Miami Beach Reflections

Haute 100 – Al and Shareef Malnik

It’s not every day that the most powerful people in Miami come together for an event, let alone a sit down dinner, but that’s just one of the many things that make Haute Living’s annual Haute 100 dinner one of the most noteworthy events of the year.



The event was held on Friday, April 15 at the newly remodeled Forge Restaurant and Wine Bar in Miami Beach. Luckily, the rain held off for the first part of the evening, where guests enjoyed intimate cocktail reception in restaurant’s outdoor courtyard. Guests sipped on Dom Pérignon while they mingled, posed for photos and flipped through the latest issue of Haute Living Miami, seeing who else made the exclusive Haute 100 list.



After the cocktail reception, guests moved inside to the private dining area of the Forge. Attempted party crashers were sent away, but several extra chairs had to be added to accommodate the number of Haute 100 list members who showed up for dinner.



Guests included Loren and JR Ridinger, Lea and Roy Black, Diego and Gisela Lowenstein, Keith Menin, Michael Caponni, Emilio Estefan, ShareefMalnik, Thomas Kramer, Louis Aguirre, Sean Wolfington, Ugo and Sara Colombo, Gil and Lorena Dezer, Don Peebles, Bobby Yampolsky, Howard Lorber, David Martin, among many other VIPs.

Al and Shareef Malnik

CATEGORY: Entrepreneurs

COMPANY: The Forge

INDUSTRY: Restaurant

WHAT MAKES THEM HAUTE:



Al, a lawyer-turned-real-estate-mogul, created The Forge, which is the second oldest restaurant in South Florida. After marrying a Saudi princess and leaving his birth name of Mark behind, Shareef laid the groundwork for impressive restaurant ventures, helping his father turn The Forge into the stomping grounds for A-listers from around the globe. The younger Malnik has reinvented the restaurant into a “Must Revisit” restaurant. Both are currently vested in Both Malniks are big advocates of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and chair the Annual InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball.