LETICIA & MIKY GRENDENE
CATEGORY: Power Couples
COMPANY: Casa Tua
INDUSTRY: Hospitality
WHAT MAKES THEM HAUTE: The tale of how they met seems as if it was written for a romantic comedy script. (Cruising through South Beach on a Vespa, Italian real estate investor Miky mistook model Leticia for a friend of his and stopped. He quickly realized it wasn’t his friend but was so struck by Leticia’s beauty, he called her modeling agency and set up a fake casting.) Today, the couple serves as commiserate hosts at their boutique hotel and restaurant, Casa Tua. Tucked away on James Avenue, this luxurious Mediterranean-inspired enclave is where other Haute 100 members go to get away from it all.
H. WAYNE HUIZENGA
CATEGORY: Billionaires
COMPANY: Miami Dolphins
INDUSTRY: Sports
WHAT MAKES HIM HAUTE: This Ft. Lauderdale resident is constantly lauded for his business acumen and rightfully so. Huizenga is the only person ever to be responsible for six companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange and to build three Fortune 1000 companies, one of which is Blockbuster, which he sold to Viacom in 1994 for $8.5 billion. Beyond that, he is the man responsible for bringing professional baseball to South Florida, when he was awarded the Florida Marlins in 1991. He followed that up by introducing the NHL to South Florida via the Florida Panthers in 1992. For around 15 years, he was also the majority owner of the Miami Dolphins and Dolphin Stadium, making him the only man to have owned all three professional sports teams in a region. He sold all but 5 percent ownership of the Dolphins to Stephen Ross last year.
JOANNA KRUPA & ROMAIN ZAGO
CATEGORY: Power Couples
COMPANY: Mynt
INDUSTRY: Nightlife
WHAT MAKES THEM HAUTE: After acting as the VIP director, Romain took over as owner of Mynt and the club didn’t miss a beat, continuing to be the go-to locale for lovers of luxurious nightlife in a sophisticated setting. Romain’s supermodel fiancé Joanna graces the covers of magazines (and the pages of the 2010 Maxim calendar), appeared on Dancing with the Stars, and is often a guest on late night talk shows, making this couple the reigning king and queen of Miami’s haute crowd. She is also actively involved in PETA and was the face of a traffic-stopping ad campaign for their ingenious “I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur” campaign.
IRAN ISSA-KHAN
CATEGORY: Originators
COMPANY: Iran Issa-Khan Gallery
INDUSTRY: Art
WHAT MAKES HER HAUTE: She began her career as a high-flying fashion photographer, consorting with the world’s most rich and famous and photographing the “one-name” supermodels for some of the biggest fashion rags. It has been said that the Issa-Khan lens set the visual tone for the 1980s. Today, the Persian photographer’s gallery in the Design District portrays some of her best works, including shots of Nancy Regan at the White House, Paulina Porizkova, Farrah Fawcett, and Paloma Picasso. In the late 90s, she made a transition from photographing the pretty people to shooting nature’s beauty. Today, travelers coming in and out of Miami International Airport are welcomed by an exhibition of 25 of her large-scale photographs in an exhibition titled “Gifts from the Sea,” displayed in the Skywalk between Terminals E and F.
JAY I. KISLAK
CATEGORY: Philanthropists
COMPANY: The Kislak Organization
INDUSTRY: Real Estate
WHAT MAKES HIM HAUTE: His real estate company has a portfolio of properties that span the country, but what’s really haute is the Kislak Foundation, the non-profit he established in 1984. It is dedicated to the collection, conservation, research, and interpretation of rare books, manuscripts, maps, and indigenous art and cultural artifacts from the U.S. and around the globe. This collection was born out of this New Jersey native’s desire to learn more about local culture and history when he first moved to Miami a few decades ago. And he shares the love; more than 3,000 works from the collection were gifted to the nation as The Cultures & History of the Americas: The Jay I. Kislak Collection at the Library of Congress. In 2003, Kislak was appointed by President George W. Bush to be the chairman of the Cultural Property Advisory Committee, an expert panel that advises the U.S. Department of State regarding the importation of cultural artifacts. Kislak also serves as a trustee of the Eisenhower Fellowships.
