CHEF NATALIA VALLEJO
Cocina al Fondo | San Juan, PR
Natalia Vallejo is a Puerto Rican chef who has spent the past two decades researching ancestral culinary traditions and unique flavor profiles. In 2019, she opened Cocina al Fondo in San Juan, featuring a menu that thoughtfully incorporates locally sourced ingredients. In 2023, Natalia made history as the first Puerto Rican to win a James Beard Award, taking home the honor for “Best Chef: South.” Her work, which is rooted in uplifting the island and its people, has been featured in The New York Times, Food & Wine, and Bon Appétit.
LAST NIGHT ON EARTH SHE’S EATING
Dinner at her parents’ house, enjoying a good wine from Priorat
EVENTS
The Iconoclast Dinner
Iconoclast Dinner Culinary Honoree
Education
Universidad de Puerto Rico; Maussi Sebess; Gato Dumas (Buenos Aires)
Then
Studied Mapuche cuisine (Chile), Trained in Argentina and Spain
