Lush Views at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
Lush Views at Fairchild Tropical Botanic GardenPhoto Courtesy of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and Nicole Ponseca

Flavors in Full Bloom: Fairchild Garden Hosts a Filipino Culinary Soirée with Chef Nicole Ponseca

James Beard–Nominated Trailblazer Brings a Tropical Twist to Filipino Cuisine for an Immersive Supper Club Experience in Miami's Lushest Oasis

Source: Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

Reported By: Caroline Dalal

An Evening Where Botany Meets Bagoong

On Thursday, July 31, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden will transform into a culinary hideaway for Flavors of Fairchild: A Supper Club Experience—a one-night-only gastronomic event starring acclaimed chef, restaurateur, and author Nicole Ponseca. Set within the Garden’s Art Center, this 7:30–9:00 p.m. celebration of Filipino cuisine brings together ripe tropical ingredients, botanical storytelling, and a deep-rooted cultural legacy.

Golden Lumpia With Pork and Shrimp Filling
Golden Lumpia With Pork and Shrimp FillingPhoto Courtesy of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and Nicole Ponseca

Ponseca, a James Beard-nominated force in the culinary world, is credited with shifting the landscape of Filipino food in America through her pioneering New York City restaurants Maharlika and Jeepney. Her bestselling cookbook I Am a Filipino further cemented her status as an authority on Filipino gastronomy. Now, she’s channeling that same energy into a menu that speaks to Miami’s tropical climate—and the Garden’s rich heritage.

Chef Nicole Ponseca at Fairchild Garden
Chef Nicole Ponseca at Fairchild GardenPhoto Courtesy of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and Nicole Ponseca

The Menu: A Culinary Love Letter to the Philippines

With an approach that’s both fruit-forward and rooted in cultural storytelling, Ponseca has curated a menu that reimagines Filipino staples in harmony with tropical produce:

  • Welcome Cocktail: Pancho Villa-Collins – A heady blend of Santa Teresa 1796 Rum, Bombay Gin, apricot liqueur, cherry herring, pineapple juice, lime juice, and soda water.

  • Main Course Cocktail:Calamansi Margarita – Made with blanco tequila, calamansi juice, agave syrup, Cointreau, and lime juice.

Featured Dishes:

  • Kinilaw (Filipino ceviche) with avocado and star apple

  • Traditional lumpia (spring rolls) with pork and shrimp, served with a tamarind-guava dipping sauce

  • Coconut creamed green jackfruit and taro leaves with fermented shrimp paste

  • Banana ketchup pork ribs over garlic rice

  • Mango and mamey granita

Each course underscores Ponseca’s mission: to honor the past while elevating the future of Filipino cuisine.

Coconut Jackfruit With Taro and Shrimp Paste
Coconut Jackfruit With Taro and Shrimp PastePhoto Courtesy of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and Nicole Ponseca
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More Than a Meal—A Movement

Ponseca’s presence in Miami has grown in recent years, thanks to her buzzy pop-ups and fast-casual concepts that bring an experimental lens to traditional dishes. Yet this supper club offering at Fairchild feels particularly personal—an edible extension of her storytelling, framed by the living backdrop of rare palms, tropical orchids, and exotic butterflies.

The event also aligns with Fairchild’s commitment to showcasing how plants—and plant-based experiences—can bring people together. With limited seating, the supper club offers not just dinner, but dialogue.

Tropical Centerpiece With Jackfruit, Dragon Fruit, and Rambutan
Tropical Centerpiece With Jackfruit, Dragon Fruit, and RambutanPhoto Courtesy of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and Nicole Ponseca

Tickets & Details

  • Date: Thursday, July 31

  • Time: 7:30–9:00 p.m.

  • Location: Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Arts Center (10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables, FL)

  • Cost: $150 for Fairchild Members, $175 for Non-members

  • Reservations & Info: www.fairchildgarden.org

Steel Pan Music Adds Island Energy to the Evening
Steel Pan Music Adds Island Energy to the EveningPhoto Courtesy of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and Nicole Ponseca

About Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

Since 1938, Fairchild has been a leader in tropical plant conservation and education. The 83-acre garden houses the only tropical rainforest in the continental U.S., along with immersive exhibits like Wings of the Tropics. Its robust lineup of festivals and educational initiatives attracts more than 300,000 students annually, making it one of the most impactful botanical institutions in the nation.

On July 31, Fairchild offers something more ephemeral: a memory. One plated, shaken, and stirred by a chef who has spent her life making heritage feel like home.

Lush Views at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
Lush Views at Fairchild Tropical Botanic GardenPhoto Courtesy of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and Nicole Ponseca

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