Giovanna Huyke


Giovanna Huyke-Souffront, known as Giovanna Huyke and "Chef Giovanna", is a Puerto Rican celebrity chef and an international culinary leader often referred to as the “Julia Child of Puerto Rico".

Biography

Huyke was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico on 21 December 1956. Her mother is Alice Huyke, a celebrated cooking teacher in Puerto Rico for over 30 years, and Hector Huyke-Colon, a civil engineer and architect in Puerto Rico. Huyke began her career in theater, obtaining a bachelor's degree in Dramatic Arts at Tulane University. While in New Orleans, she worked in Paul Prudehomme’s Louisiana Kitchen and as an assistant to Lee Barnes, and then moved on to New York City to work with renowned chef Felipe Rojas Lombardi. Huyke then returned to Puerto Rico and worked at the Caribe Hilton for one year, after which she founded Amadeus in San Juan, where she pioneered “nouvelle criollo”, which consists of native ingredients and recipes with classic techniques. She was also the chef at Ali-Oli, founded by one of her mentors, Alfredo Ayala. Huyke founded the restaurants Don Juan in the El San Juan Hotel and Giovanna's Café.

Career

Over the later part of her 40+ year cooking history, Giovanna Huyke has been credited with leading a transformation of Puerto Rican cuisine in two main areas: i) by emphasizing local ingredients along with traditional cooking methods and ii) by constructing lighter and healthier Puerto Rican dishes, without sacrificing traditional Puerto Rican flavor.
Huyke recently competed in Food Network's TV show "Beat Bobby Flay. She has also been featured on Good Morning America, Pierre Franney’s Cooking in America, AARP VIVA, Burt Wolf's Travels and Traditions, and Univision’s Despierta. Her work has been published in The New York Times, Bon Appetit, Food and Wine, Shape en Español, Vanidades and Cristina. She has additionally published six cookbooks and 20 recipe booklets showcasing her culinary creations.
Huyke is currently serving as a global culinary ambassador for Puerto Rican cooking by consulting for various restaurant projects, serving as menu-designer and composer, speaking at various cooking events, and serving as judge at various Puerto Rican culinary events, including Saborea 2016. She was most recently the Executive Chef at Mio Restaurant in Washington, DC, which has been called the “Embassy of Latin America in DC” by Washingtonian Magazine. Huyke was critiqued by Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema, calling one of her specialties a “last meal request” and leading Mio to be listed in the Washington Post “Top Forty Fall Dining Guide” restaurant list and the Washingtonian Magazine's “Top 100 Restaurants”.

Awards / Accomplishments

Giovanna Huyke's TV shows have included: