Host chefs:
Alejandro Ruíz
Host chef
Alejandro Ruíz
Host chefOriginally from a small Oaxacan village called La Raya de Zimatlán de Álvarez, Chef Alejandro Ruiz Olmedo was growing chiles, tomatoes and other crops from an early age. This experience gave him a broader view of local ingredients and traditional cuisine. Being the eldest son, he learned about the flavors and textures of his native land from his mother.
Rodolfo Castellanos
Host chef
Rodolfo Castellanos
Host chefRodolfo got his taste for cooking from his mother, Evelia Reyes, who handed down many of her recipes and techniques. The cuisine at Origen reflects this legacy as well as the chef’s background and life experience. It’s a journey that always comes back to his homeland and his love for authenticity. Rodolfo has developed his own culinary language that combines local techniques with creations from elsewhere. He respects tradition and integrates it with ideas that can enhance both his flavors and the guest experience.
José Manuel Baños
Host chef
José Manuel Baños
Host chefAn icon in the Mexican food world, Manolo was born in Pinotepa Nacional, Oaxaca, where he grew up with the flavors and culinary wisdom of his grandmother. He studied at the Mexican Culinary Institute in Puebla and quickly made his way abroad. Back in Oaxaca, he continued to gain experience by helping chef Alejandro Ruiz open Casa Oaxaca. Later, in 2010, he opened Pitiona, which has been recognized with several awards. To this day, Manolo continues experimenting, tasting, imagining and weaving together ancient flavors in new ways, using ancestral and avant-garde techniques.
Luis Arellano
Host chef
Luis Arellano
Host chefHailing from Oaxaca’s La Cañada region, chef Luis Arellano began his culinary career in an unusual way, working in his parents' bakery. Years later, his curiosity about the food world led him first to Casa Oaxaca, then to Mexico City, where he worked in one of the country’s best restaurants, Pujol. His contributions and talent have earned him appearances at a number of different national and international events and festivals; most recently, he opened his own restaurant in Oaxaca City, called Criollo.
Celia Florián
Host chef
Celia Florián
Host chefIn addition being passionate about raising the profile of Oaxacan cuisine, Celia Florián enjoys sharing her experience with tourists and locals at her restaurant, Las Quince Letras. She grew up in a family of cooks—both her mother and grandmother were very skilled in the kitchen and were in charge of feeding the workers at a family hacienda. Celia was included in these tasks from an early age; at 7, she was tasked with preparing atole for the employees, and years later she would be in charge of making the tamales.
Pilar Cabrera
Host chef
Pilar Cabrera
Host chefPilar is a cook by calling and a food engineer by profession. Her cooking is a result of her passion for local market ingredients and traditional recipes combined with her interest in food chemistry. Balance, tradition and innovation are the features that define her cooking.
Deyanira Aquino
Host chef
Deyanira Aquino
Host chefDeyanira Aquino hails from Juchitán, Oaxaca, and is a proud representative of her Zapotec culture, hence the name of her restaurant, Teca. Her flavors and recipes were passed down from her grandmother, mother, aunts and friends. Deyanira enjoys cooking for her friends, more than for diners, and going to the Juchitán market as often as she can to bring fresh ingredients for her traditional garnachas, shrimp mole, chiles rellenos, tamales, stew, and yellow and red moles.
Aurora Toledo
Cocinera anfitriona
Aurora Toledo
Cocinera anfitrionaAurora Toledo, cocinera tradicional. Sus hijos Germán y Marcos y todo el equipo de Zandunga llevan la experiencia del sabor a extraordinarios momentos de maridaje de los productos istmeños con el mezcal, el vino mexicano y las cervezas artesanales locales.
Guest chefs
Benito Molina
Guest chef
Benito Molina
Guest chefWithout a doubt, the cuisine of Baja California was heavily influenced by the arrival of Benito and Solange Molina in Ensenada. Their restaurant, Manzanilla, is not only an obligatory dining destination, it also trained a new generation of cooks. Chef Benito is an icon both for his culinary creations as well as for his role as a judge on MasterChef Mexico and MasterChef Latino.
Daniela Soto-Innes
Guest chef
Daniela Soto-Innes
Guest chefAfter being recognized with the 2016 James Beard Award for Rising Star Chef, this Mexican chef found culinary fame both in the United States and around the world. In addition to leading the kitchens of Cosme and Atla, Daniela will partner with chef Olvera to open two new concepts in Los Angeles.
Roberto Solís
Guest chef
Roberto Solís
Guest chefAn ambassador of Yucatecan cuisine around the world, this chef has worked among the best, at restaurants including Fat Duck, Noma, Per Se and Narisawa. At his restaurant Nectar in Mérida, he has developed a new style of Yucatecan cuisine by combining quality local ingredients with traditional and avant-garde techniques.
Solange Muris
Guest chef
Solange Muris
Guest chefSolange Muris llego a Ensenada en 1999 como jefe de cocina de La Esquina de Bodegas, empleo que dejó en el año 2000 para fundar el restaurante Manzanilla junto con Benito Molina, quienes recientemente cumplieron 19 años de deleitar a distintos paladares con los sabores del mar.
Atzín Santos
Guest chef
Atzín Santos
Guest chefAtzín Santos es chef ejecutivo y socio del restaurante Atalaya desde enero de 2015. Tras de terminar sus estudios en el Colegio Superior de Gastronomía, Atzín comienza su carrera en el restaurante Faro de Acapulco. Un año después obtiene el puesto de sous chef en el Restaurante L’Albufera. En 2016 fue uno de los Jóvenes Talentos en Millesime México.
Mikel Alonso
Guest chef
Mikel Alonso
Guest chefThe success that Mexican cuisine currently enjoys around the world began to take shape 15 years ago. At that time, the international press and list-makers looked to Tezka and Biko as the benchmarks of Mexican fine dining. After earning attention in the Tezka kitchen under the tutelage of Juan Mari Arzak, Mikel and Bruno Oteiza later created Biko, the great temple of “Gachupa” cuisine (“Spanish” cuisine).
Gerard Bellver
Guest chef
Gerard Bellver
Guest chefAided by his teachers, Mikel and Bruno, Gerard picked up award after award as his career in Mexico soared. After giving Biko a refresh, he opened the Spanish restaurant Lur, and just a few months ago he opened Koma, serving French-Basque haute cuisine.
Juantxo Sánchez
Guest chef
Juantxo Sánchez
Guest chefWith more than 20 years of experience collaborating with different restaurants and gourmet brands in Mexico, Juantxo has taught at institutions such as the Universidad Anáhuac and served as a guest judge on several seasons of Top Chef Mexico. He recently opened Peninsula restaurant in Acapulco.
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