Español
Mexican gastronomy is a cultural phenomenon of enormous complexity: it is not only a culinary tradition with flavors recognized throughout the world, but also a comprehensive cultural model that articulates knowledge, practices, territories, and collective identities. Within this cultural framework, women have historically played a central role as guardians, transmitters, and active agents of Mexican gastronomic traditions, allowing these practices to survive, adapt, and transform over time.
Various studies have shown that the figure of the “traditional cook”—women who preserve and recreate community culinary practices—is key to understanding how Mexican cuisine has been constructed as cultural heritage. In the context of the recognition of traditional Mexican cuisine as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, research indicates that these women do not simply reproduce recipes, but embody the cultural dynamics of food heritage, local identity, and culinary policies in the country, acting as emblematic social figures both in the heritagization of knowledge and in cultural gastronomic tourism.
From a sociocultural perspective, the kitchen space has been identified as a place where gender, identity, and resistance intersect. One of these studies argues that, despite social changes and modernization, traditional cooking continues to be a site of cultural resistance, where women transmit and maintain culinary practices as an essential part of community and family life, helping strengthen social relationships and preserve cultural identities.
Furthermore, more recent research has pointed to the role of Indigenous women in the preservation of gastronomic heritage, showing how dynamics such as globalization, urbanization, and socioeconomic changes impact both the transmission of knowledge and the community structures that traditionally sustained this knowledge. These studies emphasize that although women have been pillars in the cultural transmission of cuisine, contemporary conditions may put the continuity of these practices at risk if they are not addressed in a sustainable and equitable manner.
The importance of women in gastronomy is also reflected in the visibility of contemporary female figures who have transformed the traditional culinary narrative and projected it onto global stages. Indigenous cooks, chefs, and academics have helped dignify and highlight culinary knowledge that originates in historically marginalized communities, as well as expand the understanding of Mexican cuisine beyond the domestic sphere into academic and professional fields. These contributions show how women’s work in the kitchen goes far beyond the everyday: it constitutes an exercise of identity, memory, and cultural meaning that has contributed to Mexican gastronomy being recognized as a living heritage.
In this sense, celebrating International Women’s Day through gastronomy means recognizing that Mexican cuisine does not exist outside its historical and social context. Behind every recipe, every technique, and every ingredient are stories of women who fought to preserve traditional methods, who shared knowledge within family and community spaces, and who actively contributed to keeping Mexican culinary traditions alive in the 21st century.
At 10 Experiences Tour, in Cozumel, we honor that legacy of women who have been pillars of Mexican gastronomy. Our multisensory gastronomic experience is a tribute to the culinary knowledge passed down through generations of women: we recognize the history behind every dish, every ancestral technique, and every ingredient that forms part of Mexico’s cultural narrative.
Through a carefully curated ten-course menu, we combine traditional flavors with visual and sensory storytelling that connects diners with the cultural and symbolic richness of Mexican cuisine. It is not just a dinner: it is an invitation to recognize, feel, and celebrate the historical work of the women who have made it possible for Mexico to be recognized worldwide for its gastronomy.
Likewise, the recognition of female talent in gastronomy is also reflected in contemporary fine dining. Increasingly, women have positioned themselves on the international stage, obtaining some of the most prestigious culinary recognitions in the world, such as Michelin stars. Among them stands out Karime López, who became the first Mexican woman to receive a Michelin star for her work as chef at the restaurant Gucci Osteria in Florence, Italy.
Also notable is Elena Reygadas, whose restaurant Rosetta in Mexico City has been awarded a Michelin star and who was also named The World’s Best Female Chef in 2023, consolidating her as one of the most influential figures in contemporary Mexican gastronomy.
Another remarkable figure is Thalía Barrios García, a young Oaxacan chef who obtained a Michelin star in 2024 with her restaurant Levadura de Olla, where she promotes traditional Oaxacan cuisine inspired by the recipes and techniques passed down by the women in her family.
These chefs represent how female leadership continues to transform contemporary gastronomy, connecting tradition, innovation, and international recognition while keeping the cultural legacy of Mexican cuisine alive.
References.
- Hryciuk, R. E. (2019). La Alquimista de los Sabores: Gastronomic heritage, gender, and the tourist imaginary in Mexico.Revista del CESLA, (24), 75–100.
- Matta, R. (2019). Mexico’s ethnic culinary heritage and cocineras tradicionales (traditional female cooks). Food and Foodways, 27(1), 211–231.
- Christie, M. E. (2002). Naturaleza y sociedad desde la perspectiva de la cocina tradicional mexicana: género, adaptación y resistencia. Journal of Latin American Geography, 1, 21–54.
- Patrimonio gastronómico y mujeres otomíes en el Estado de México, México: un problema de roles de género. (2020). Ciencia y Sociedad, 45(3), 85–96.
- Gironella De’Angeli, A. (n.d.). Alicia Gironella De’Angeli. Wikipedia.
- UNESCO. (2025). Traditional Mexican Cuisine: a living heritage for the societies and the planet’s wellbeing.
