USA
Speaker
Victoria Blamey
Chef at Mena (New York, USA)
Although she was a late arrival to the world of gastronomy, passion and commitment have made her one of the world's leading chefs.
Her first contact with cookery was at an early age, around 7 or 8, in a cook book her mother bought her. She was not a keen eater, but what she did enjoy was looking on as her aunts cooked. One day she decided that she would cook like them.
She dropped out of her course on the history of art, and focused on gastronomy. She then travelled to London, where she worked with Gordon Ramsay, and subsequently at The Vineyard (Stockcross), where she was apprised of the discipline and hard work involved in cookery. From the United Kingdom she travelled to Australia (Interlude, in Melbourne), and then to Spain to work alongside Aduriz in Mugaritz.
In 2010 she embarked upon a round of stints at the most exciting top-notch modern restaurants in the United States, working with some of its leading visionary chefs such as Paul Liebrandt in Corton and Matt Lightner in Atera.
Blamey has also created pop-up restaurants and experiences with popular chefs and restaurants in New York and Chile.
