Taste Of The Town: Husband & Wife Chefs Put Their Love Into The Food At South Miami's Root & Bone

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – If cooking with love is a true sign of a good chef, then cooking with your true love might be even better!

Top Chef alums Jeff McInnis and Janine Booth have been together for many years both professionally and also personally. The couple, just married in January, have opened their newest eatery, Root & Bone in South Miami. They also have Stiltsville on Miami Beach.

McInnis and Booth have managed to figure out that delicate balance between work and family.

"How to work together and how not to work together is something we've learned a lot about and I think right now, we're living together quite blissfully right now. Forever the honeymoon phase," the chefs said laughing.

The restaurant was actually designed by Janine, giving it a light and warm vibe. It's a charming mix of old and new and the name has special meaning as well.

"We scattered the earth for the perfect name and Janine's father said 'Everyone needs wings to fly and bones to make you strong and wings to let you fly.' We've taken that name and made it sort of the concept too when you see what we're cooking today.  I stuck to more of the bone side things, she sticks to the roots.  Everything we eat, everything we are comes from roots or bones," said Jeff.

Jeff, who was raised in the south, is prepping Barbeque Bruleed Spare Ribs with burned brown sugar and pickled chilis for CBS4's Lisa Petrillo.

While his Australian born wife, Janine, is focusing on veggies with a strawberry and goat cheese salad.

"The croquette with goat cheese with the arugula salad is special," said Lisa.

"Yeah the goat cheese croquette has lemon zest and fresh herbs. It's a very light nice touch to the strawberry salad," said Janine

Up next, digging into those messy and marvelous ribs.

"I watched you season those ribs in the kitchen and there is so much on it but nothing is overwhelming, it all blends together so well," said Petrillo.

"They are meant to fall off bone," said Janine.

The must-have Root & Bone signature dish is the sweet tea brined fried chicken topped with dried lemon dust.

"There's no grease. It's so crunchy, I love it," said Petrillo.

"We brine the chicken in sweet tea. Tea has tannins and they tenderize the meat. You get a sweet lemon tea flavor.  It's a play on sun tea," said Janine.

Root & Bone is opened 7 days a week lunch and dinner plus brunch and live music on weekends.

For more info visit www.rootnbone.com/mia.