Astrid Gutsche is Latin America's Best Pastry Chef
Astrid Gutsche wins the award for Latin America's Best Pastry Chef, Sponsored by Cacao Barry®
- Peruvian restaurant Central is named The S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Latin America
- Boragó from Chile, Astrid y Gastón from Peru and D.O.M. from Brazil complete top 4
- Lasai from Rio de Janeiro wins the Highest New Entry Award, sponsored by LesConcierges
- Chilean chef Rodolfo Guzmán picks up the Chefs’ Choice Award, sponsored by Modelo
- Argentine restaurant i Latina wins the One To Watch award
- Host country Mexico has the joint highest number of restaurants on the list, alongside Argentina, with 10 each
Astrid Gutsche of Acurio Restaurantes, the restaurant group founded and owned by Gutsche and her husband, Gastón Acurio, receives the Latin America’s Best Pastry Chef Award, sponsored by Cacao Barry®. The announcement took place in Mexico City in an awards ceremony that celebrated the very best of Latin American gastronomy and showcased its top chefs.
The award reflects Gutsche’s influence on the pastry world, where she has successfully combined European with indigenous South American ingredients and traditions.
Born in Germany, she studied in Paris where she met Acurio. The couple opened Astrid y Gaston in Lima 20 years ago, building their reputation and expanding internationally. Gutsche oversees pastry across the group and has become adept at fine tuning her creations for different countries and markets. Gutsche is also a chocolate specialist. Since arriving in Peru she has been a champion for the quality of its cocoa and – over the last six years - has sought out unknown or less appreciated varieties, even launching her own chocolate: Melate.
Discover Astrid's Recipe on our Cacao Barry® Blog: A postcard from Peru and read the interview.
Best Restaurant in Latin America: Central
Also announced at the event, Peruvian restaurant Central is The S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Latin America at Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants awards 2015.
Central holds on to its status as the No.1 restaurant in the annual ranking, voted for by over 250 independent restaurant experts from across Latin America, proving that the attributes that made Virgilio Martínez and Pía León’s establishment triumph last year remain as present as ever.
Other awards
- Astrid y Gastón ranks at No.3 and Maido at No.5 to complete this triumvirate of leading Peruvian restaurants, all located within the capital city of Lima.
- Ranking at No.2 is Chilean restaurant Boragó, where chef Rodolfo Guzmán has carved an impressive reputation and achieved major international recognition. Boragó also wins the title of The S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Chile in the process. Alex Atala’s D.O.M. from São Paulo, is once again The S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Brazil, coming in at No.4.
- The highest ranking restaurant in Mexico, at No.6, is Quintonil, which has steadily climbed the list to become one of the top restaurants in Latin America. Chef Jorge Vallejo has quickly become a leading figure in Mexican gastronomy and this year’s success confirms his stellar status.
- Roberta Sudbrack is the winner of the Veuve Clicquot Latin America’s Best Female Chef Award, while Mexico’s Enrique Olvera picks up The Diners Club® Lifetime Achievement Award for Latin America.
William Drew, Editor of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants, says: “This is our third year in Latin America, celebrating and honouring the best of gastronomy, and we can clearly see why this region’s food includes some of the most exciting and appealing in the world. We witness the creation of marvellous dishes and restaurant experiences from very talented chefs every year, and the trend doesn’t look likely to stop.”
About Latin America's 50 Best 2015
After two successful years in Peru, Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, was held in Mexico for the first time. On September 23rd the Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso opened its gates to host this annual celebration of gastronomy, where 2015’s list was revealed to the region’s chefs and media.
Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants is organised by William Reed Media Group, the organisation behind The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. This year, Mexico was chosen as the host country, reflecting its status as a leading culinary travel destination in the region. The list is a celebration of the best gastronomic experiences that Latin America has to offer, and it also works as an annual barometer of taste, created from the votes of over 250 independent experts from across the region.