APAPAXOA 2025: Surprising Facts You Didn’t Know About Our Apapaxados

Apapaxados by Cuisine: Fun Facts That Will Make You See the Guest Chefs of Apapaxoa 2025 in a Whole New Ligh

The highly anticipated APAPAXOA 2025 is just around the corner, bringing with it a unique opportunity to experience the very best of contemporary gastronomy. This gastro-cultural festival, held at Hoteles Xcaret, promises to unite flavors, styles, and visions from chefs who have taken the world by storm with their creativity.

To get you excited for what’s to come, meet the guest chefs who will bring their unique touch and elevate this culinary gathering like never before.

Enrique Olvera

• Enrique Olvera graduated with honors from the Culinary Institute of America (USA), one of the world’s most prestigious culinary schools.
• His iconic restaurant, Pujol in Mexico City, earned two Michelin stars in 2024 and consistently ranks among The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
• He also designed the exclusive Clase Premier menu for Aeroméxico, taking Mexican haute cuisine… all the way to the skies!

• Olvera is the visionary behind Taller Enrique Olvera, a space dedicated to culinary research and innovation.

Ana Karime Loópez

• Ana Karime López has revolutionized haute cuisine with a zero-waste approach, embracing sustainability without sacrificing creativity.
• She has worked in legendary kitchens such as Pujol, Noma, Central, and Ryugin, where she refined her style and technique.
• Her culinary vision blends Mexican sensitivity with Italian sophistication, delighting palates around the world.

• She became the first Mexican woman to earn a Michelin star thanks to her work at Gucci Osteria (Florence).
• In 2022, Forbes recognized her as one of Mexico’s 100 Most Powerful Women.

Santiago Lastra

• Santiago Lastra earned his first Michelin star in 2022 with his restaurant KOL in London.
• In 2023, KOL was ranked among the Top 30 of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.

• A Mexican chef with an international career, he has placed Mexico’s gastronomy on the global radar from the heart of England.

Luiz Filipe Souza

• Luiz Filipe Souza earned his first Michelin star in 2022 for his restaurant Evvai in São Paulo.
• That same restaurant was ranked among Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants.

• His cuisine, known as “oriundi”, is rooted in Italian traditions and fused with Brazilian ingredients—a reflection of the cultural exchange between both countries.
• Despite a background in business administration and an opportunity in banking, Luiz stayed true to his purpose: pursuing his passion for cooking and building a culinary legacy through hard work and dedication.
• At just 30, he became one of Brazil’s youngest chefs to receive a Michelin star, all while being a finalist in the prestigious Bocuse d’Or in 2019.

Antonio Bachour

• The son of Lebanese immigrants, Antonio Bachour grew up in Puerto Rico and discovered his love for desserts during family dinners, where his mother’s sweets were always the highlight.
• At 17, he overcame a pituitary tumor and, after spending a month in a coma, woke up determined to fulfill his dream of becoming a pastry chef.
• He trained at the French Culinary Institute in New York, where he perfected his pastry techniques.

• Today, he owns Bachour Miami and has been named World’s Best Pastry Chef in both 2018 and 2022 by The Best Chef Awards.

Camila Fiol

• Camila Fiol is a Chilean pastry chef specializing in desserts with a Latin American identity.
• She was recognized among the Top 10 Pastry Chefs in Latin America in 2022.
• Daughter of an art historian and a computer engineer, she combines her mother’s artistic side with her father’s mathematical precision.

• She uses Excel spreadsheets to formulate her recipes, bringing technical accuracy to the world of pastry.
• On November 26, 2024, she was honored in Rio de Janeiro as the Best Pastry Chef in Latin America with the Latin America’s Best Pastry Chef Award.

Ángel León

• Known as “the chef of the sea,” he is a pioneer in researching new marine ingredients to promote sustainable gastronomy.
• He has discovered revolutionary foods like marine phytoplankton and was the first to cultivate plants such as Zostera marina.
• His restaurant has held Three MICHELIN Stars since 2017 and a historic Green Sustainable Star since 2019.

