In the first of this year’s pre-announced awards, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023 has revealed that Elena Reygadas, chef-owner of Rosetta in Mexico City, has been named as The World’s Best Female Chef 2023. Since being recognised as Latin America’s Best Female Chef in 2014, Reygadas has become one of the most important figures within Mexican gastronomy.
A passionate advocate for Mexican biodiversity and sustainable production, she has recently launched a female-focused scholarship programme in Mexico with the aim to promote greater gender parity in kitchens. With the goal of championing equal opportunities and strengthening the leadership of Mexican women in the gastronomic world, the ‘Beca Elena Reygadas’ scholarship is open to Mexican students who have been accepted into a culinary school.
Rosetta opened in a beautiful mansion house in Mexico City’s Roma district in 2010, serving an elegant menu that focuses on revamping traditional Mexican dishes. With a daily changing offering thanks to its focus on seasonal, local ingredients sourced from small producers, it placed at No.60 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022 list and No.37 in Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022.
William Drew, Director of Content for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, says; “It’s an honour to bestow The World’s Best Female Chef award this year on Elena Reygadas, a chef who is paving the way for future generations of female leaders in Mexico and beyond. With her advocacy of traditional dishes and indigenous biodiversity, Reygadas is promoting the future of Mexican gastronomy and we’re proud to support her mission with this prestigious award.”
Commenting on her award, Reygadas says; “I’m very grateful and honoured to have been elected by people I admire so much. Cooking is a communal practice. And so, for me, this award belongs to my team, and in some way, to all the Mexican women who have devoted themselves to cooking over thousands of years.”
The World’s Best Female Chef 2023 award is the first of several awards to be revealed ahead of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023 awards ceremony in Valencia, which will be held at Les Arts opera house on the evening of Tuesday 20th June.
