8 World-Famous Hispanic Chefs & Their Innovative Cuisine
Behind all famous Hispanic chefs, there’s a fascinating origin story to share. These food innovators have a flavor of their own and people can’t get enough of their inventive cuisine.
Food unites people, and Latin American and Spanish food is super popular in the United States. It’s fun to learn about Hispanic cultures through food.
Read on to sample a selection of the top Hispanic chefs in the industry. Learn how they’re creating waves well beyond their countries of origin.
8 Awe-Inspiring Hispanic Chefs and their Innovative Cuisine
Each of these talented Hispanic chefs has made a name for themselves. The variety of dishes that they create is amazing. See for yourself!
1. Daniela Soto-Innes
Birthday: August 26, 1990
Home country: Mexico
While male Hispanic chefs used to dominate the field, female Hispanic chefs are now taking the lead. Daniela Soto-Innes is an up-and-coming chef who currently works in New York City.
After studying cooking as a child and teen, she attended the world-famous Pujol cooking school. When her teacher Enrique Olvera opened a restaurant in 2014, he made Soto-Innes the chef.
At age 26, she was already working in one of the top restaurants in New York. High-end Mexican cuisine is Daniela’s specialty.
Daniela Soto-Innes’ signature dish is the meringue. She makes it from pulverized corn husks and a corn mousse, adding mascarpone and corn purée to create a nourishing and decadent dessert.
Soto-Innes doesn’t reveal all her secrets but loves to pay homage to Mexican cuisine by making traditional food, such as tacos—but there’s a twist! She often fuses cuisine from other countries, like Japan, for instance.
Hand-picked for you: Latin American Food: 15 Must-Try National Dishes of Latin America
2. José Mendín
Birthday: December 17, 1978
Home country: Puerto Rico
José Mendín is one of the best chefs in the southern U.S. His work at Pubbelly, a famous Asian restaurant in Miami Beach, earned him recognition.
He opened Barceloneta Miami, as well as an all-American steakhouse in Miami. He’s known for mixing Latin and Asian flavors, and that’s why his food is so inventive. Even so, Mendín’s food will always have a Puerto Rican touch.
Some of his signature dishes are the tomato salad with a nuoc cham dressing that gives it a unique texture. The beef cheek burger made with pimento cheese and brioche is a fan favorite as is his Italian classic, calzone made with shallots and hot peppers.
He also makes a Korean fried chicken sandwich with gochujang glaze, pickles, and peanuts. Mendín enjoys giving traditional dishes an exotic flavor profile.
3. Paola Velez
Birth year: 1991
Home country: Dominican Republic
Paola Velez opened the successful eatery Kith & Kin in Washington D.C. She’s a pastry chef who grew up in the Dominican Republic and the Bronx.
She’s known not only as a chef for her inventive pastries but also as an activist. Velez and her staff lead bake sale programs for nonprofits including Bakers Against Racism. Velez has gained global attention due to her impressive collection of accolades.
Velez’s one-of-a-kind rum cake with hibiscus and passion fruit is a favorite. She also enjoys making different flavored doughnuts, pairing the pastries with roasted rhubarb, cinnamon chocolate ganache, and other Caribbean ingredients.
4. Gabriela Cámara
Birth year: 1976
Home country: Mexico
Gabriela grew up in Tepoztlán. In 1998, she opened a seafood restaurant in Mexico City called Contramar. She worked her way up the ladder and gained recognition. Then in 2015, she opened a popular restaurant in San Francisco called Cala. Gabriela helps other chefs by giving advice to them and helping them find their unique flavor.
Cámara combines Mexican cuisine with U.S. influences and creates unique dishes that people rave about. She published a cookbook called My Mexico City Kitchen in 2019. She was also the subject of a Netflix documentary called A Tale of Two Kitchens. Cámara was named one of Time Magazine’s most influential people in 2020.
Gabriela Cámara’s pescado a la talla is a grilled red snapper served with corn tortillas that has become one of her signature dishes. She sticks more with traditional dishes but serves them with tortillas and unique side dishes.
