10 Latinx Chefs You Need to Follow for Food Inspo on Instagram
Many chefs, food bloggers and food enthusiasts take to social media to share tantalizing photos of the food they’re making and/or eating and we just can’t scroll away
Photo: Instagram/ @DanielaSoto-Innes
Many chefs, food bloggers and food enthusiasts take to social media to share tantalizing photos of the food they’re making and/or eating and we just can’t scroll away. Which of course means we see even more mouth-watering food photos in our feeds because Instagram has got us figured out. There’s a reason the hashtag #foodporn exists and we love to see it, especially when it features Latin American cuisine. All this social content actually led us to discover some Latinx chefs that are doing incredible things in the food world. The more we support these chefs the less likely we are to see Anglo chefs like Gordon Ramsay obliterate something as precious as pegao.
So we’ve rounded up a list of 10 amazing Latinx chefs you need to know about doing everything from dishing up traditional and healthier versions of Latin American dishes to creating inspired, upscale International cuisine.wp_*posts
Bricia Lopez
Chef, cookbook author, restauranteur, all-around jefa mom, and podcaster Bricia Lopez is committed to honoring traditional Oaxacan cuisine. Her restaurant, Guelaguetza in Los Angeles, has earned the prestigious James Beard award, and Bricia now sells their beloved mole as well. On Instagram, she shares a lot from her personal life, including her adventures as a mom of two which we love— we came for the food and stayed for the real-life content.
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Illyanna Maisonet
A Puerto Rican food writer living in Northern California, Illyanna Maisonet is out to share our traditional foods with the masses. She’s actually the first Puerto Rican food columnist in America and is currently working on her first cookbook, Diasporican, which is set to come out in the fall of 2022. She showcases authentic ingredients and cooking methods and does an adorable series with her mom in which they sample dishes from different cultures.wp_*posts
Bryan Ford
We first spotted Honduran baker Bryan Ford on NBC’s TODAY, and couldn’t believe we hadn’t heard of him before. He specializes in artisan bread and pastries made using sourdough starter, and every single one of his recipes looks incredible. From thick chocolate chip cookies and flaky croissants to fluffy mallorcas and buttery conchas, he can make seemingly anything dough-based and take it to another level. Not only does he have a cookbook titled New World Sourdough, but he also recently nabbed his own show on Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Network titled The Artisan’s Kitchen.wp_*posts
Lyana S. Blount
Yup, that plate (shown above) of “chicharron” and yucca with guineo and avocado is entirely vegan! Puerto Rican and Black entrepreneur Lyana Blount founded her personal chef service, Black Rican Vegan in 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic and began offering vegan Puerto Rican meals delivered to clients throughout New York City. She also hosts virtual cooking classes and offers catering services. She dishes up some truly innovative ideas and suggestions for meat alternatives on Instagram, and we especially appreciate that more often than not she finds natural, unprocessed alternatives which is not necessarily the norm in vegan cooking.wp_*posts
Angelo Sosa
If you’re a Top Chef fan, the name Angelo Sosa is probably a familiar one. This Dominican chef is a three-time Top Chef All Star, a cookbook author and a restauranteur, and manages an exciting Instagram account where he posts photos and videos of his rendition of modern dishes like an avocado toast with smoked salmon and goat cheese with dill. He also showcases the cuisine of many other chefs and cooks that he encounters throughout his travels and restaurant experiences.wp_*posts
Reina Gascon-Lopez
https://www.instagram.com/p/CRAMMDZBt8N/
Chef Reina is the founder of The Sofrito Project where she shares her exploration of her Puerto Rican and Southern American cultures through food. She’s the author of three digital cookbooks and offers affordable, virtual cooking classes that are customized to each client’s needs. Though she’s passionate about Puerto Rican cuisine she cooks a bit of everything from Latinx staples like pickled onions to fusion dishes like bacon fried rice.wp_*posts
Ray Garcia
Ray Garcia is a classically trained chef who has spent years using that education to create truly unique Mexican-inspired dishes that pay homage to tradition, while completely turning it on its head. A native Angeleno, Ray’s bricks-and-mortar restaurant Broken Spanish closed its doors during the height of the pandemic, but lived on for months via a partnership with NeueHouse, a rentable workspace club. Over on his Instagram you’ll find the best kind of food porn and be able to keep up to date with where and what he’s cooking.wp_*posts
Yadira Garcia
Dominicana Yadira Garcia, also known as the “Happy Healthy Latina” on Instagram, is doing the work of showing the Latinx community that our traditional foods can be healthy and nutritious and enjoyed guilt-free, and we are totally here for it. She focuses on preparing food using natural ingredients and tons of fresh veggies while still making them utterly mouthwatering. From authentic dishes like these guineos al escabeche to beautiful Latin-inspired glow bowls, her food is real, accessible and super-tasty. Oh, and did we mention she’s co-founder of Loisa, a brand of organic Latino spices and seasonings?wp_*posts
Daniela Soto-Innes
Mexican chef Daniela Soto-Innes does her part to highlight authentic and indigenous ingredients as often as she can, and not only is it totally nostalgic, it’s inspiring too. She’s the youngest chef named World’s Best Female Chef by the World’s 50 Best Restaurant and the recipient of the James Beard for Rising Star Chef of the Year. Formerly of the popular New York City restaurants Cosme and Atla, she’s currently taking a hiatus from the hustle and bustle of the professional kitchen and sharing lots of her adventures–culinary and otherwise–on social media.wp_*posts
Eric Rivera
https://www.instagram.com/p/CRS3SvSNRj8/
Chef Eric Rivera is currently cooking for Addo Seattle where he creates incredible reservation-only small group, family-style dining experiences like “Lechocito Tuesdays” and “Sazon Bae, A Puerto Rican Steak House.” His ultra-creative dishes include things like Mojo marinated avocado blanketed in sockeye roe, flan with smoked sea salt and pastelón made with bacalao instead of the traditional carne molida. His Instagram page is absolutely brimming with food inspo and definitely worth a follow.
