comida criolla, the traditional food of her upbringing in Chiclayo, Peru. At Maty’s, Val won the James Beard Foundation Award for “Best Chef: South” (2024) and, alongside her brother Nando, was named to Food & Wine’s “Best New Chefs” class of 2023. In 2025, she was named to Cherry Bombe’s Power List. Maty’s has been named to Bon Appetit’s “Best New Restaurants,” the New York Times’ “Restaurant List,” and Condé Nast Traveler’s “Hot List.”

Part of a multigenerational family of chefs, Val moved to the U.S. at ten, learning from her father Fernando. Since then, the Changs have opened Itamae, B-Side, Maty’s, and Itamae AO. Maty’s marked Val’s solo debut, inspired by cooking alongside her grandmother. She also earned a StarChefs Rising Star award and participates in the James Beard Foundation’s Chef Boot Camp for Policy and Change. She lives in Miami with her dog, Mero.