There are several people who have taken Chilean gastronomy to the top of the world. From chefs who stand out for their Chilean restaurants in the coveted list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants, to chefs from other countries who seek to promote Chilean products and traditions, we present a list of 10 of the most recognized Chileans in international gastronomy.
Rodolfo Guzmán: owner of the world-renowned restaurant Boragó (Santiago), elected in 2021 as the most sustainable restaurant in the world and chosen No. 38 among the 50 best restaurants in the world by the World's 50 Best Restaurants. After having made school and been part of important restaurants in Chile and Europe, he created Boragó in 2006, from where he has introduced numerous new techniques and Chilean products to the world. His cuisine is based on a deep knowledge of the Chilean territory and its ingredients, which is why he works with a network of producers and collectors from all over Chile. The chef is part of the Chileans Creating the Future Network, launched by Imagen de Chile in 2021.
Victoria Blamey: owner of the recently opened Mena restaurant in New York, she is one of the most internationally renowned Chilean chefs. After studying cooking in Chile, she worked in award-winning restaurants of famous chefs in the United Kingdom, Australia, Spain and the United States. Before opening her own restaurant, she was in charge of the kitchen at Chumley's -the historic New York pub and speakeasy in the Prohibition era of the 1920s- and Gotham Bar and Grill. She has been featured in publications such as Esquire and the New York Times, and has been nominated for best chef in New York by the foodie portal Eater.com and the James Beard Foundation Award. In her restaurant she incorporates preparations with Chilean products such as cholgas, cochayuyo and alcayota.
Carolina Bazán: after studying gastronomy, in 2003 she took over the kitchen of the first Ambrosía restaurant opened by her family in downtown Santiago. Today it is one of the best restaurants in Latin America, appearing in 26th place in Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants of 2021, highlighted as a place that delivers a haute cuisine experience in a family atmosphere, with fresh market products and a menu that changes every day according to seasonal products. In 2019 she was awarded as the best Latin American chef in Latin America's 50 Best, in the Latin America's Best Female Chef 2019 category. In 2021 she participated in Imagen de Chile's campaign Chilenas creando futuro.
Fernanda Fuentes: the chef from Quilpué (Valparaíso region) studied gastronomy in Chile, France and Spain. Today she is the only Chilean with a Michelin star for her restaurant Nub in Tenerife (Spain), which she shares with her husband Andrea Bernardi, and which mixes Chilean and Italian, seeking to return to the roots with popular recipes taken to haute cuisine. She has taken national flavors around the world and given new opportunities to young people and women who share her passion for gastronomy. She has also participated as a judge in the television program MasterChef Chile. She was honored by Imagen de Chile on the occasion of Women's Day 2022.
Kurt Schmidt: after finishing his gastronomy studies, he perfected his skills in the kitchens of Boragó (Chile), Noma (Denmark) and Azurmendi (Spain), three of the best restaurants in the world. In 2015 he installed his restaurant 99, with a mix of relaxed atmosphere, haute cuisine techniques and harvested and seasonal products, where the tasting menu varied every day. With his restaurant 99 he has been 3 times among the best in Latin America in the Latin America's 50 Best list. The chef now captivates through DeRaíz, a proposal of healthy cuisine based on a balance of macronutrients, with preparations at affordable prices, and is preparing to reopen this year his restaurant 99 -which was closed due to the pandemic-.
Gustavo Saez: this chef specialized in pastry was winner of Best Pastry Chef Latam 2016 at The World's 50 Best Restaurants, and champion Latam 2018 of the Coupe du Monde Patisserie. A native of Puerto Montt, he did his gastronomy studies in Viña del Mar -always looking for the pastry path-, to then continue perfecting himself in award-winning international restaurants such as Celler de Can Roca in Spain, and the D.O.M. and Maní restaurants in Brazil. Founder and technical director of La Roja Dulce (Chilean Association of Pastry Chefs), he has 3 ebooks ("10 recipes for entrepreneurship", "Pastry at home" and "Modern Pastry") and a book ("Pastry of Southern Chile").
Benjamín Nast: he worked in Paris, Barcelona and Berlin, then returned to Chile, where he created in 2017 the restaurant De Patio (Santiago), which began to generate great interest thanks to its combination of Asian inspiration, European training and Chilean ingredients. Two years later, in 2019 it was chosen in 34th place in Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants list, and in 2021 it reached 32nd place. After the social crisis and the pandemic, he created new projects: the restobar Demencia, and the coffee shop Demente, both located in the same location of De Patio, in addition to the Asian soda fountain De Calle, located in the commune of Ñuñoa.
Jorge Ortega: after studying pastry in Chile, cooking in Barcelona (Spain), and perfecting his skills in France, he worked in prominent hotels in Chile. In 2003 he was appointed member of the French Culinary Academy, becoming the first Chilean to belong to this institution. In 2004 he won the Grand Prix Valrhona with the best dessert at the International Trophy of Cuisine and Pastry, organized by the French Culinary Academy in Paris. He was also distinguished with the Gold Medal by the French Culinary Academy for his contribution to gastronomic development, and since 2019 he is an honorary member of the American Culinary Federation of the United States, the only Chilean to achieve this distinction. Today he is a partner of the gastronomic supplies store CocinaStore, advises gastronomic companies, and is executive director of the Gastronomic Federation of Chile (Fegach).
Renzo Tissinetti: although he began studying merchant marine engineering in Chile and then in Bilbao (Spain), he decided to study gastronomy in that country, at the Leioa School of Hotel Management in the Basque Country. He worked in Spain, where he trained professionally and was head chef at the renowned restaurant Corral de la Morería, a classic "tablao" in Madrid that mixes flamenco, haute cuisine and a great wine list, where the Chilean chef contributed to achieving his first Michelin star in 2018. After 11 years abroad, he returned to Chile, where he decided to open in 2021 his restaurant Malva Loca, located in CV Galería (Santiago).
Guillermo Rodríguez: in his more than 30 years of experience, he has stood out for rescuing traditional Chilean recipes and ingredients. He was the first to bring charquicán, pan amasado and sopaipillas to events that, since his work as chef at La Moneda, have had among their guests heads of state and authorities from all over the world. He has represented Chile in different events, such as ExpoSevilla and the Hannover Industrial Fair, and in other events of international importance held in Chile, such as the Summit of the Americas in 1998 and the APEC Summit in 2004. He was recognized as the best chef in Chile by Discovery Channel's "Great Chefs", and had a space in the program "Cocina de Autor" of the international channel El Gourmet. Today he is the owner of Espacio Gastronómico, a high-level consulting and events company.
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