Leonor Espinosa, the chef-owner of Leo in Bogotá, Colombia, was named the World's Best Female Chef in the latest pre-ceremony announcement of the 2022 World's 50 Best Awards.
Leonor Espinosa, winner of The World's Best Female Chef Award 2022. (Photo courtesy of World's 50 Best restaurants)
This year's much-anticipated ceremony, to be held on July 18 in London, will host a gathering of chefs, restaurateurs, media and gourmets. The key highlight of the event is the revealing of the 50 best restaurants in the world, compiled from the votes of 1,080 restaurant experts from all corners of the Earth.
Last year, Sühring restaurant from Bangkok was ranked No.40 on the World's Best Restaurants list. In 2019, Gaggan thrived at No.4 and in 2018 Nahm was recognised as No.49.
The World's Best Female Chef award was announced as a lead-up to the main event. It celebrates a female cooking master whose dedication, skills and creativity set new standards in culinary excellence.
The 20th edition winner, Leonor Espinosa is a key figure in Colombia's food renaissance. At her restaurant Leo, which opened in 2007, she has forged a unique, cerebral and profound cooking style that sets her apart from her contemporaries. Her concept is based on finding innovative ways to incorporate little-used species and unusual ingredients into a new kind of modern Colombian cuisine. At the same time, she also seeks to use gastronomy as a tool for socio-economic development. The origin of ingredients is always highlighted on Leo's tasting menu with 100% of the produce sourced within the country. There are, for example, lemon, big-bottom ants and mojojoy worms from the humid forests; pulantana plant from the desert; cacay plant from the Andean foothills; cacao mucilage from Tayrona; and the skin and tongue of the piracurú fish from the Amazon.
The idea has stood the test of time, as Leo has been to date the only Colombian venue to break into The World's 50 Best Restaurants, most recently securing No.46 in the 2021 ranking.
Espinosa together with her daughter also founded Funleo, a non-profit organisation that helps unveil some of the secrets of indigenous ingredients and ancestral techniques. Today, Funleo continues to identify, reclaim and promote the culinary traditions of rural and ethnic communities while simultaneously promoting their well-being and health. The programme also empowers the groups towards food sovereignty.
With a strong sense of social responsibility and a humble attitude, Espinosa has become a global reference aspiring cooks look up to. Her gastronomic art has already enthralled countless diners while also contributing to the ecosystems of Colombia's most remote communities.