See also: 10 Spanish Dishes that Influenced Global Cuisine
5. Gastón Acurio
Birthday: October 30, 1967
Home country: Peru
Gastón is one the most recognized Latin American chefs due to his involvement in the gastronomical revolution in Peru. His restaurants focus on various regions in Peru.
Gastón is proud of his Peruvian roots, and ceviche is one of his signature dishes that you cannot miss. At La Mar (The Sea), there’s a buffet with typical dishes from several parts of Peru. His Chicago restaurant, Tanta, offers Peruvian-Asian fusion cuisine and amazing empanadas.
Gastón Acurio loves to give street food classics a twist, like grilled cow heart skewers or Andean stable cuy (guinea pig).
Many say that Acurio’s cooking is an encyclopedia of Peruvian cuisine. His restaurants are considered a classroom for new chefs.
6. Enrique Olvera
Birth year: 1976
Home country: Mexico
Enrique Olvera was born in Mexico City. He moved to the U.S to enroll in the Culinary Institute of America in New York.
He started working in one of Chicago’s most exclusive restaurants. But Olvera remained connected to his roots and opened a restaurant in Mexico City. Pujol is one of the most popular restaurants in the world.
People from all over the world adore Olvera’s Mexican cuisine. Olvera’s unique dishes—like “smoked baby corn with coffee and ant powder”—incorporate unique indegenous ingredients.
This Mexican chef loves to make the iconic Mexican mole madre but adds several spices to it. He doesn’t like to reveal his secrets but many of his followers say that his mole nuevo is just as good as his more traditional mole madre. His repertoire also includes puchero, which is a Mexican stew and many other delicious Mexican dishes.
7. Ana Garcia
Birth year: 1972
Home country: Mexico
Chef Ana creates distinctive recipes such as flan, ceviche, and baked spicy salmon. In 2001, she founded La Villa Bonita Mexican Culinary Vacation, a high-end cooking school.
She was part of a miniseries called Babble Eats and has been a guest on television programs. She’s a restaurant consultant who trains chefs from all over the world.
Chef Ana founded Café Cinco, an ecological café made from recycled products. She’s an activist who’s passionate about staying true to traditional Mexican cuisine. She encourages her followers to eat mindfully and be aware of the impact food has on the environment.
Her dishes are inspired by her upbringing in Mexico. Her great grandmother was a well-known butcher at the local market, so Ana’s meat dishes are her best. She likes to prepare longaniza and chorizo from scratch. She also has her signature albóndigas (meatballs). She loves to cook and to teach.
8. Zarela Martínez
Birth year: 1956
Home country: Mexico
Zarela Martínez is one of the most famous Hispanic chefs in America. Originally from Sonora, she lives in New York City and shares authentic Mexican food through her restaurants and writings. She gives cooking lessons, lectures, and sits on the board of directors for the Mexican Cultural Institute of New York.
Martínez organizes Mexican food festivals in New York City. Her NYC restaurant Zarela was a pioneer of Mexican cuisine in the U.S.
In 2001, she released a cookbook: Zarela’s Veracruz. Her podcast, Cooking in Mexican from A to Z, discusses food, flavors and the history of Mexico.
The first dish Zarela was known for was her poblanos rellenos (stuffed chili) appetizer. She also makes an epic seafood stew and a spicy dish she calls drunken chicken. Her recipes are mostly Mexican with some secret ingredients.
Get Inspired to Travel and Eat
Hispanic chefs inspire people with their food. Cooking is an art and a wonderful way to learn. Using Latin American and Spanish ingredients is a wonderful way to further your Spanish knowledge. When you travel, what you eat is a huge part of the experience. And there’s nothing better than trying food prepared from locals.
Are you inspired to learn Spanish? Learning a new language has many proven benefits, including keeping your brain sharp and boosting your ability to absorb new concepts. Learning Spanish not only enhances your resume, but also empowers you to enhance your travel experiences, make new friends, and try different food from this warm culture. Sign up for a free class to improve your Spanish fluency in preparation for your foodie tour to Latin America today.
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