Iliana De la Vega
Executive Chef, Owner
Mexican Culinary Traditions
Biography
ILIANA DE LA VEGA is a Mexican-born chef, author, and restaurateur who has been studying
Mexican cuisine and culture for more than 25 years. Her culinary passion is chiles, from
supporting small producers to teaching the culinary techniques that bring the fabulous flavors of chiles to a wide variety of dishes. From 2008 to 2012 Iliana served as the Mexican/Latin
Cuisines Specialist for The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) campus in San Antonio, TX. She
conducted researched, developed curricula, and taught undergraduate and continuing
education courses on Mexican and other Latin cuisines. Before joining the CIA, Iliana won
worldwide acclaim for her reinterpretation of Oaxacan cuisine at her restaurant El Naranjo in
Oaxaca, Mexico, a restaurant she ran with her husband, Chilean chef Ernesto Torrealba. In May
2012 Chefs de la Vega and Torrealba opened El Naranjo Restaurant in Austin. In less than six
months El Naranjo became known as one of the top restaurants in Austin. Before opening their
bricks and mortar restaurant, Iliana and Ernesto ran El Naranjo Mobile and Catering, a
successful food trailer. The press called it “the only real Mexican restaurant in Texas.” A native
of Mexico City, Iliana is one of 10 founding members of the CIA’s Latin Cuisines Advisory
Council, a group that has grown to now include 60 members in 12 Latin countries. (Austin, TX)