Even after the New York Times called the restaurant one of the Top Five Dining Destinations in Miami, when the adjacent motel was snapped up by real estate speculators, Red Light was forced to close. Using local produce and fish he selected from the drift boats, Chef Wessel brought a unique blend of Creole flavors to his randy roadhouse and the rave reviews soon followed. The tiny storefront dining room gave way to a charming waterfront slip where manatees drifted by and the atmosphere only hinted at the magic stirring up in the kitchen. Undaunted by the neighborhood, the chef opened Red Light Little River, named in homage to the notorious nightshift.
What followed that whirlwind of award-winning cooking and critical acclaim is something of a Miami legend because one of the city’s most successful chefs decided to roll up his sleeves and renovate a downtrodden motel on the Miami River where the only street traffic wore tight skirts and cheap shoes. Back home in Miami, Wessel enjoyed great success at Mark Militello’s Mark’s Place before taking off on his own to launch a European-style sandwich shop on Lincoln Road Mall, a Louisiana-themed bistro on Espanola Way and a Medeterranean eatery in the tony shops at Bal Harbour Mall. Starting out with a bang straight out of Florida International University’s Hotel Restaurant Management Program, the young chef toured Europe to stage at Michelin-starred restaurants in Austria, Spain, France and Italy.
South Florida foodies can’t help but cheer the trajectory of native son Kris Wessel who has spent a lifetime in pursuit of flawless Florida flavors.
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