An icon of Peruvian cuisine, Acurio owns the renowned restaurant Astrid & Gastón and believes fervently in cooking as a tool for social change. He is widely acknowledged for his efforts in taking his country around the world, opening up a borderless interest in much more than cebiche. Promoter of projects such as Pachacútec, where dozens of young people get training in cooking on the outskirts of Lima, he promotes cultural, social and environmental causes. His ventures include Madam Tusan, La Mar, Los Bachiche, which offers Italian-Peruvian food, Papachos, a hamburger restaurant, and Melate Chocolate, a chocolate shop that highlights Peruvian cocoa, Yakumanka, among others. He is a prolific author of books such as "Peru: Gastronomy", a Peruvian cookbook, which includes 500 traditional home cooking recipes, "Cebiche Power", "Recontra ¡Bravazo!", among others.

Manu Buffara is one of Latin America´s most promising chefs, who shares edible samples of her culture and identity from her restaurant Manu (Curitiba, Paraná). Her passion for cooking is deeply rooted in her upbringing. As a farmer´s daughter, she learned to appreciate the land and its products, and used this knowledge to shape her culinary style. She is also deeply committed to working on social outreach projects. In 2022, Manu Buffara was named the Best Female Chef in Latin America. In 2023, her book "Manu: Recipes and Stories from my Brazil", in which she tells the story of her culinary career based on indigenous ingredients and neglected communities, hit the bookstores.

Dominique Crenn, the renowned chef behind the three Michelin-starred restaurant Atelier Crenn, is renowned for her ability to turn memories into modern, imaginative dishes. Apart from her culinary excellence, The World´s 50 Best Restaurants honoured Crenn with the Icon Award in 2021, acknowledging her outstanding career. Her influence extends to education and promoting of gastronomy globally, she lectures at institutions such as Harvard University and actively participates in culinary events around the world. Her current vision focuses on forging a cuisine that embodies modernity, high-quality craftsmanship and the use of seasonal ingredients. Recently, in July 2023, Crenn opened her new restaurant, Golden Poppy, in Paris, France. Inspired by California´s values of freedom, equality and cultural diversity, this establishment offers a multicultural culinary approach that celebrates sustainability and local produce. Golden Poppy reflects the passion and creativity that Crenn brings to her cuisine, and its bright and welcoming environment lets people from all over the world delight in her artistic expression of love in every dish.

Highly passionate and advocating transgressive philosophy, Bottura views culture as the true power a chef must wield to make a difference. At Osteria Francescana, his 3 Michelin-starred restaurant in Modena, he plays with references from music and contemporary art to create beauty and pleasure. Yet also to spread his discourse, in which he questions Italian tradition from a critical and non-nostalgic approach. Using his region´s exquisite seasonal foods, Bottura has invented imaginative and innovative dishes such as Oops! I broke the lemon tart, or Pollution (a protest against nuclear pollution). At Expo Milano 2015, he set up his Refettorio Ambrosiano, where people in need received lunches made with leftover food from the fair, highlighting the importance of reducing food waste. Bottura also backs social and environmental campaigns, such as his organisation Food For Soul, a non-profit organisation founded to promote social awareness about food waste and hunger, which today operates in 11 countries.

One of Mexico´s most celebrated chefs, his Pujol restaurant in Mexico City captured the world´s attention by transforming Mexico´s deep-rooted gastronomic tradition into a contemporary, sensitive and authentic approach. Olvera now has fifteen restaurants - including Cosme in New York - in all of which he promotes his love of local produce. A believer in simplicity, he shuns pretentiousness and ostentation. Culture and ecology are part of his narrative: from complementing avant-garde methods with pre-Hispanic ones using native species that are almost extinct, to his commitment to sustainable, top-quality produce. Over time, he has backed schemes against mass corn farming, along with educational programmes to improve children´s diets in his country´s capital as obesity rates soar worryingly. Recently he expanded his network of restaurants into more areas of the US, with Atla in Venice, California.

Trine Hahnemann is a Danish chef, one-time owner of Hahnemanns Køkken, who regularly writes about and extols the benefits of an everyday, possible and healthy cuisine, focused on organic and sustainable food. After decades of championing women´s role in gastronomy, she is a benchmark in leadership and team management. Hahnemann has written ten cookbooks in her native Danish language and seven in English, including "Copenhagen Food" (2018), "The Nordic Diet" (2009) and "The Scandinavian Cookbook" (2008). In 2023 she is set to publish "Simply Scandinavian", an inspiring collection of recipes. She writes for US and British magazines and newspapers, including The Guardian and Time Magazine, and is a regular guest on BBC food programmes.

Yoshihiro Narisawa is the chef and owner of the two Michelin-starred restaurant Narisawa in Tokyo, Japan, which has also been named one of Asia´s 50 Best Restaurants. Returning to Japan in 1996 after a gruelling apprenticeship journey throughout Europe, Narisawa opened his first restaurant, which received instant critical acclaim for combining classic French culinary techniques with a poetic use of Japanese ingredients. Narisawa is known for his respect for organic and seasonal ingredients, and has received awards for his commitment to sustainability and conservation. His dishes experiment with authentic Japanese ingredients (such as tree sap, sea snake, herbs and wildflowers) using innovative culinary techniques (like charring vegetables used in seasoning), creating a haiku-like dining experience that immerses diners "under the spell of the season". In 2018, he opened Bees Bar by Narisawa, a concept based on the ingredients that define Narisawa´s Satoyama cuisine. In 2021, he published Satoyama Cuisine, an in-depth analysis of Narisawa´s cuisine.

