Since Lorena Garcia has been cooking professionally, she has focused on bringing the flavors of Latin cooking — one of the great cuisines of the world — to a wider audience. Her global, fresh and highly flavorful take on Latin Cuisine offers a modern fusion of classic techniques with Latin ingredients. Her life as a chef, entrepreneur, cookbook author, media personality, cookware designer and restaurateur has been a celebration of the cooking and passion for food that she grew up with in her native Caracas, Venezuela with the international flavors and culinary techniques she amassed as a young chef working in some of the world’s finest restaurants.
As one of the nation’s top celebrity chefs best known for her television roles on Top Chef Masters, America’s Next Great Restaurant, and multiple shows on Telemundo and Univision, Garcia has published two bestselling cookbooks. Though she originally went to school in Venezuela to become a lawyer, she soon realized she had a different calling and enrolled in cooking school in the United States. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in culinary arts from Johnson & Wales University and recently received an honorary doctorate in the same field. Garcia took her first job as an apprentice at the Ritz Carlton in Paris, and then worked her way through different regions of the world including Italy, Japan, Korea, Thailand, and China, picking up techniques and inspiration along the way.
In July 2002, Garcia opened her first restaurant, Food Café, followed by Elements Tierra in Miami’s Design District. In 2011, she moved her restaurant operations into airports (currently at MIA, DFW and ATL), offering millions of travelers Lorena Garcia Tapas y Cocina, a healthier take on traditional Latin cuisine. Lorena also operates the Lorena Garcia Culinary Loft in Miami, which is available for private events, as well as film and television production.
In 2017, Garcia embarked on her most ambitious restaurant project in collaboration with the award-winning international hospitality group 50 Eggs Inc., landing her on the world-famous Las Vegas Strip. CHICA by Lorena Garcia located at The Venetian Resort is a stunning celebration of Latin American cooking and hospitality showcasing flavors, influences and techniques from Venezuela, Peru, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico, combined and reimagined in Garcia’s distinct global style. With CHICA, she has joined the ranks of the world class chefs on Restaurant Row at The Venetian including Thomas Keller and Emeril Lagasse – and now her photo proudly lives between them as the first woman chef on the “Wall of Culinary Titans” outside the property.
The recent expansion of the CHICA brand brings Garcia back home to South Florida when the concept opened its second location in November of 2019 within Miami’s historic MiMo district. The Miami incarnation of CHICA by Lorena Garcia appeals to both locals and visitors alike, featuring the robust and vibrant flavors of authentic Latin and South American dishes, inventive cocktails and an unparalleled dining experience guaranteed to elevate the local culinary landscape.
In addition to her success as a chef and restaurateur, fans of Garcia may be familiar with her regular appearances on HSN, showcasing her fresh and modern line of cookware with a splash of Latin flair known as the Lorena Bella Kitchen Collection. She has also been featured on the CNN special documentary “Latinos in America” and as a guest on other national programs such as The Talk, The Chew, Good Morning America and the Today Show. Her recipes have been featured in publications such as People Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Vogue and Saveur, and she has been profiled in business magazines for her significant role as a strong female Latina chef and business-owner including Kiplinger’s and Entrepreneur.
When she is not growing her personal brand or expanding her culinary footprint, Garcia always finds time to give back, particularly with her own non-profit organization aimed at combatting childhood obesity, “Big Chef, Little Chef.” The comprehensive program helps children and their families take control of their eating habits and, ultimately, their lives.
You can find information on Chef Lorena Garcia at www.ChefLorenaGarcia.com and follow her on Facebook (LorenaGarciaOnline), Twitter (@LorenaGarcia) and Instagram (@ChefLorena). Information on CHICA can be found at www.ChicaRestaurant.com and on social at @ChicaRestaurants.
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