The Talents
Discover the Autentico talents that make our festival truly special!
We are proud to present an incredible lineup of chefs, each bringing their unique flavors and expertise to our multicultural culinary festival.
These culinary artists hail from diverse backgrounds, offering a world of tastes and culinary traditions.
International Talents
We are excited to welcome international guest chefs to our culinary festival.
International Talents
Alvaro Clavijo
Renowned Colombian chef Alvaro Clavijo, from El Chato restaurant, which ranked 25th in The World's 50 Best Restaurants list will be collaborating with one of Aruba's local restaurants during the Autentico Culinary festival. In addition to this collaboration, he will be at the conference and workshop for students on Friday, October 11, and will be a judge for the Iron Chef to be held on October 13.
Martin Riese
Martin Riese is a certified Water Sommelier on behalf of the German Mineral Water Trade Association and author of Die Welt des Wassers (World of Water), which is considered the leading book on water in Europe. As seen in Netflix’s Down To Earth with Zac Efron, Martin has traveled all over the world, sharing his expertise and love for water with locals, thought leaders and officials alike.
Kate Gerwin
Kate Gerwin is a master bartender and sommelier and TV personality, who was a recent finalist on competition series “Drinkmasters” and featured on Paramount’s docuseries Bar Rescue. In her more-than-20-year career, Gerwin has been named one of the industry's "Top 100 Most Influential Figures in the World," by Drinks International and was both the first woman and first American to win the Bols Around the World global bartending competition. Kate will be heading to One happy island to team up with certified Water Sommelier, Martin Riese on the ultimate cocktail and watertasting experience. In addition, Kate will be a judge for the Bartender’s Brawl competition held on October 12.
Diego Telles
Chef Diego Telles is the visionary chef behind Flor de Lis, one of Guatemala’s most celebrated restaurants. Chef Telles is renowned for his innovative take on Central American cuisine, where each dish is a harmonious blend of traditional flavors and modern techniques. Flor de Lis restaurant in Guatemala is #51 on the 100 best restaurants in Latin America from the “World’s 50 Best” list in 2022.
Antonia Lofaso
Antonia Lofaso is a Chef, TV personality, restauranteur, and cookbook author based in Los Angeles, where she runs celebrated restaurants such as Scopa Italian Roots, Black Market Liquor Bar and DAMA. Antonia has been featured on top TV shows including Bravo’s Top Chef, The Food Networks’ Cutthroat Kitchen, and CNBC’s Restaurant Startup and is the author of The Busy Mom’s Cookbook: 100 Recipes for Quick, Delicious, Home-cooked Meals. Antonia will be traveling to Aruba to team up with the culinary team at the Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort to create the ultimate tasting experience at the Autentico Pavilion on October 12 and 13, in addition to serving as a judge at the events Iron Chef on the 13th.
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