Randy Siles

Randy Siles Leandro (born 14 December 1980) is the first Chef-Ambassador from Costa Rica's National Sustainable & Healthy Gastronomy Plan, and is a celebrity chef and restaurateur, businessman, speaker, instructor, mentor and humanitarian. Randy's gastronomy is focused on study, research and conservation of ingredients and ancestral techniques within Costa Rican culinary traditions and on rediscovering products that have fallen into disuse.

The goal in each creation is to maintain the essence of the raw material and underscore the identity of the local culinary style. His culinary philosophy is based around innovative cooking with an eminently Costa Rican touch and the concept of 'Locally-Sourced' cooking. Experience, creativity, feelings, imagination and passion are fused with ingredients, flavours, nuances, textures and aromas to create a storytelling masterpiece in each dish, something Randy calls 'Signatory Cuisine'.

Randy is the creator and owner of the 'OS' Restaurant in Santa Teresa de Cóbano. Blazing a trail in Costa Rica, 'OS' is notable for being the first restaurant to open that upholds the National Sustainable & Healthy Gastronomy Plan philosophy. Randy is co-founder of 'Autóktono', a digital platform which aims to empower cooks to transform communities through sustainable and healthy gastronomy, with the goal being to develop sustainable community food systems. Randy is the founder of the 'Academia Artesanos de la Gastronomia', a not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to identify, train, develop and facilitate the entry of youngsters with limited resources and economic possibilities into the workplace (in the culinary/hotel sector).

Randy Siles has been the recipient of numerous awards and recognition, including being made a member of Disciples d’Escoffier International in France; made a member of l'International Club Internacional Les Toques Blanches in France, becoming the first South American chef to receive this prestigious recognition, being named among the "most creative in Central America" in 2017 and 2018 by the Forbes-Central America magazine and among the "50 best chefs in the world" at the Miami Food and Wine Festival 2017, alongside the renowned chef Massimo Bottura and legendary "Iron Japanese Chef" Masaharu Morimoto.

In addition, Randy Siles is the Costa Rican Ambassador for the prestigious Cook & Chef Foundation, comprising members of haute cuisine from around the world and BERGNER. They have come together to share strategic thoughts on cooking and technological innovation in cooking utensils.