Kamilla Seidler is a Danish chef who became one of the most admired figures in Latin American gastronomy – the woman who led the celebrated restaurant Gustu in La Paz, Bolivia, and was named Latin America’s Best Female Chef in 2016. Trained in Europe’s finest kitchens and inspired by the New Nordic movement, she used food as a tool for development, building a restaurant that showcased Bolivian ingredients and trained local talent from the ground up.
Warm, driven and socially engaged, Seidler has become known not only for her cooking but for her advocacy of equality in the restaurant world and her belief that gastronomy can create opportunity. Her nickname, “Dane of the Andes”, captures a career that has bridged two very different food cultures.
TL;DR
- Danish chef, born in 1983 in Copenhagen
- Trained at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons and Mugaritz
- Head chef of Gustu in La Paz, Bolivia, a project connected to Claus Meyer
- Named Latin America’s Best Female Chef in 2016
- An advocate for equality and social impact in gastronomy
Kamilla Seidler key facts
| Born | 1983, Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Nationality | Danish |
| Known for | Gustu, La Paz, Bolivia |
| Major honour | Latin America’s Best Female Chef, 2016 |
| Trained at | Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons; Mugaritz |
From Copenhagen to Europe’s great kitchens
Kamilla Seidler was born in Copenhagen in 1983, the oldest of eight siblings, and began working in restaurants at fifteen. At twenty-one she trained at the Copenhagen Hospitality College, and after graduating she built her craft in some of Europe’s most respected kitchens, including Raymond Blanc’s Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in England and Andoni Luis Aduriz’s avant-garde Mugaritz in the Basque Country. This grounding in world-class technique and creativity would prove essential to the challenge that lay ahead.
Gustu and a new Bolivian cuisine
Seidler’s career changed course when she was invited to cook for Claus Meyer, the Danish co-founder of Noma, who was developing a food and social project in Bolivia. Impressed by her dishes, he offered her the role of head chef, and a few months later she and her partner Michelangelo Cestari travelled to La Paz to lead the new restaurant, Gustu. There she helped create what she has described as a new Bolivian cuisine – built entirely on local ingredients and, like the early New Nordic movement, focused on rediscovering and elevating a country’s own produce and traditions.
Recognition and social impact
Under Seidler, Gustu became one of the most celebrated restaurants in South America, and in 2016 she was named Latin America’s Best Female Chef by the World’s 50 Best organisation – earning her the affectionate nickname “Dane of the Andes”. Just as important as the accolades was the restaurant’s mission: Gustu trained young Bolivians, many from disadvantaged backgrounds, giving them skills and opportunities and using gastronomy as an engine for social development. That model of food-as-empowerment has remained central to Seidler’s work.
Beyond Gustu
After her years in Bolivia, Seidler returned to Europe and continued to build a varied career – cooking, consulting and speaking – while becoming a prominent voice for equality and better working conditions in the restaurant industry. She has used her platform to push for a more inclusive, humane and sustainable gastronomy, extending the sense of purpose that defined her time at Gustu.
Signature style
Seidler’s cooking combines the technical precision of her European training with a deep respect for local ingredients and cultures. Whether working with Bolivian or Nordic produce, she builds refined dishes that celebrate a place and its people, and she treats the kitchen as much as a school and a community as a stage for fine dining.
Kamilla Seidler in context
Seidler’s Gustu grew out of the vision of Claus Meyer, and her training connects her to chefs featured on Pickup Table 4 such as Andoni Luis Aduriz of Mugaritz.
Follow Kamilla Seidler
Kamilla Seidler – official site
Kamilla Seidler FAQ
Who is Kamilla Seidler?
A Danish chef best known for leading the restaurant Gustu in La Paz, Bolivia.
What award did she win?
Latin America’s Best Female Chef in 2016.
What is Gustu?
A La Paz restaurant, connected to Claus Meyer, built on Bolivian ingredients and training local talent.
Where did she train?
At Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons and Mugaritz, among others.
Where is she from?
She was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1983.
