I ​was born in Costa Rica in 1993. I spent most of my childhood surrounded by nature, playing with neighbors and picking fruits from the highest part of the trees. My mom and dad taught me the importance of eating well and having a healthy lifestyle.

I earned a bachelor's degree in gastronomy and a hospitality management diploma from Le Cordon Bleu, but I ​was never a fan of the conventional education system. So, just after finishing my university degree, I ventured to travel the world in search of experiences in high-level kitchens. I left home with a backpack full of knives, some clothes on my back and USD $200.

My first stop was Europe, where I started working for free in Michelin restaurants from Barcelona, Basque Country, Seville and Paris. After that, I felt a strong pull to reconnect with my Latin American roots, so I moved to Chile, then Argentina, where I mastered open fire cooking, primarily in Patagonia. Then Bolivia, Peru, where I volunteered on corn and quinoa farms in the Sacred Valley of the Inca; then Brazil... Somehow, after all that, I wound up back in Europe — this time in Sweden, where I interned at Fäviken. From there, I made my way to Norway, then Denmark, followed by Germany, Belgium and Holland.

My greatest influences have been chefs with whom I have worked who carry a philosophy of love throughout everything they do and create; these include Magnus Nilsen, Virgilio Martinez, Rodolfo Guzman, Rene Redzepi, Andoni Aduriz, Eneko Atxa, Andre Chiang and many more.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

All my life I have been a "stagiaire" and I am proud to say it. ("Staging" is an unpaid internship test when a cook works briefly, usually for free, in another chef's kitchen to learn and be exposed to new techniques and cuisines).

The best thing about doing internships is that you meet and work with a lot of amazing people with shared ideals and passions in a very competitive environment that takes you to the limit. My cook friends and I have a phrase that says: "Once a stagiaire, forever a stagiaire.” And so it is.

Interests

I l​ove to apply old fashioned ways to preserve food in my daily basics, such as pickling, fermenting and dehydrating. I also love using parts of products that few people ever consider using or that is considered waste, such as carrot stalks, cauliflower leaves and chayote root. My cooking style is very simple: I investigate and identifies with the environment around me, and then integrate wild elements into my dishes. my style is very minimalist, but with complex flavors.

What I enjoy most about my job is the possibility of cooking for incredible people. I love putting different dishes in the center of the table and letting my cooking style express where I come from and where we are in that moment. I like to see my work as the bridge that connects the ‘forgotten’ ingredients of the country with demanding palates from all over the world — especially for those who travel to Costa Rica to know its culture and biodiversity.”

• fashion
• business
• travel
• food
• lifestyle
• gastronomy
• picnics
• skating
• costa rica
• wild plants
• photoshooting
• open fire
• outdoor cooking
• edible mushrooms

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Jamiroquai, RHCP, Foo Fighters, Jack Johnson, Iron & Wine, Amy Winehouse, Bob Dylan, Jorge Drexler, Charly Garcia, Fito Paez, Luis Alberto Spinetta, Donavon Frankenreiter, The Doors, Erick Clapton, Los Cafres, Sublime Matt Costa, Manu Chao, Herbie Hancock, Incubus, Janis Joplin, Matisyahu, Muse, Natiruts, Oasis, Pearl Jam, Pinkfloyd, The Police, Ray Charles, Radiohead, Soja, Tool...

Movies/Docs/Series: Chef's Table, Breaking Bad, OITNB, HYMYM, The Shawshank Redemption, Interestellar, Inglourious Basterds, Inception, Django Unchained, Whiplash, Fight Club, The Silence of the Lambs, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Requiem for a Dream, Goodfellas, City of God, El Secreto de Sus Ojos, Relatos Salvajes, Red Dragon, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, Pulp Fiction , Scarface, The Godfather, Donnie Darko, Mr Nobody, Master of None, The Hundred-Foot Journey...

Books: The Kitchen Bible, The Devil In The Kitchen, Modernist Cuisine, The Soul of a Chef, Seven Fires, The Perfect Meal, Bitute, 24 Hours in the Kitchen, Cooking for geeks, Mastering the Art of French Cooking...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Travel from Patagonia, to Scandinavia with USD $200 in my pocket.

Teach, Learn, Share

Food is life <3

What I Can Share with Hosts

Recipes.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Peru, Spain, Sweden, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Spain, Sweden