Chef-O-Mat is an art installation that explores the ways in which the techniques and perspectives of social practice art making can be brought to bear on the unique environment afforded by the annual week of art fairs in Miami. The project will entail building an automat and space for social interaction at the fair, on the beach, where farm-to-table dishes designed especially for the project by celebrated chefs will be served through the automat in purpose-designed containers, also produced by the artist. Unlike traditional restaurant or counter-service experience, diners will be invited to enjoy their meals behind the scenes, as their path through the installation will lead them past the automat, around the corner, and into what is known in the restaurant industry as the “back-of-house” area. There, they will find sweeping views of the beach and ocean and a comfortable seating area, where they will also be able to watch the various aspects of food preparation from the open backside of the automat’s kitchen. Creating a kind of “restaurant in section” – almost like a dollhouse, where the missing kitchen wall serves as a window onto usually hidden activities, demystifying the preparation and serving of fresh, natural food.