Mexican Elena Reykatas, chef and owner of Rosetta restaurant in Mexico City, was crowned the world’s best chef in the 2023 list of the British 50 Best ranking on Tuesday.
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The 50 best rewards a chef from Latin America for the third year in a row, after Colombian Leonor Espinosa in 2022 and Peruvian Pia Leon in 2021.
In her restaurant, which opened in 2010 in a mansion in the Roma district of Mexico City, Elena Reykatas revisits traditional Mexican cuisine on the menu, which is daily thanks to seasonal and local products from small producers.
It has made a name for itself with handmade pastas such as tortellini hoja santa (Mexican pepper). It offers pipión (a sauce made from mashed vegetables typical of Aztec and Mayan cuisine) with pistachios, taco roméritos (fresh grass) and corn served with creamy hot smoke.
“It is an honor to present this year’s award to Elena Reykatas, a leader who is paving the way for the next generation of women leaders in Mexico and beyond. By preserving traditional foods and local biodiversity, it works for the future of Mexican gastronomy,” said William Drew, content director for the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, in a press release.
The award is traditionally announced on June 20 before the 50 Best 2023 ceremony in Valencia (Spain).
Coming from a large family, Elena Reykadas learned to cook from childhood and later studied English literature at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
However, he never stopped cooking and worked in restaurants throughout his studies and became a chef at the end of his university studies.
The chef spent four years in London under the tutelage of Italian chef Giorgio Locatelli before returning to Mexico to open Rosetta.
She recently launched a scholarship program for women with the aim of promoting greater gender equality in kitchens.
“Pop culture practitioner. Award-winning tv junkie. Creator. Devoted food geek. Twitter lover. Beer enthusiast.”
