A new kind of grocery store is coming to Midtown Miami this fall, and it has the backing of one of the restaurant world's biggest names. Wilder, a neighborhood market combining full-service grocery, a café, and prepared foods, will open at 3250 NE First Avenue with Major Food Group as a founding investor and strategic advisor.
The 8,000-square-foot space marks the first time Major Food Group has invested in anything outside its own restaurant operations, according to Forbes. The company, founded by Mario Carbone, Jeff Zalaznick, and Rich Torrisi, operates more than 50 restaurants and hospitality concepts worldwide, as reported by the Miami New Times. Carbone said in a statement that Major Food Group believes in the Wilder team and its project.
Wilder is the brainchild of Miami entrepreneur Danielle Axman, who said becoming a mother changed how she fed her family, per the Miami New Times report. Axman previously served on the founding team of BABE Rosé before its acquisition by Anheuser-Busch and worked as Chief of Staff at SoulCycle, where she worked directly alongside co-founders Elizabeth Cutler and Julie Rice, Forbes notes. Major Food Group will advise on Wilder's operations and its potential expansion beyond Midtown.
A Michelin Pedigree Behind the Food Program
Wilder's culinary program was developed by Grassfed Culture Hospitality, the group behind Los Félix and Krüs Kitchen in Miami. Los Félix has earned a Michelin star and a Michelin Green Star, while Krüs Kitchen holds a Michelin Green Star, placing Wilder's kitchen team among a Miami fine-dining scene that counted 13 Michelin-starred restaurants as of late 2026, according to Hoodline's October coverage of the city's dining landscape.
The market will offer made-to-order sandwiches, rotating salads, seasonal vegetables, and protein-focused dishes, stocking grass-fed beef, pasture-raised poultry, and responsibly sourced seafood, per the Miami New Times account. A café inside Wilder will serve coffee, fresh breads, juices, and smoothies, while the beverage program will feature natural wines, craft beer, and nonalcoholic options. Shoppers can expect roughly 4,000 products on the shelves, all vetted through what the company calls the Wilder Standard.
Vetting Standards Built With Environmental Working Group
That sourcing framework was developed in direct collaboration with Environmental Working Group research teams under EWG President Ken Cook, according to Haute Living. The standard evaluates ingredients, farming practices, animal welfare, and environmental impact across everything stocked in the store. The scrutiny echoes findings from EWG's 2026 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce, which found that 75 percent of conventionally grown produce samples contained pesticide residues, with fludioxonil the most common residue detected.
Wilder's suppliers include Paradise Farms and Glaser Organic Farms in South Florida, along with White Oak Pastures in Georgia, per the Miami New Times. Local farm partner Tiny Farms, which supplies microgreens and specialty produce to South Florida chefs, was also selected as an organic produce supplier, according to the same Haute Living report that detailed the store's sourcing framework.
Old-World Market Design Meets Midtown's Fashion District
Miami-based Love Lake Studio designed the space, drawing inspiration from old-world markets and the English countryside, with vintage Americana touches, European market motifs, custom vintage furnishings, and natural lighting filling out the 8,000-square-foot footprint. The layout includes an outdoor patio and a walk-up pickup window, Haute Living's design coverage notes.
The address sits inside Midblock, a 12-story mixed-use residential complex built in 2008 in the Midtown Miami Fashion District, according to Apartments.com. The surrounding neighborhood features more than 60 retail shops and dining options, giving Wilder a built-in residential customer base in one of Miami's denser urban cores.
Part of a Bigger Bet Beyond the Dining Room
Wilder fits into a broader pattern for Major Food Group in 2026, a year that has seen the company push into ventures well outside standalone restaurants. The group also operates the Ra Ra Room inside Phoenix's NBA arena and is redeveloping golf resorts alongside Palm Tree Crew, as Hoodline reported in August.
That expansion mirrors Major Food Group's rapid footprint growth across South Florida more broadly, where its existing portfolio includes Sadelle's, Dirty French, ZZ's Club, and the upcoming Villa Miami tower in Edgewater. Neither Wilder's prices nor its exact opening date have been announced, though the company maintains it is still on track for a fall 2026 debut, per the Miami New Times report.
