Miller Prada was raised in Colombia's Bogota, surrounded by brilliant cooks, his great-aunt, aunt, and grandmother, who, in particular, taught him the culinary basics. There are memories of convivial feasts with neighbours at a nearby family farm, homemade cheese and farm-grown vegetables, as well as seemingly unremarkable moments which may have actually proved the most formative.
Miller hopped around the world, living and cooking in Sydney, Hong Kong, Miami, Dubai and Lima, the latter of which proved particularly influential. There, as well as during his Le Cordon Bleu training, he was first introduced to Japanese culture thanks to the country’s Nikkei, or Japanese Peruvian, community.
He arrived in London in 2011 looking for fine dining experience, working alongside the likes of Jason Atherton, Brett Graham and, later, Endo Kazutoshi.Endo fast became a mentor to Miller, who is often described as Endo's protégé.
In 2020, Miller embarked on a new project, to launch HUMO, which translates as smoke in Spanish. HUMO blends Miller’s appreciation for Japanese cuisine with live-fire cooking and his Colombian heritage – its chefs don’t use gas or electricity, instead relying on fire, embers and smoke, with a four-metre-long grill at the heart of the restaurant. ‘Our philosophy is that every species of tree has different characteristics and a different personality’ he says. ‘I knew my favourite place in the kitchen was in front of the fire and grill, so when I started thinking about the concept that’s where I began, with the place I love most. Then I thought what’s behind the grill? Charcoal – and what's behind that? What’s behind the wood? I went down that wormhole, making a lot of mistakes to start with.’ HUMO uses English OAK, Beech, Silver Birch, Juniper, Cedar, White Oak, French Oak, Pine, Apple, Whiskey Barrels & Grape Wood.
Since opening, HUMO has captured the attention, won many accolades, including a Michelin star in the 2024 Guide and being awarded No. 64 best restaurant in the UK in the National Restaurant Award list as well as various British publications.
