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 Chilean chef is part of the Chileans Creating the Future Network, launched by Imagen de Chile in 2021.
Victoria Blamey: owner of the newly opened Mena restaurant in New York, she is one of Chile’s most internationally renowned chefs. After studying culinary arts in Chile, she worked in award-winning restaurants run by renowned 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 from 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 food website Eater.com and the James Beard Foundation Award. At her restaurant, she incorporates dishes made with Chilean ingredients such as cholgas, cochayuyo, and alcayota.
Carolina Bazán: After studying culinary arts, she took over the kitchen at the first Ambrosía restaurant, opened by her family in downtown Santiago, in 2003. Today, it is one of the best restaurants in Latin America, ranking 26th on the 2021 Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants list, noted as a place that offers a haute cuisine experience in a family-friendly atmosphere, featuring fresh market ingredients and a menu that changes daily based on seasonal produce. In 2019, she was named the best Latin American chef at Latin America’s 50 Best, in the Latin America’s Best Female Chef 2019 category. In 2021, she participated in Imagen de Chile’s “Chilenas creando futuro” campaign.
Fernanda Fuentes: the Chilean chef, originally from Quilpué (Valparaíso Region), studied culinary arts in Chile, France, and Spain. Today, she is the only Chilean to hold a Michelin star for her restaurant Nub in Tenerife (Spain), which she runs with her husband Andrea Bernardi. The restaurant blends Chilean and Italian influences, seeking to return to its roots by elevating popular recipes to the level of 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 set up his restaurant 99, with a mix of relaxed atmosphere, haute cuisine techniques and harvested and seasonal products, where the tasting menu varied every day.
His restaurant 99 has been named three times among the best in Latin America on the Latin America’s 50 Best list. Today, the chef captivates diners with DeRaíz, a healthy dining concept based on a balance of macronutrients, offering affordable dishes, and he is preparing to reopen his restaurant 99 this year—which had been closed due to the pandemic.
Gustavo Saez: This pastry chef was named Best Pastry Chef in Latin America for 2016 by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and was the 2018 Latin American champion of the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie. A native of Puerto Montt, he studied gastronomy in Viña del Mar—always pursuing a career in pastry—and then continued to hone his skills at award-winning international restaurants such as El Celler de Can Roca in Spain, and the restaurants D.O.M. and Maní in Brazil.
Founder and technical director of La Roja Dulce (Asociación Gremial de Pasteleros de Chile), he has 3 ebooks ("10 recetas para emprender", "Pastelería en casa" and "Pastelería Moderna") and a book ("Pastelería del Sur de 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 he was chosen in 34th place in Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants list, and in 2021 he reached 32nd place.
After the social crisis and the pandemic, he created new projects: the restobar Demencia, and the cafeteria Demente, both located in the same location as De Patio, as well as the Asian soda fountain De Calle, located in the Ñuñoa district.
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 Cooking and Pastry Trophy, 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 has been 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: Over the course of his more than 30-year career, he has distinguished himself by reviving traditional recipes and ingredients from across Chile. He was the first to introduce charquicán, pan amasado, and sopaipillas at events where, through his work as a Chilean chef at La Moneda, his guests included heads of state and dignitaries from around the world. He has represented Chile at various events, such as ExpoSevilla and the Hannover Industrial Fair, as well as other internationally significant events held in Chile, such as the Summit of the Americas in 1998 and the APEC Summit in 2004.
He was recognized as the best Chilean chef or "Great Chefs" of Discovery Channel, 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.
