Juan Manuel Rodriguez

Juan Manuel Barrientos is the creator and founder of one of the most innovative and influential restaurants in Latin American; “Elcielo.”

The chef was born in Medellin, Colombia and studied gastronomy in the University of “La Colegiatura Colombiana.” In 2004 he moved to Argentina and embarked on an apprenticeship under the Japanese master Iwao Komiyama with the intention to learn all the techniques and secrets in Asian gastronomy.

A year later he worked at the famous Restaurant Arzak in San Sebastian, Spain where he was introduced to Basque and modern cuisine.

Barrientos made back-to-back appearances on San Pellegrino's "50 Best Restaurants in Latin America" list in 2013 and 2014. Additionally he was recently recognized by the Colombian government as a “Young Leader of Peace” and awarded with the “Revelation Chef Award” by Madrid Fusion.

In 2010 he was chosen among 200 young leaders as the only Latino to attend the Global Non Killing Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.

He took his cuisine to areas of major conflict in Colombia and offered his culinary experience to wounded soldiers and young guerrilla members with the purpose of creating a process of forgiveness and reconciliation.

The creative chef revolutionized traditional Colombian cuisine by combining his innovative cooking practices and his passion for the connection between neuroscience and gastronomy.

Juan Manuel is certainly one of the greatest talents in the culinary industry of Latin America; he keeps expanding his knowledge in the areas of nouvelle cuisine, business and humanitarian service. His restaurants are located in Colombia in the cities of Medellin and Bogota, and he recently embarked on a new exciting journey by opening Elcielo in Miami, Florida.