Elena Reygadas is the Best Female Chef in the world according to the 2023 edition of the World's 50 Best Restaurants. Leading five restaurants in Mexico City, including the renowned "Rosetta," and a shop called "Mesa," Elena is a professional committed to preserving Mexican traditions, protecting the environment, and promoting gender equality. As a member of the International Council of the Basque Culinary Center and a career-oriented mother, her ethics, talent, and entrepreneurial skills serve as an exemplary model.
Born in 1976 in Mexico City, Elena Reygadas studied English literature at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, but after graduation, she moved to Europe to pursue her true passion, culinary art. She gained experience in various restaurants, including the Michelin-starred "Locanda Locatelli."
In 2010, after the birth of her second daughter, she decided to return to her hometown and opened the restaurant "Rosetta." Balancing the roles of a chef and a mother proved to be a challenging task, but Elena faced this dual responsibility with determination. Initially renowned for her homemade pasta, influenced by her training at Locatelli, the restaurant later shifted its focus to seasonal produce, preserving local traditions, including pre-Columbian ingredients, and promoting sustainability.
Elena's talent was quickly recognized, earning her the prestigious Veuve Clicquot World's Best Female Chef for Latin America in 2014. The restaurant's reputation grew steadily, securing a place in the ranking for eight editions of The World's 50 Best Restaurants Latin America and reaching the 49th position in the global ranking in 2023.
Responding to the enthusiasm of her clientele for the bread served in the restaurant, Elena opened "Panaderìa Rosetta" in 2012, now with two locations. The bakery offers typical Mexican bread, such as "pan de muerto" or "rosca de reyes," as well as a selection of bread made with sourdough and native grains like amaranth and various types of corn.
Building on her success, she opened "Lardo" in 2015, a more casual restaurant in the Condesa neighborhood, followed by "Café Nin," launched two years later.
In 2018, Elena published her first book, "Rosetta," which, besides recipes, includes reflective essays through which the chef aims to share values like ingredient ethics and environmental care, encouraging readers and diners to think deeply about the implications of the food industry. Motivated by the same spirit, Elena also published the collection "Cuadernos."
The chef explains, "In a world like ours - devastated by climate change, social inequality, systemic violence, sexism, racism, and political decay, to name just a few of the many ills - a restaurant should provide a platform for reflection and positive contributions to society."
But that wasn't enough: Elena also supports projects for the recovery of chinampas, areas where traditional pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican agriculture is practiced.
After the pandemic, she embarked on a journey across Mexico, where she observed the unequal opportunities between men and women in the professional culinary world, particularly in rural areas. Paradoxically, male children are encouraged to study in culinary schools, while female daughters, who help in the kitchen, are urged to stay at home. Finding a situation reminiscent of what she had witnessed years before in Europe, in 2022, she established the Elena Reygadas Scholarship to promote equal opportunities and support women's leadership in the professional culinary world in Mexico.
That same year, she was selected as a member of the International Council of the Basque Culinary Center, where her influence in the culinary sector was acknowledged, granting her a prestigious position in such a significant gastronomic institution.
In 2021, she opened "Salón Rosetta," a bar located above "Rosetta," and later "Bella Aurora," where she serves Italian dishes. Elena's entrepreneurial skills have led to immense success in her five restaurants, and her talent earned her the title of the Best Female Chef in the world according to the 50 Best Restaurants 2023 ranking.
Elena also initiated "Mesa": an emporium where customers can purchase artifacts made by Mexican artisans who have collaborated with "Rosetta" for years, various utensils, cookbooks, and Mexican maguey and honey distillates.
