Elena Reygadas Has Been Declared The World's Best Female Chef. Here's What You Need To Know

The kitchen has always been a place of competition, but today, there's a new champion. Chef Elena Reygadas, of Rosetta in Mexico City, has been awarded the high honor of being the World's Best Female Chef for 2023. A worldwide panel of judges decided chef Reygadas deserved the top honor as part of a broader 50 Best Restaurants of 2023 competition. Prior to this, Reygadas also received the title of Latin America's Best Chef in 2014.

Chef Reygadas is being recognized in part for her dedication and focus on biodiversity and its role in cooking, particularly when it comes to sustainable production. In addition to looking at supply sustainability, Reygadas has been working to ensure women have a place at the table by starting a scholarship program to promote better access and opportunities in leadership. 

After going to school herself for English Literature, she perfected her culinary skills in New York and London, before going home to Mexico City to open her restaurant — Rosetta.

After opening Rosetta in 2010, Reygadas began to make a name for herself and her diverse cuisine. Combining Mexican traditional fare with skills she picked up studying under Michelin-star chef Giorgio Locatelli, her pasta dishes draw attention that has landed the restaurant on both The World's Best Restaurant and Latin America's 50 Best Restaurant lists in years past. With that balance of local and global vision, it's no surprise that this year she's taking the top accolade.

While dedication has led to this moment, chef Reygadas considers it a team effort. According to 50 Best, upon receiving the award, Reygadas said, "I'm very grateful and honored to have been awarded by people I admire so much. Cooking is a communal practice. And so, for me, this award belongs to my entire team, as well as to all the women in the kitchen who have preserved our culinary legacy for generations."

The World's Best Female Chef award is just one of a series of early awards given in the lead up to the official awards ceremony taking place on June 20 in Valencia, Spain. The program not only seeks to recognize the best in the culinary world, but also offers educational and networking opportunities to bring the global gastronomical world closer together.