• He was named Food Hero 2023 by the FAO (UN) and ranked #13 in The Best Chef Awards 2023.

Chele González

• Chele González is a Spanish chef with a distinguished career in the Philippines. He studied and worked in kitchens like El Bulli and Mugaritz before founding Gallery by Chele in the Philippines in 2013.
• His restless nature led him to study marketing and work as a DJ before making the leap into the culinary world. Today, he combines his passions for music and gastronomy as a Chef DJ.
• Gallery by Chele burst onto the international culinary scene by earning its first Michelin Star in 2023.

Jaime Rodríguez

• Jaime Rodríguez, the creative mind behind Celele, has put Colombian gastronomic diversity on the international stage with a proposal that balances tradition and innovation.
• Inspired since childhood by his mother, a banquet organizer in his community, Jaime began to stand out at the age of 12 by decorating cakes with techniques and style that amazed even his hometown.
• In 2023, Celele was ranked #19 in Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants, while Jaime was positioned at #16 as a rising chef.

Manuel Negrete

• Manuel Negrete is an Oaxacan chef dedicated to rescuing ancestral recipes and reinterpreting them with a modern and sophisticated presentation.
• He was awarded Best Traditional Cuisine at the Gourmet Awards Mexico 2021.
• His work serves as a bridge between Oaxaca’s rich cultural heritage and contemporary gastronomic trends.

• Manuel has succeeded in placing traditional Oaxacan cuisine in high-end culinary spaces, highlighting the depth and diversity of its ingredients and techniques.

Benedicta Alejo Vargas

• Benedicta Alejo Vargas is a guardian of traditional Oaxacan cuisine, especially renowned for her mastery of mole negro.
• From the age of seven, under her grandmother’s guidance, Benedicta learned the roots of indigenous cooking, forging a deep connection with the metate, the hearth, and ancestral ingredients.
• She prepared corundas and mole with cheese for Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican, a milestone moment in her career and in spreading Mexican gastronomy worldwide.

• She was awarded the “México de Mujer” prize in 2020, recognizing her dedication and culinary legacy.
• Her work stands out not only for preserving traditional recipes but also for breaking barriers and positioning Purépecha and Michoacán cuisine on the international gastronomic stage.

Mario y Karla Papa

• Mario and Karla Papa are siblings who have conquered the gastronomic scene with a fresh and bold approach.
• Mario is a creative chef with an unwavering spirit, while Karla, a renowned baker and pastry chef, is known for her precision and artistic sensitivity—together, they form a unique culinary duo.
• Both were named Best New Chefs 2023 by Food and Wine en Español, establishing themselves as one of the most promising pairs in contemporary gastronomy.

• Their collaborative work proves that family passion can become a creative force capable of redefining flavors and experiences.

Pepe Salinas

• Pepe Salinas was almost set to become a painter, holding a secured spot in the Fine Arts program at UNAM before discovering his true calling in the kitchen.
• His Huasteca roots connect him deeply with tradition; as a child, he spent vacations in the smoke kitchen his grandmother built in San Bartolo Tutotepec, Hidalgo.
• At El Balcón del Zócalo, his culinary approach has become a benchmark of contemporary Mexican cuisine, where art and gastronomy blend to create multisensory experiences.

• Even today, he combines his two passions— in the private dining room of El Balcón del Zócalo, he often sketches his dishes, detailing every element of the tasting menu as if it were a work of art.

Erick Bautista

• Originally from Ixtepec, Oaxaca, Erick Bautista has worked in some of the most prestigious kitchens in Mexico, Spain, and Italy.
• He trained at restaurants such as Biko (Mexico City), Huniik and Ixi'im (Yucatán), as well as Michelin-starred establishments like Martín Berasategui (Spain), Osteria de l'Acquarol, and Areadocks (Italy).
• In 2022, he won the regional final for Latin America and the Caribbean in the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy, and a year later, he was a finalist in the world grand final held in Milan.

