Savor the vibrant Latin flavors of La Cañita during an exclusive three-day culinary experience
as part of Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood Hispanic Heritage Month celebration.

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Abiaka at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood will host an exclusive three-day culinary pop-up in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, featuring James Beard Award-winning Chef Michelle Bernstein. From Friday, Sept. 19, through Sunday, Sept. 21, guests can enjoy the vibrant flavors, handcrafted cocktails, and lively ambiance of La Cañita, designed exclusively for Hispanic Heritage Month.

La Cañita, which translates to "little sugarcane" in Spanish, celebrates the rich culinary traditions of Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and beyond. After debuting in 2021 at Miami’s Bayside Marketplace, the concept opened its flagship location in Kendall in January 2025. Known for bold Latin-Caribbean flavors, island-inspired cocktails, and a dynamic nightlife scene, La Cañita brings the spirit of the island to every plate.

This exclusive pop-up at Abiaka will offer a vibrant dining experience inspired by the bold flavors and warm hospitality of La Cañita, featuring dishes prepared in Abiaka’s signature woodfire oven, infusing each plate with smoky depth and rich flavor. Guests can also enjoy an elevated cocktail program and lively bar scene, paired with live music throughout the weekend.

Born and raised in Miami, of Jewish and Latin descent, Chef Michelle Bernstein (affectionately known to many as “Michy”) has been a culinary trailblazer since her rise in the late 1990s. Since then, she has opened some of Miami’s most iconic restaurants, including her beloved Sra. Martinez, the original Michy’s, Café La Trova, a busy catering service (MBC Catering), and most recently, La Cañita. Additionally, Bernstein and her husband and business partner, David Martinez, are partners in the internationally recognized Miami Beach cocktail bar, Sweet Liberty, where Bernstein developed a creative menu of fun, interesting twists on American classic cuisine. Outside of her presence in the culinary scene, she is well known for her two TV shows, PBS’s “Check, Please!” and “SoFLo Taste” on WPLG ABC 10. Her cooking style—highlighted in her cookbook, “Cuisine a Latina”—draws from her global tasting experiences and rich culinary heritage. In 2008, she made history as the first woman to win the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southeast.

Highlights from Chef Bernstein’s pop-up menu, available to order à la carte, will include Oxtail Stew with trofie pasta, roast tomatoes, mascarpone and parmesan; Prawn Mofongo with red chimichurri, ripe and green plantains, yuca, and shrimp broth; Whole crispy boneless Yellowtail Snapper, with guasacaca and coconut rice. Dessert selections include Flan de la flaca with fresh cream and dulce de papaya, and Baked Alaska with dulce de leche ice cream, passion fruit, and mango tropical fruit salsa.

Specialty cocktails include the Mojito Criollo, a refreshing blend of rum, lime juice, sugar, mint, soda water, and bitters; the Disco Inferno, a bold mix of reposado tequila, passion fruit, and spicy agave; the Domino Old Fashioned, a rich combination of rum, rye whiskey, demerara, and chocolate bitters; and La Cañita, a tropical fusion of classic rum, banana liqueur, guava, strawberry, and lime.

During the pop-up, Abiaka will also offer some of its signature selections, like Jamon Toast featuring Jamon Iberico de Bellota on toasted bread, with olives, roasted garlic and red wine jams; Lamb Chops with al pastor rub, pea puree, lamb jus, and chanterelle mushrooms; Skirt Steak with spiced rub and house sauces; and Halibut with veracruzana sauce. Signature sides include creamed esquites corn with pepitas, Manchego, cilantro, lime and Fresno pepper.

Led by the resort’s Culinary Director, Chef Robert Ciborowski, Abiaka is a Latin wood fire grill concept inspired by South Florida’s melting pot of cultures. The restaurant combines the vibrant flavors of Spain, Central and South America and the Caribbean with Florida’s fresh ingredients. Live fire and solid fuel grilling with orange wood and white oak charcoal bring a perfect balance of natural flavors to the forefront. The open-kitchen concept provides a glimpse into the action as chefs grill seafood, meats and fresh produce on open flames using state-of-the-art J&R wood fire grills and Josper coal ovens.

Abiaka is located on the second floor of The Guitar Hotel Pool Vista Pavilion at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, at 1 Seminole Way in Hollywood, Fla. Dinner is served Wednesday through Sunday starting at 5 p.m.

For more information about the resort’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration and Chef Michelle Bernstein’s Pop-up, visit https://www.DescubreTuRitmo.com/Hollywood or https://www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com/.

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About Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood is the flagship integrated resort of Hard Rock International, owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The renowned entertainment, gaming and hospitality destination unveiled a $1.5 billion expansion in 2019, highlighting the debut of the world’s first and only Guitar Hotel. Between three hotel towers, the resort boasts 1,271 luxury guestrooms. Amenities include a 42,000 square-foot Rock Spa® & Salon; an 18-acre recreational water experience; private “Bora Bora” style cabanas; more than 20 food and beverage outlets; a 26,000 square-foot retail promenade; 120,000 square feet of premier meeting and convention space; and an expansive gaming floor with more than 2,500 slots, more than 200 table games and a 45-table poker room. In 2023, the casino launched live craps, roulette and retail sports betting, offering 10 craps tables, 20 roulette tables, and sports betting locations including both electronic kiosks and kiosks with live sports betting agents. Introducing the new games is a historic milestone that immediately puts Florida in the same league as the world’s great gaming destinations. Hard Rock Live, ranked No. 4 worldwide in 2024 gross revenue for Pollstar Magazine, highlights A-list entertainers and performers, sporting events and live broadcast productions in an intimate 7,000-person capacity setting. Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood is located on 87 acres of the Hollywood Seminole Reservation along State Road 7 (U.S. Highway 441). For more information, visit us online at www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com call 1 (800) 937-0010 or follow us: Facebook: @HardRockHolly, X: @HardRockHolly, Instagram: @HardRockHolly.