Business

When Nicole Mejia, international model and fitness instructor, first launched her Fit & Thick tour around the United States a year-and-a-half ago, she had no idea where it was going to lead. “I never thought this was going to be my final tour stop,” said Mejia, 26. “Especially in my hometown, Miami.” Fit & Thick is an Instagram-inspired movement that ...

When Saul Jaramillo moved from Colombia to Miami 15 years ago, he couldn’t communicate well in English and came off as arrogant. But he was just timid because he couldn’t speak English fluently. “I have an accent, and I was embarrassed by it, so I wouldn’t talk to people in school. By the end of the semester, classmates told me ...

SFNS is a finalist in three student categories for the SPJ Florida Pro Chapter 21st Annual Sunshine State Awards. Winners will be announced Aug. 15. Best Website (High Frequency) South Florida News Service – Chris Delboni, South Florida News Service – SFNSonline.com Spinnaker – Lydia Moneir, Lee Watters, Spinnaker News The Miami Hurricane – Staff, themiamihurricane.com Best News Photo (High Frequency) ...

When Angie Rubio arrived at Chevy’s Mexican restaurant in Doral on a recent Saturday to celebrate her 34th birthday, she was surprised to find her friends gathered around blank canvases accompanied with food and drinks. “They knew I always wanted to do this,” Rubio said. “I draw stick figures, and this is totally something new.” One of Miami’s painting and ...

Three years ago, Giovanni Gagliardi left Naples, Italy, for Las Vegas, to compete in the International Pizza Challenge, representing the “International Region” of foreign competing countries. Gagliardi, known in the pizza world as “La Leggenda” — or “The Legend,” placed second in the competition’s Traditional Division. “I came to market the flour that we use for pizza in Naples,” Gagliardi ...

Emily Herman, a private-school teacher in North Miami, remembers standing in line for a half-hour to order from Ms. Cheezious, a local food truck that serves grilled cheese sandwiches. Her signature pick: a short rib grilled cheese with pickled onions and arugula on sourdough bread. “It’s my favorite food truck,” said Herman, 39. “They have interesting combinations.” After five years ...

When Rodolfo Tancredi’s yoga instructor mentioned the bar where she also works, Ball & Chain, he decided to check out the Little Havana establishment on a recent Saturday night. “I go to everything I’m invited to,” said Tancredi, a Venezuelan native, 39. “So I came by to see what was going on.” What Tancredi didn’t know was that he chose ...

Malyka Joseph, a high school student from the Overtown Youth Center, realized she wanted to major in engineering by accident. In middle school, she fulfilled her credit requirements ahead of time and was one of the only girls placed in engineering electives. “I kept getting talked at and discriminated at because I was a girl interested in engineering, but I ...

Alphonse “Al” Karborani was a little boy when he and his family had to flee from their home in Bethlehem to Jerusalem and then to Amman, Jordan, when he was 16. Karborani, a Palestinian refugee, was constantly paralyzed by the sounds around him. Explosions. Gunshots. Wailing cries. He could not escape war and yearned to find a normal life. By ...

Hamlet Garcia, left, gives Marcelo Prado, center, some haircutting tips on Dec. 13, 2014. Garcia has been cutting hair for more than five years and recently opened a new shop with his girlfriend, Rachel Ringwood, 23, in Wynwood called His & Hers Parlour. Together, the couple offers clients, both male and female, haircuts. Photos by Matias J. Ocner/ Miami Herald ...