On June 23rd, Passalacqua opens its doors for an unmissable gastronomic event: a dinner created by Leonor Espinosa, one of the leading figures in contemporary South American cuisine, guest for one evening in the villa's kitchens.
The evening's menu will be a multisensory journey that weaves together ingredients, objects, landscapes, and memories to express the rhythms of nature and its regenerative power. Each dish is a reflection on what is born, transforms, and returns to the earth. A cuisine that celebrates biodiversity not only as a resource but as the living soul of the land.
Leonor Espinosa
Leonor Espinosa is one of the most influential figures in Colombian gastronomy, recognized for her dedication to highlighting her country's biodiversity and local ingredients.
Her restaurant, Leo, has been included numerous times in the prestigious lists of The World's 50 Best Restaurants and Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants. In 2017, she was awarded the Basque Culinary World Prize, a recognition that honors chefs whose transformative initiatives demonstrate how gastronomy can be a driver of social change. That same year, she was also named Best Female Chef in Latin America. In 2022, she received the title of World's Best Female Chef according to The World's 50 Best Restaurants. More recently, in 2024, she was awarded the Sferic Award, one of the most prestigious awards in gastronomy, which celebrates creations that transform cuisine through science and technology. In March 2025, she received the Terrae 2025 Award for her impact on social and rural gastronomy.
The friendship with Viviana Varese
The special dinner at Passalacqua on June 23rd is the result of the deep friendship between Espinosa and Viviana Varese, the villa’s chef, who share common values, vision, and a long-standing connection: a collaboration that began in Noto, Sicily, and continued in 2023 when Chef Varese was a guest at the Leo restaurant in Bogotá, bringing a touch of Italy to the heart of Colombia.
