As executive head chef of Gustu, Kamilla Seidler was tasked with launching a Bolivian food movement on par with the new Nordic food movement, to emphasize the value of local products by showcase their creative culinary potential. She works with local communities in Bolivia to source indigenous ingredients and form young cooks to prepare them. She was named Latin America’s Best Female Chef in 2016, while Gustu has twice been named best restaurant in Bolivia and regularly appears in international media as an essential dining destination in Latin America.

Kamilla Seidler was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and trained in important kitchens in Europe, such as Manoir Aux 'Quat Saisons, Paustian, Geist and Mugaritz. She has lived in La Paz since 2012, where she has a strong commitment to Bolivia and its native products, and a deep respect for the work of hundreds of Bolivian producers. Seidler is the executive head chef at Gustu, a restaurant that works exclusively with products planted, grown, born, raised, and processed in Bolivia. Gustu was voted Best Restaurant in South America by Como Sur Magazine in 2013 and 2014, and in 2016 Seidler was recognized as Latin America´s Best Female Chef.

Her approach
Since Bolivia is a mega-diverse country, it gives us plenty of opportunity to showcase exceptional products and often many unknown products. It was a must from the beginning to support local production and therefore we decided to become 100 percent local. Furthermore, having a restaurant in a developing country makes you understand the needs that other people might have and you become more understanding in terms of what a small family producer can deliver and not demand more than what’s reasonable and then work with that.: Your best tip to make vegetables sexy?
I think vegetables are most interesting when we still know what it is and the taste isn’t too covered up by a million other things. I like to keep few ingredients on a dish so that it tastes of what it is and that a big piece of meat isn’t necessarily the main character. There are so many more textures to be found with vegetables and each product can be manipulated in many more ways.: Where do you look for inspiration?
Pretty much everywhere. A market, a dinner in a restaurant, street food stands, and home-cooked meals. Anywhere where time and love have gone into a preparation, there is always inspiration to find.