• Recognized by Forbes as one of the 100 most creative Mexicans in 2023.
• He has worked closely with chef Lula Martín del Campo, strengthening his vision of cuisine rooted in identity and respect for the environment.
• His culinary proposal at NOL highlights ingredients such as corn, beans, quelites, insects, and ferments, creating a cuisine that unites the vegetal, the animal, and the ancestral with contemporary techniques.

Francisco Sixtos

• Francisco Sixtos blends the elegance of Asian cuisine with the richness of Mexican flavors, creating a unique and innovative culinary proposal.
• His training includes intensive experience in European kitchens, where he honed high-level techniques.
• He worked closely with renowned chef Sidney Schutte, who had a decisive influence on his culinary style.

• His curiosity for gastronomy began in the United States at a small family restaurant run by his uncles, where he discovered his love for cooking.
• Today, every dish he creates reflects a balance between tradition and modernity, marked by a deeply personal touch.

Mitsuharu Tsumura

• He studied Culinary Arts in the United States and specialized in Japan before returning to Lima.
• After consolidating his career in hotels such as the Sheraton, he decided to leave his role as general manager to found Maido in 2009.
• In 2025, Maido was crowned the best restaurant in the world by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, after several consecutive appearances near the top.

• Additionally, Maido led Latin American gastronomy at the Latam 50 Best in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2023, and in 2024 received the Estrella Damm Chefs' Choice Award.
• Its Nikkei cuisine fuses Peruvian ingredients and Japanese techniques with the goal of “making people happy.”

Rafael Covarrubias

• His training at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology immersed him in a culinary cultural mosaic, being the only Mexican among peers from Korea, China, and India.
• His culinary proposal fuses Mexican roots with global techniques and flavors, reflecting his personal story of reinvention and boldness.
• Originally from Querétaro, Rafael Covarrubias earned his first Michelin star in 2024 as executive chef at Hexagon in Canada.

• That same year, he was named Young Chef of the Year by the Michelin Guide Toronto, establishing himself as one of the greatest promises in global gastronomy.

Kevin Gómez

• His indigenous heritage deeply shapes his identity and the essence of his cuisine.

• In 2013, his restaurant Astrid y Gastón was recognized as the Best Restaurant in Latin America according to the 50 Best list.
• His culinary proposal blends ancestral richness with contemporary techniques, positioning him as a key reference in Peruvian gastronomy.

• He has been a driving force behind cuisine that reclaims indigenous ingredients and traditions.

Leslie Jaime

• Creator of Galénico and Ginstone, two Mexican gins that have captivated international palates with their quality and originality.
• Recognized as a High Scorer at the prestigious The Gin Guide Awards 2019, a milestone that catapulted her brand into the global elite
• Winner of the Silver Medal at the renowned San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2019, confirming her place at the top of the global cocktail scene.

• Leslie doesn’t just craft gins—she’s writing a new story of innovation and flavor, taking Mexico to the world.

Emmanuel Peña

• Originally from Nuevo León, Emmanuel Peña initially chose to study Law, although his mother had encouraged him from a young age to explore the culinary world.
• While balancing his studies and work at a notary’s office, his true passion led him to seek new opportunities in France, determined to immerse himself in the culinary arts.
• In France, he founded Tarántula, a taquería that captures the essence and authentic flavors of northern Mexico, winning over palates across Europe.

• Emmanuel is a clear example of how following one’s passion can open doors and bring Mexican culinary culture to unexpected corners of the world.

Gastronomy is living an extraordinary moment, thanks to talents who fuse creativity, technique, and unique styles influenced by diverse culinary traditions from around the world.

Each story in this journey is a reminder that cooking is far more than technique—it’s culture, passion, and commitment.

Did you know all these facts about the Apapaxados 2025 chefs? Now that you’ve gotten to know them better, imagine the unique experience of discovering their creations brought together in one festival.

A universe of flavors awaits to celebrate the very best of gastronomy in a one-of-a-kind gathering. Live Apapaxoa and let yourself be carried away by a culinary experience that will awaken all your senses.

Check the activity calendar and plan your visit to make the most of this unforgettable festival.

👉 Learn more about Apapaxoa here and get ready to be part of this unforgettable culinary festival.