The top 5 Latino chefs you need to know
The Latin culinary tradition and experience has come to the US and is here to stay. The flavorful and sensual cuisine of the countries South…
The Latin culinary tradition and experience has come to the US and is here to stay. The flavorful and sensual cuisine of the countries South of the U.S. border has been slowly emerging and have been seducing the American palate in recent years, becoming top gourmet culinary experiences all over the country.
How could it be otherwise? It is tasty, nutritious and, therefore, quite a few Latino chefs have become icons in this culinary field. Below is a list of 5 top chefs we at VOXXI consider to be the best and most renowned Latino chefs in USA today.
SEE ALSO: Gaston Acurio, South America’s super chef
1. Julian Medina
Mexican chef Julian Medina of Toloache. (Credit: Toloache)
Julian Medina is an award-winning Mexican chef who lives in Manhattans Upper East Side with his wife and daughter. As a young boy in Mexico City, Julian learned authentic home cooking from his father and grandfather. In 1996, Chef Richard Sandoval met Julian on a visit to Mexico City, and was so impressed with the young chef’s energy and culinary vision that he invited him to relocate to New York City to work in one of his restaurants? and the rest is history.
After years of success in many different restaurants, thus becoming a seasoned and celebrated gourmet chef, Julian finally came into his own with the opening of Toloache in August 2007. His restaurant offers a creative, contemporary Mexican bistro menu, focusing on seasonal natural ingredients, and has quickly become one of the Theater District favorites for foodies.
Following the success of Toloache, Medina opened Yerba Buena in Manhattans East Village, in June 2008. A second location of Yerba Buena; Yerba Buena Perry, opened its doors in August 2009 and has received similar positive attention, at Time Out New York, which awarded it 4/5 stars.
Medina has been featured in many publications, including The New York Times, New York Magazine, The New Yorker, and on television shows such as The Early Show, Good Morning America, Extra, LX.TV, among others.
2. Aaron Sanchez
Aaron Sanchez is the chef/owner Mestizo in Leawood, Kansas. (Facebook: Aarón Sánchez)
Sanchez, who lives in Brooklyn with his family, is the son of the famous Mexican chef Zarela Martínez. You surely know him from Chef vs. City and Chopped on Food Network, but Sanchez has participated in multiple programs of this channel also including: Heat Seekers, Best Thing I Ever Ate, and Dear Food Network Thanksgiving Special.
Aaron Sanchez owns Mestizo in Kansas City. He recently appeared at the White House as a guest chef and received the “National Award” in the Passion Awards, which reward the best Latino chefs in the nation.
In addition to being the owner of a restaurant, television personality, consultant and spokesman, Sanchez is a writer and entrepreneur. His passion, commitment, and skills have placed him among the top Latin chef trailblazers in the nation.
3. César Ramírez
Cesar Ramirez with wine expert Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan. (Credit: @JediWineMaster )
Ramirez of Mexican origin, is one of the most famous Latin chefs in the USA. He was born in 1972 and raised in Chicago, Ramirez married a Frenchwoman when he was 19 years old. They often traveled to France where he learnt French cooking techniques.
He also picked up many cooking techniques from Japanese cuisine during his extensive travels around Japan.
He is mostly self-taught, although he was mentored by Chef David Bouley for whom he moved to New York.
His Brooklyn Fare Eaterie is one of the three restaurants with a Michelin star but still Chef Ramirez thinks that his food speaks for itself and does not need such recognition. He does not even like to be called a chef!
4. Roberto Santibañez
Award-winning Chef Roberto Santibañez. (Credit: Roberto Santibanez)
Roberto Santibañez was born in Mexico but studied in France. His love of cooking began as a young boy when his grandmother taught him how to cook following his instincts and not by following a recipe.
He went to culinary schools in Europe and then returned to Mexico to finish his studies in Mexican food. “I was ready to combine all that I had learned with everything I felt in my heart,” explains Santibañez.
Seeking new challenges, he left Mexico in 1997 to become a notable chef, restaurateur, culinary consultant, author and teacher in Mexico, Europe and the United States. You can try some of the best enchiladas in one of his Fonda restaurants in NY, Brooklyn or Manhattan, where you can sample his urban and contemporary Mexican fare.
He is also the president of Truly Mexican Consulting in New York City.
5. Ricardo Zarate
Chef Ricardo Zarate serves as an ambassador of Peruvian cuisine in the U.S. (Credit: Ricardo Zarate Facebook)
For Ricardo Zarate its all about the very fashionable and excellent Peruvian cuisine. He first found his calling in his family’s kitchen in Lima, Peru, learning from his mother and grandmothers cooking techniques. That is when his career took off and he became a renowned chef winning the “Best new Chef” award from Food & the Wine in 2011.
He now has three successful restaurants based in Los Angeles area: Picca, Mo-chica, and Paich?, in April 2013. In November 2013, Zarate ventured outside Los Angeles for the first time, where he opened his fourth Cali-Peruvian style cuisine restaurant Blue Tavern.
Zarate has been praised by cuisine critics for his amazing inventive dishes that highlight the country’s multicultural flavor influences, including his beloved Japanese cuisine.
SEE ALSO: Feast your eyes on Latin Americas best restaurants 29-course meal
