Meet the chefs
Six chefs share the kitchen to create an exquisite menu
Chef Gabriel Hernández
Verde Mesa
Gabriel Hernández is the executive chef of Verde Mesa, a restaurant established 15 years ago in Old San Juan. He is also a pioneer in the practice of revitalizing the use of local products. In 2018, Chef Gabriel was nominated as a semifinalist in the Best Chef of the South category by the James Beard Foundation. “Gaby”, a self-taught explorer of the world of flavors has a passion to feel the sensibility of the ingredients and showcase innovation, balance and playfulness.
Chef Natalia Vallejo
Cocina al Fondo
Natalia Vallejo is a Puerto Rican chef whose unique flavor profiles span the culinary landscape. She studied Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Puerto Rico before moving to Argentina to study at the renowned Gato Dumas and Mausi Sebess. She’s worked in prominent restaurants all over South America, Latin America, and Europe. In 2019 she opened Cocina al Fondo in Santurce—a restaurant rooted in the traditions and flavors of the Puerto Rican identity, utilizing locally-sourced ingredients from agricultural farms, fishermen, and local producers around the island. In 2020, Vallejo was nominated for “Best New Restaurant” and “Best Chef: South” by the James Beard Foundation but was awarded the coveted “Best Chef: South” in 2023 from the Foundation.
Chef Lucía Merino
Lucía Patisserie
Lucía Merino was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Lucía is a pastry chef with over 15 years of experience in the industry and is the co-founder of Lucía Patisserie in Miramar. She completed her education in Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales University and after an inspiring job under Master Pastry Chef Frederic Monet at the Ritz Carlton, her love and passion for classic French pastries blossomed.
Inspired by her travels and experiences, Lucía returned to Puerto Rico in 2015 with her husband, Johan, to open what they had always dreamed of: a patisserie where they could offer classic French confections while incorporating typical Puerto Rican flavors and ingredients.
Chef Francis Guzmán
Vianda & La Santurcina
After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in upstate New York, Francis Guzmán worked in several fine dining restaurants in San Francisco. After 4 years, he moved to New York where he worked at Blue Hill and later as a sous-chef at the two Michelin star-rated restaurant, The Modern.
In 2018, Chef Francis and his wife Amelia opened Vianda in Santurce, where they serve a small and constantly evolving menu, always anchored by local ingredients. They have also recently opened up a new restaurant, La Santurcina, in San Juan.
Chef María Grubb
Underground Dining Club
María Mercedes Grubb graduated from the French Culinary Institute in New York City where she also gained years of experience in restaurants such as The Modern, Maialino, and Pastis. In 2013, Chef María Mercedes and her brother opened Gallo Negro in Santurce. In 2019, Chef María Mercedes became the first Puerto Rican culinary industry woman to be nominated for the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef Award. She was also chosen by Food & Wine magazine as one of the top chefs leading the Puerto Rican culinary renaissance.
Chef Martín Louzao
Cocina Abierta
Martín Louzao graduated from the Gato Dumas Gastronomy College in Argentina, postgraduate studies at l’École Lenôtre in Paris, and at the Maussi Sebess International Institute of Culinary Arts in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He has collaborated in several Michelin-starred restaurants and has worked in kitchens in northern Italy, Spain, and France. He has developed numerous gastronomic projects in Puerto Rico: Cocina Abierta, Touro, Nonna Cucina Rustica, Finca, Panka, and the Atelier in CA.
Chef Martín is also co-founder of PRoduce!, a local platform that functions as a virtual marketplace connecting producers from all over the island with the restaurant industry, giving them direct access to local products. Thanks to his work with PRoduce!, Chef Martin and the platform were nominated by the James Beard Foundation as one of 12 Leadership and Resilience Projects in 2021.
sommeliers
Laura Madera Nadal
Pio Pio
Born and raised in San Juan, PR, Laura was introduced to the world of hospitality from an early age. After completing her Level 3, Wine and Spirits Education Trust, Laura moved back to New York, turning studies into practice. Learning service and guest relations at Per Se, Eleven Madison Park, and Uncle Boon’s, each establishment provided a different element for the type of service she embodies. Laura hopes to marry the warmth of Puerto Rican hospitality with the quality and caliber of service she experienced in New York. Working with local wine importers, Laura features interesting varietals from lesser known regions and producers, hoping to reflect the same unique yet fascinating nature of the menu. Believing perfection is in the details, she looks forward to showing each guest a unique experience, expanding their journey in the wine world.
Michelle Negrón
Cocina Abierta
Specialized communicator in organic, biodynamic, and natural wine as an agricultural, cultural, and social product. Born in Puerto Rico, a teacher, translator, and interpreter with nearly two decades of life in Europe and proficiency in four languages as a testament. In 2010, she became an energetic storyteller for small artisanal wine producers. She has experience in every segment of the market: production, importation, distribution, communication, education, writing, retail, service, and consulting. She has specialized in creating wine lists and pairings for restaurants such as Cocina Abierta, Oriundo, national chefs (Gabriel Hernández, Natalia Vallejo, Martín Louzao, Manuel Massa, Abel Mendoza, Giovanna Huyke), and international chefs (Daniela Soto Inés, Oscar Lorenzzi, Diego Oka, Jaime Rodríguez, Manuel Mendoza, Marsia Taha, Emilio Macías, and Janaina Rueda).
She is a firm believer that wine should not be elitist or intimidating. Her goal is to make wine an accessible, understandable, and enjoyable pleasure that also tells us about its origins and has a positive impact on the planet. Following these principles, she produced wine in Priorat for seven years and has been producing her own biodynamic wine, Flash Wine for Light, since 2019 in solidarity with Puerto Rico through donations to ConPRmetidos. Above all else, she loves to educate about this world in which she has been immersed for more than 13 years. In her free time, she trains, rediscovers Puerto Rico, listens to music, and enjoys Champagne, often doing the last two simultaneously.
