Karime López has become the first female Mexican chef to earn a coveted Michelin star. López, 36, is the executive chef at the Gucci Osteria in Florence, Italy.
According an Instagram post from the restaurant, López’s menu “defies the traditional perception of Italian cuisine, creating a playful vision of classic dishes.” Noted Italian restaurateur Massimo Bottura opened Gucci Osteria in January 2018 at the Gucci Garden inside the Palazzo della Mercanzia, which formerly housed the Gucci Museo.
López previously worked in Mexico City with Enrique Olvera of Pujol, ranked 12th in this year’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants listing. She is married to Takahiko Kondo, the Japanese chef at Bottura’s three-Michelin starred Osteria Francescana in Modena, which has consistently ranked in the top five of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants listing since 2010. They met while working together at Central in Lima, Peru, rated the Best Restaurant in Latin America for the past three years.
Five currently working male Mexican chefs have Michelin stars: Indra Carrillo (chef at La Condesa, Paris), Paco Méndez (Hoja Santa, Barcelona), Cosme Aguilar (Casa Enrique, New York), Roberto Ruíz (Punto MX, Madrid) and Carlos Gaytán (Mexique, Chicago – now closed).