Champion of Indigenous Mexican Ingredients
Jorge Vallejo
Quintonil, Mexico
2 Michelin Stars at Quintonil#3 World's 50 Best Restaurants 2025Estrella Damm Chefs' Choice Award 202298% of menu sourced from Mexico
Signature Dish:Avocado Tartare with Escamoles — charred avocado with ant larvae sautéed in brown butter, garlic, and epazote, served with quelites chips (Tasting Menu 5,900 MXN)
"The ingredients we were taught to be ashamed of are our greatest treasures. My job is to show the world their beauty."
— Jorge Vallejo
Biography
Born in Mexico City in 1981, Jorge Vallejo began working in kitchens at 16 and studied gastronomy at Centro Culinario Ambrosía. Training at Noma in Copenhagen expanded his perspective, and working at Pujol connected him with his future wife Alejandra Flores. In 2012, they opened Quintonil — named after a species of Mexican amaranth — in Polanco. Starting as a humble fonda, it evolved into one of the world's most acclaimed restaurants, celebrating ingredients like escamoles (ant larvae), quelites, and huauzontles that many considered "food of the poor."
Culinary Philosophy
Modern Mexican cuisine highlighting forgotten indigenous ingredients and heirloom vegetables