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[title]Lists change, but the questions remain: what does it mean to be a chef today? What drives those behind a dish, beyond technique or the shine of a dining room? Since 2015, The Best Chef has invited us to think about gastronomy from that place — from the people. What began as a project by gastronome Cristian Gadau and neuroscientist Joanna Slusarczyk has evolved into an international network where generations, knowledge and perspectives converge. Its purpose is both simple and ambitious: to bring together those who live cooking as a form of thought. Through awards, talks and gatherings such as Food Meets Science and Area Talks, the project aims to build bridges between experience and reflection, between tradition and innovation. The Best Chef works as a map of conversations: a space to discuss sustainability, culture, technology, science and humanity.
In the most recent edition, three chefs from Mendoza joined that global conversation. Juan Manuel Feijoo, Josefina Diana and Iván Azar were added to The Best Chef Awards list, which highlights those who reinterpret the present through their cooking. Their careers converge on the same idea: cooking not only feeds — it thinks, questions and proposes. Through them, Mendoza carves out its place on the world’s gastronomic map without losing its roots or identity. Sebastián Weigand, chef of the Mendoza restaurant Azafrán, was recognized for the second consecutive year, reaffirming his place among the key figures of Argentina’s new culinary scene.
Juan Manuel Feijoo: Wine first, always
At the helm of Angélica Cocina Maestra, Feijoo embodies the new generation of Mendoza chefs who combine technique, emotion and a profound connection with their environment. His cooking interprets the Cuyo landscape through a contemporary lens, where every dish engages in dialogue with the wine and the land.
“The landscape influences everything we do,” he says. “I wake up looking at the mountains every day, and they still surprise me. That view is a constant source of inspiration.”
“The mountains are a constant source of inspiration”
With an approach he defines as “wine first,” Feijoo acknowledges that his greatest learning came —literally— from working alongside wineries: “It was beautiful and challenging to be able to match our dishes to their wines. It’s a hugely important challenge.”
Regarding his inclusion in The Best Chef, he says it felt like a warm acknowledgment of collective effort: “It’s like someone suddenly tells you, ‘Hey, what you’re doing is great,’ and on top of that, you’re surrounded by chefs you admire.”
His focus is clear: keep growing without losing touch with the ground. “We want every experience at Angélica to be incredible — not just because of the dishes, but because of everything that happens there. Staying focused, respecting the product and our essence: that’s the path.”
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Josefina Diana: The pulse of nature
Refined, sensitive and meticulous, Josefina Diana represents the most poetic view of the territory. Also at the helm of Angélica Cocina Maestra, her cooking —awarded one Michelin Red Star— celebrates seasonality and the connection with the land.
“The garden and the climate decide what’s served at the table,” she explains. “We can plan, but there are always variables we don’t control; we work in expectation of what nature gives us.”
“The garden and the climate decide what’s served at the table”
Her approach is grounded in respect for the environment and the reduction of waste: “Working with food is a huge responsibility. We want to reinforce the positive things we try to spread today: care, discipline and awareness.”
For Diana, being part of The Best Chef is more an opportunity than an award: “It’s a beautiful way to communicate and speak about Mendoza. Having our province on the global map is an enormous honor.”
The future, she says, lies in nurturing the team and caring for relationships: “We want everyone to be able to work at what they love, explore their potential and keep generating impact through the product and responsibility.”
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Josefina Diana is one of the most refined and sensitive figures in Mendoza’s current gastronomic scene. Leading Angélica Cocina Maestra, one of the province’s Michelin Red Star restaurants, her cooking celebrates local products with subtlety and depth, exploring textures and contrasts without losing the warmth of a handcrafted gesture. With a careful aesthetic and a unique style, Josefina represents a generation of chefs who understand gastronomy as a cultural language and a way of narrating a territory through the senses.
Iván Azar: The revolution of origin
Executive chef of Casa Vigil, Iván Azar brings his perspective to the new gastronomic landscape. His cooking blends technique, sensitivity and a territorial narrative that sets him apart.
“What’s most interesting today is telling a story,” he says. “Every dish has to speak about who we are, where we come from and how we live here. Flavor matters, but so does the identity behind every product and producer.”
“Every dish has to speak about who we are, where we come from and how we live here”
Azar understands Mendoza’s gastronomy as a living landscape. “Thinking of Mendoza as a territory — not just as a gastronomic destination — makes us more honest. It’s letting the place speak through the dish. Just as Vigil bottles landscapes, we plate them.”
For him, international recognition is a shared joy: “It’s an enormous honor, but more than a personal award, it’s recognition of the work we do from Mendoza, far from the major gastronomic hubs.”
He adds: “For years, the conversation was all about wine; now it’s also about cuisine, products and enogastronomy. This award is pride for all of us.”
Cooking as an act of thought
In times when gastronomy accelerates, The Best Chef reminds us that the essential is still the encounter. Feijoo, Diana and Azar don’t just cook — they think, feel and reinterpret what it means to do so from Mendoza, among vineyards, mountains and community.
Because, in the end, recognitions serve more as mirrors than as goals: they reflect how a generation chooses to inhabit its craft. And in that choice, Mendoza leaves its mark once again.