How does cultural heritage shape food and drink, and how can we leave a positive legacy for future generations?
For the first time, Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants is heading to Central America. At the start of December, the best of the region's culinary talent will converge at the Unesco World Heritage Site of Antigua Guatemala.
A key part of the event programme, #50BestTalks returns with a new theme: Un Legado en Cada Plato (A Legacy on Every Plate).
#50BestTalks has been the space for bold ideas and meaningful dialogue since 2014. From spotlighting gender equality and Indigenous foodways to exploring the future of fine dining, previous editions have challenged norms and inspired change. It's a chance for chefs, restaurateurs, sommeliers and others in the industry to share their views, struggles, artistry and ingenuity with peers and the media.
This year's theme opens the door to wide-ranging interpretations – with the chance for speakers to reflect on the past, but also to look ahead to creating a sustainable future.
Held at Clio's Antigua on Monday 1 December, the invite-only event will offer a rare opportunity to hear directly from chefs and food leaders who are shaping gastronomy in the Latin American region.
Learn more about the speakers:
Pablo Díaz
Mercado 24, Guatemala City
There are 23 local markets in Guatemala City – chef Pablo Díaz and his team of four consider the restaurant the 24th, given the focus the kitchen places on market-fresh cuisine. Located in the trendy Cuatro Grados Norte district of Guatemala City, Mercado 24 takes a fresh approach when it comes to cooking. Inspired by the diverse bounty found in the city's daily markets, the menu changes constantly depending on what's available. After undertaking culinary training in Mérida, Díaz racked up a heap of experience as head chef of Manzanilla in Ensenada, Mexico. Returning to his home country in 2014, he opened Mercado 24 a year later. Díaz also runs casual temple to the Guatemalan tostada, Dora la Tostadora, with his motto being: "No hay caviar, pero hay maíz" ("We don't do caviar, but we do corn"). Díaz will bring a taste of Guatemalan street food culture to the #50BestTalks audience.
Natalia Cocomá Hernández
Oda, Bogotá
Originally from the Tolima department in Colombia, Natalia Cocomá Hernández – Coco – is the head chef at Oda in Bogotá. Set within G Lounge, which also incorporates an indoor golf experience and a whisky lounge, making for a day (or night) out that really does have everything, the restaurant's name translates as 'ode', which is fitting. The menu is a tribute to Colombian ingredients and cuisine with produce sourced from a local urban roof garden and indigenous plants from the Amazon rainforest. The dishes are aligned with the seasons, and behind each one is a chain made up of all the individuals and communities that are part of the final product that reaches the table.Most of the restaurant's ingredients come from local suppliers, with many of the vegetables coming from City Huerta, an urban agriculture project just steps from the restaurant. Growing up, Cocomá's family were involved in beekeeping and taught her the importance of bees in the conservation of ecosystems, something which she carries with her to this day.
Marsia Taha Mohamed
Arami, La Paz
For Marsia Taha Mohamed, protecting her country's biodiversity is a life-defining mission. Living in Bolivia, one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, she feels a special responsibility to support and showcase the land, produce and communities. Taha was born in Bulgaria to a Palestinian father and Bolivian mother, but grew up in Bolivia. She was named as one of the young people shaping the future of gastronomy as part of 50 Next, voted as Latin America's Rising Star Female Chef 2021 and was named Latin America's Best Female Chef 2024. In December 2024, Taha opened her first restaurant, Arami, which in Guaraní (a Bolivian native language) means 'shard of heaven'. Arami aims to showcase the enormous diversity of Bolivia, looking specifically at the relationship between the country's Andes mountains and the Amazon rainforest. Over the last few years, she has been working in the lowlands with local communities, conducting a huge amount of research with ingredients, products and techniques in order to help showcase Bolivian gastronomic culture.
Inés Páez Nin, also known as Chef Tita
Aguají, Sosúa
It's hard to think about Dominican cuisine without picturing Chef Tita, the Caribbean country's most famous cook. An activist, a restaurateur – she runs the acclaimed Aguají restaurant on the island's north coast – and a TV cooking show judge, she has spent most of her career championing the food of the Dominican Republic, from cacao and avocado to the lesser-known guayiga root. While 20 years ago she was ridiculed by other chefs for her passion and dedication to her country's indigenous produce, instead of putting her off, it spurred her on. She started to visit remote communities, meeting producers and exploring ingredients, culture and recipes. In 2015, she founded Fundación IMA, a non-profit dedicated to promoting local produce and giving underprivileged farmers the tools and knowhow to earn a living. It's a win-win concept, giving Dominicans access to the tastiest homegrown ingredients while helping rural families to survive and thrive. Now, her tireless work has won her the Champions of Change Award 2025, as part of Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants.
Ivan Ralston
Tuju, São Paulo
Known for his contemporary cuisine that celebrates all things São Paulo, Ivan Ralston is the founder and head chef of Tuju. Born in the city, his parents founded the popular Italian chain Ráscal. After growing up in the food world, you may have thought he'd immediately follow that path, but he initially veered towards music – training at Berklee College of Music in the US – before finding his feet with cooking. After training at Escuela de Hostelería Hofmann, he worked at El Celler de Can Roca and Murgaritz in Spain and Ryugin in Tokyo, before returning to Brazil in 2014 to open Tuju in the Vila Madalena neighbourhood. However, when the pandemic forced its closure, São Paulo's renowned restaurant went on a three-year hiatus, reopening in September 2023 in the upscale Jardim Paulistano neighbourhood and unveiling a meticulously reimagined approach to fine dining. Run with Ralston's partner, hospitality and research director Katherina Cordás, Tuju won the Gin Mare Art of Hospitality Award 2024.
The full list of Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants 2025 will be revealed from Antigua Guatemala on 2 December 2025.