JOHN KLUGE
CATEGORY: Billionaires
COMPANY: Metromedia
INDUSTRY: Media
WHAT MAKES HIM HAUTE: This 95-year-old Palm Beach resident was ranked as richest man in America in 1989 but lost that title to Bill Gates three years later. His vast fortune comes from Metromedia, Inc., which proved during the 1960s and 1970s that independent television stations could compete against network giants. That caught the attention of Rupert Murdoch, who purchased Metromedia’s stations in the mid-1980s for around $2 billion. Under the same Metromedia name, Kluge went on to invest in restaurants, technology, and telecommunication ventures, which amassed him quite the impressive fortune. He believes in paying it forward and donated $400 million to Columbia University in 2007, which is the fourth-largest gift of all time to an educational institution.
ALAN KLUGER
CATEGORY: Thinkers
COMPANY: Kluger, Kaplan, Silverman, Katzen & Levine, P.L.
INDUSTRY: Law
WHAT MAKES HIM HAUTE: As a name partner at Miami-based Kluger, Kaplan, Silverman, Katzen & Levine, P.L., Alan Kluger has defined his career as a powerhouse litigator representing high-profile individuals, celebrities, and athletes. Most notably, his client list included baseball legend Alex Rodriguez, whom Kluger represented during the athlete’s high-profile divorce, which ended in an amicable settlement. Kluger and his wife Amy Dean have developed a passion for the arts, which grew out of a traditional Jewish charity collection box (a tzedakah box) that Amy gave him for his 30th birthday. This served as the centerpiece of a collection of boxes that grew into the largest of its kind in the country. The couple sold the collection and set up the Dean-Kluger Charitable Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the arts, education, and medical research. They turned their attention to collecting Latin American art, amassing a portfolio of works by masters like Wifredo Lam and Roberto Matta.
THOMAS KRAMER
CATEGORY: Originators
INDUSTRY: Real Estate
WHAT MAKES HIM HAUTE: Before Thomas Kramer, South Beach was a very different place. His developments (Portofino, Yacht Club, Continuum, Murano, Murano Grande, Icon, Apogee) transformed the once-blighted community into a sophisticated, world-class destination. Kramer was recently deemed an “Alien of Extraordinary Ability” by the United States government, due to his achievements as an entrepreneur and real estate investor. He is also an active philanthropist, and his Thomas Kramer Foundation has benefited many local and national charities. He often lends out his Star Island estate (rumored to be the island’s largest) for worthy causes, including the annual kick-off event for Art Basel, which has been sponsored by Haute Living for the past two years.
LENNOX LEWIS
CATEGORY: Athletes
INDUSTRY: Boxing
WHAT MAKES HIM HAUTE: This Heavyweight Champion not only defeated Evander Holyfield in 1999, but he also KO’d Mike Tyson just three years later to solidify his undisputed reign in the boxing ring. He is also a member of the 100 Black Men of London, which is a non-profit organization created to give back to the community. Last year, the Miami Beach resident was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
DIANE & ALAN LIEBERMAN
CATEGORY: Power Couples
COMPANY: South Beach Investment Realty, South Beach Group
INDUSTRY: Real Estate, Hospitality
WHAT MAKES THEM HAUTE: Together, Diane and Alan form a real estate powerhouse. Diane’s SBI Realty is the group behind the sales of some of the biggest profile listings in the region. Alan runs the show at South Beach Group, an Art Deco-style hotel brand that operates 10 properties, including the Catalina, SBG’s flagship property on Collins Avenue, and the new Riviera, which is home to one-bedroom apartment-like accommodations. The Liebermans’ hotels have been fixtures on South Beach for the past 10 years thanks to a business model that is based on innovation, outstanding marketing tactics, and an innate understanding of what attracts the customer, from constant parties and open bars to partnerships with the theater and art institutions. Chic designs don’t hurt either, and The South Beach Group’s portfolio is full of them, all courtesy of Alan himself who renovates his properties every three to five years. The couple is a staple at philanthropic and cultural events throughout Miami.
News
April 13, 2010Keeping Up with Miami’s Culinary Scene