Colagreco (La Plata, 1976) grew up and studied cooking in Buenos Aires but has pursued his culinary career in France, where he arrived in 2001. His first opportunity saw him learning under the guidance of Bernard Loiseau, until this prestigious chef passed away in 2003. He then trained further with national figures such as Alain Passard, Alain Ducasse and Guy Martin. In 2006, he moved to Menton, a beautiful tourist resort on the Côte d´Azur near the Italian border, where he took over the restaurant Mirazur, which earned him his first Michelin star in less than a year. His privileged access to coastal and mountain products and Colagreco´s talent and creativity have seen Mirazur feature among the top four of The World´s 50 Best Restaurants list since 2016. Today, in addition to his award-winning restaurants, Colagreco devotes time and effort to Carne ("Meat"), which describes as a burger restaurant with a focus on organic ingredients and high quality meats.

Elena Reygadas is a key player on Mexico's gastronomy scene. She is chef and owner of various successful restaurants and bakeries: Rosetta, Panadería Rosetta (Rosetta's Bakery), Lardo, and Café Nin. As a chef, she is deeply committed to advocating for local Mexican ingredients and social causes related to healthy and sustainable eating. Her first book, Rosetta, was published by Sexto Piso in 2019. She has received numerous awards and honors, including Latin America's Best Female Chef in 2014.

Sydney, Australia-born Chef Josh Niland has revamped how we cook, transport, cure and store fish. His ethical, sustainable and revolutionary approach to cooking whole fish with zero waste has received global recognition. He is a multi-award winning chef, restaurateur and James Beard award winning author. Josh has four establishments: Saint Peter, Charcoal Fish, Fish Butchery Paddington, and the newly opened Fish Butchery Waterloo. He has also penned three books: "The Whole Fish Cookbook", "Take One Fish" and his most recent “Fish Butchery: Mastering the Catch, Cut and Craft”.

Narda is a chef, communicator and entrepreneur. She has also authored several books: "Comer y Pasarla Bien" (Eat and Have a Good Time), "Ñam ñam: Manual para alimentar a un pequeño omnívoro" and "201 Tips para no comer como el or**". In 2017, she opened her restaurant Narda Comedor, which debuted on the list of the 50 Best Restaurants in Latin America in 2020. She has played a star role in setting up associations and projects such as A.C.E.L.G.A. (Association of Chefs and Entrepreneurs linked to Argentinean Gastronomy), M.I.G.A. (Women Promoters of Argentinean Gastronomy) and the Feria Masticar Argentinian food festival. All of these initiatives help her encourage people to shift towards more plant-based eating habits. She also works with the Union of Land Workers (UTT) to strengthen its direct sales capacity. In November 2020, the World´s 50 Best Restaurants awarded her the prestigious title of Best Female Chef in Latin America. In June 2020 she launched her new app "Comé + Plantas" ("Eat + Plants") which lets any user identify what kind of vegetable or fruit they are holding, leveraging on modern phone technology and cameras to analyse and recognise objects. It then uses algorithm-based identification to list the item´s characteristics, how best to eat it and tips for eating or cooking any vegetable/fruit live and in real time.

The young Pia León embodies one of the most personal and creative visions of contemporary Peruvian gastronomy, and her creations cast light on the unbounded diversity and cultural multiplicity of a country like hers. She first made her mark as co-owner of Central, a restaurant that topped the list of Latin America´s 50 Best Restaurants for three years running and remained one of the world´s ten best restaurants in the list of the 50 Best Restaurants. Then she embarked on her own journey with Kjolle, which debuted on the Latin America´s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2019 in 21st place, winning the award for Biggest New Entry. She has also received awards for Best Female Chef in Latin America in 2018 and 2021, as well as the award for Breakthrough Chef of the Year in 2019, cementing her prominent position in gastronomy.

Growing Up surrounding by delicious home cooked meals, Thitid’s mother and grandmother’s flavors have contributed largely to his passion in cooking. Upon the completion of his Economics degree from Chulalongkorn University, he took off to USA to pursuit his dream at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America (CIA). The top score graduate continued to receive an MBA in Hospitality from Johnson Wales University. During his time in New York, Thitid has worked at several Michelin starred restaurants, including Eleven Madison Park, The Modern and Jean Georges. Not only does he has passion in food, but his enthusiasm in wine also led him to become a Certified Sommelier (CS) from the respect Court of Master Sommelier. He has brought home experiences and vision to elevate Thai cuisine and give it a stand among world’s leading cuisines. Now the rising young chef is running one of the most exciting kitchens in Bangkok, Le Du (1 Michelin Star and #1 in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023) as well as Nusara (#3 in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023).