Cooking is political, says Colombia’s Leonor Espinosa, world’s best female chef

Colombian Chef and Social Entrepreneur leonor espinosa, also known as ‘Leo’, believes in using gastronomy as a vehicle for social and economic development in indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities. His skill lies in weaving ancestral culinary knowledge from rural communities into contemporary and mainstream Meal Ethos Known for her ‘Ciclo-Bioma’ philosophy, which highlights the culinary biodiversity of each biome, the 59-year-old is a regular on national TV in her home country and promotes Colombia as a ‘gastronomy tourism destination’ abroad. gives.

She was recently voted the World’s Best Female Chef 2022 by a panel that selected the world’s 50 best restaurants. His restaurant in Bogota, Leo — which she runs with her daughter, sommelier Laura Hernandez-Espinosa — was listed in The World’s and Latin America’s 50 Best Awards. She was also the recipient of the Latin America’s Best Female Chef Award and the Basque Culinary World Award in 2017 for her socio-environmental foundation, FUNLEO, which reintroduces ancestral culinary knowledge from Colombia’s rural communities into mainstream gastronomic culture.

A former advertising executive, she left corporate life to begin her culinary journey, working with marginalized farmers and uncovering indigenous ingredients such as Santander ants, mojojoy Amazonian larvae and Piraruku River fish. Edited excerpts from an interview:

How did you become a chef?

I started cooking at the age of 35, an age that made me understand cooking as an interdisciplinary profession. In my youth, I studied economics and fine arts, working in advertising for almost a decade. At one point, I made a halt and decided to return to art, based on historical memories and my own experiences.

From this new beginning, the kitchen began to emerge as a place for me to investigate, observe and experiment. Thanks to Gastronomy, I managed to connect with my roots, a past full of hidden stories and traditions. Undoubtedly, the kitchen is something that has been preserved in memory by tradition and experience – an identity that revolves around your childhood.

My biggest inspiration and inspiration has been the worldview and universe of the ethnic world around me.

Some of Chef Leo’s creations that highlight the produce of the land. , photo credit: special arrangement

Some of Chef Leo’s creations that highlight the produce of the land. , photo credit: special arrangement

What are some of your fondest childhood memories about food?

Memories are varied. I dream of the moments I shared with family and friends, especially on my grandmother’s farm. Everything revolved around crossing rivers. And something that was always central to our lives was the wood stove in my grandmother’s country house. One of my fondest memories is of a huge table laden with banana leaves and laden with succulent preparations – from rabbit, rice, corn to buns and roast meats. We served to please our palate. I have shared many such memories in my 2018 book, lo que quinta el caldero , tales of cooking utensils,

What was the idea behind your restaurant Leo?

Leo was born in July 2005, as a result of my interest in making visible our gastronomic heritage and the potential of our natural wealth. At the same time, to showcase the narratives of our land, our diverse cultures and traditions, and to give a blended identity of ancestral knowledge to the palates of our guests.

The menu is constantly evolving, confirming each cultural context based on the ingredients used. It is also building an identity based on the knowledge of the culinary historical memories behind each product. About 90% of the ingredients come from areas that are difficult to access, are not available in common markets and are generally little known by the consumer. We work directly with producers from different regions of the country, we do not have middlemen, and part of our aim is to strengthen the work of the Afro-Indigenous and farming communities with whom we collaborate. As a whole, Leo uses materials in a responsible and circular manner in an attempt to reduce waste.

At his restaurant, Chef Leo uses ingredients in a responsible and circular manner in an attempt to reduce waste. , photo credit: special arrangement

How does your ‘Ciclo-Bioma’ philosophy use gastronomy for social and economic development in Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities?

The innovation and affirmation of our traditions are fundamental aspects of the ‘Siklo-Bioma’, which highlights the culinary biodiversity of each region and the contexts and stories behind each culture. The cyclo-bioma represents change, innovation, constantly changing and renewing itself according to tradition.

Cooking is also a political act closely related to the production of food, especially when factors such as climate change, deforestation, exploitation of natural resources, war, monopolies, influence sovereignty and food security and local consumption. In this way, it participates in alleviating the current economic and social struggles to deal with the dire production, trade and consumption policies facing our society. As we are episodic actors in the production series, our biggest social commitment is to support ancestral cultural knowledge and ethnic identity. For example, the way we use the leaves as wraps in Colombian cuisine – there are over 150 leaf species that are used in various cuisines to make parcels like tamarind. For me, using the leaf (and its gastronomic by-products) is a way to make the invisible visible.

The author is a freelance journalist exploring the intersection of environment, gender and food.