As a child, Ignacia Valdés used to go camping on the coast with her family, and those experiences fostered an unbreakable bond with Chilean seafood. By the age of 3, she had already tried sea urchins and had developed a deep love for locos, otras, and fresh fish.
In 2024, at age 29, she qualified for the U.S. Regional Final of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy, a prestigious international competition for young chefs. Her dish simply had to feature a seafood ingredient from her country; she chose cochayuyo.
Along the way, he has worked in Michelin-starred kitchens and was part of the Frevo team when the restaurant earned its first-ever star.
Today, she is the executive chef at Tokyo Record Bar, a restaurant located in Greenwich Village, the heart of Manhattan’s artistic and bohemian scene. There, she combines her Chilean roots, Japanese techniques, and what she has learned from French cuisine in a menu that focuses primarily on seafood. Every time she receives an ingredient from Chile, her eyes light up, and she feels that connection once again to the ocean that welcomed her every summer when she went camping with her family.
