Chicago is now home to another world-renowned chef! Chef Carolina Diaz from Terzo Piano {The Art Institute of Chicago, 159 East Monroe Street, Chicago; 312.443.8650} was recently named the champion of the Barilla World Pasta Masters Challenge by the popular pasta brand.
This past October, Diaz traveled to Milan, Italy, and competed against 17 other young chefs from all over the world at the La Pelota venue. Diaz prepared a reinvented Spaghetti al Pomodoro that she titled “Tuna Hideout.” She created this truly unique dish from Mezze Maniche Rigate with tuna and roasted red peppers, winning over a jury that included four Michelin star-winners.
She used every part of three different types of cherry tomatoes to make a sustainable and waste-free dish (including the stems!)
After presenting this dish in the final round against runner-up Toby Wang from China, Diaz was named Master Of Pasta, becoming the first ever female winner! Diaz demonstrated her appreciation of art in the culinary world with her beautiful presentation and her undeniable ability to balance flavors by “putting my heart in the plate.”
Chef Diaz stated, “I’m honored to be the first woman to win the Master of Pasta title. Women are taking over and it’s time that our work gets recognized around the world.”
Chef Diaz is a Windy City native, growing up in a large Mexican family outside of Chicago. She first learned about the culinary world of flavors from her father’s cooking. After a few years working as a line cook, Carolina began to explore Italian cuisine when she joined the Terzo Piano team at the Art Institute of Chicago in 2016 as chef di cucina. Carolina focuses on using local, organic, and sustainable products to cook delicious Mediterranean plates with a personal twist.
By Kaleigh Glaza | Online Editor
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