Chef of the Week: Chef Sebastián Vargas of Los Félix, Miami

1. Your life journey from Colombia to India (New Delhi markets) to France (classical training) and then to working at famed kitchens like Fäviken and Osteria Francescana is incredibly varied. How did these vastly different cultural and culinary experiences ultimately converge into the style of food you serve today in Miami?

As I look back at the reasons why I went to all of these places, they were very much a reflection of where I was in my life at that moment. I have never worked in a restaurant because it had three Michelin stars or because it was in the Top 50. From a very young age, my philosophy was always: what is it about this experience that I truly want to acquire? Or what mentality or skills are these restaurants known for that I want to absorb?

Ultimately, it all comes down to who I am as a person first and then as a cook. My cuisine isn’t a reflection of one specific experience or one particular restaurant, but rather the sum of my philosophy, the things I’ve loved, and the experiences I actively chose to pursue.

For example, when I went to Osteria Francescana, I was deeply drawn to art, poetry, and culture. I fell in love with the lifestyle and message of Chef Massimo Bottura: his passion for art, his deep connection to culture, and the way he represents his country through food. I wanted to understand how he thinks, how he speaks, what music he listens to. For me, it wasn’t about achieving a culinary milestone, but about developing a life skill.

2. You’ve mentioned that the vibrant markets of New Delhi first sparked your passion for cooking. Can you recall a specific scent, flavor, or moment from those markets that you still try to recapture or honor in your cooking now?

Getting out of school every day was exciting because it meant heading to the market with my friends. We loved sitting with the chaiwallah on the street, talking about life and listening to his stories as he brewed tea. We would watch him mix his own personal blend of spices and it was always different from the chaiwallah right next to him.

I truly believe everyone should visit Old Delhi at least once in their lives and experience its vibrancy: the smells, flavors, colors, and chaos all blending together. The spices I saw and smelled there are still a part of my cooking today. If you taste my food, you won’t necessarily find direct references to Indian cuisine, but you’ll feel it in the way spices are layered, balanced, and integrated into each dish. That influence has stayed with me since my time in India.

3. You studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris but famously left after just two weeks. What made you walk away from such a prestigious institution, and do you think formal culinary schools are still worthwhile for aspiring chefs today?

Not to take anything away from the prestige of those institutions, but for me the experience was about realizing just how powerful food and culture really are. I had just come from India, a place open to countless cultures, languages, flavors, ideas, and religions. To then enter an environment where the “French way” was presented as the only way felt jarring.

[Entering] an environment where the “French way” was presented as the only way felt jarring.

Food is a revolution. It’s bigger than any single tradition or technique. Food belongs to everyone, and as cooks, we are simply bridges between cultures and flavors. At that age, I wasn’t ready to commit to learning from only one person or one perspective. So I packed a backpack, took a bicycle, and cycled across Europe on my own.

That idea also led us to the name of the restaurant. Los Félix is named after María Félix, the iconic Mexican actress, singer, and rebel of the 1950s, known for her strong feminist views. That spirit and energy are what we wanted Los Félix to embody and it is reflected directly in our flavors and in the way we work with corn in our dishes.

5. Is there one specific dish at Los Félix that you feel best captures the restaurant’s entire philosophy and story? What is it, and why?

Our arepa with crab and two sauces best captures the philosophy of Los Félix. It is made with a special type of corn from Marysville, Ohio, grown from heirloom seeds originally cultivated in the Appalachians. This is the same corn the Italians later adapted into what became polenta.

The arepa is rich and full of flavor, with a nutty, cheesy character, and is topped with grilled wild-caught crab. It is served with two sauces: one made from smoked corn and another darker sauce infused with plantain leaves. The arepas are cooked over an open fire on banana leaves, which lend a deep smokiness to the dish and are later transformed into a sauce themselves.

6. You helm two lauded restaurants—Los Félix (Meso-American cuisine and maíz focused) and Krüs Kitchen (seasonal, fire-cooked, European nod). How do you separate your headspace and creative energy to run two distinct, yet geographically linked, concepts?

I ask myself that sometimes too. We also have three other projects that not many people know about, with two more on the way. What makes it possible is being surrounded by great people. I strongly believe in empowering the team around me, because my ideas will never be greater than the collective ideas of everyone involved.

Trusting people and giving them space to grow is essential, as it is in any profession. The sum of different ideas and points of view will always be stronger than any single vision.

7. You work closely with small producers and local farms. Is there one ingredient that excites you right now or that you feel especially connected to?

I work with a farmer in Homestead, Miami, called Tiny Farm, who has spent the past few years building a food forest filled with different varieties of citrus and fruit. Walking through those gardens, surrounded by kumquats, finger limes, and key limes, is always inspiring. True, high-quality key limes are rarer than many people realize, and when you find them, they’re incredibly juicy and vibrant.

I see this approach as the present and the future of agriculture. It’s about understanding our needs alongside nature’s and designing an ecosystem that supports both. Agriculture is an ecosystem, and truly understanding it is essential to creating exciting ingredients and meaningful flavors.

That approach is what matters most to me and what I’m most proud of. When we seek out producers who don’t just grow vegetables or raise animals, but who also ensure they are part of sustainable, interconnected ecosystems, the impact goes far beyond labels. I truly believe this has a far greater effect on people’s quality of life than simply being able to say, “I buy organic ingredients.”

9. The commitment to sourcing fish over 25 pounds to support population sustainability is very specific. How does this kind of inflexible sourcing requirement affect the day-to-day operation and menu flexibility at Los Félix?

The good news is that this approach doesn’t complicate our day-to-day operations; it actually enhances them. It gives us a clear message and a story to share, and people genuinely care about knowing where their food comes from. That’s something every cook and restaurant should be thinking about.

For example, we’re very intentional about why certain fish appear on our menu. With branzino, where roughly 90 percent of what’s available is farm-raised, it’s important to understand how those farms operate and what their environmental impact looks like. This way of thinking becomes a mindset and a way of continuing the story behind the food. It’s encouraging to see that our practices can push fishermen to improve their methods in ways that support both their businesses and the broader ecosystem.

My message to young cooks and young professionals is simple: put down your phone, start buying cookbooks, and reconnect with the art of reading, working, practicing your knife skills, and building discipline. Don’t be surprised if you’re tired, emotionally drained, or physically sore, or if you cut yourself or your feet hurt. All of that is part of the process, and it’s shaping you for what’s to come.

This profession is one of the most beautiful things that exists. While so many jobs are being replaced or reshaped by technology, cooking will always remain deeply human. No technology will ever replace the act of bringing people together at a table and feeding them. But to do that well, you have to be willing to put in the grind and the hours.

11. You were born in Colombia and have spoken proudly about your heritage. How does that background influence your cooking — and would you ever consider opening a restaurant dedicated to traditional Colombian cuisine? Do you think it can have a place in fine dining?

I’ve never really considered that. Colombian cuisine isn’t a single thing. Colombia is an incredibly rich and diverse country, and every hundred kilometers you’ll encounter a different cuisine shaped by its own climate and terrain. To create a restaurant that truly represents Colombian cuisine would be a life’s work.

At this point in my life, I love what I’m doing. I continue to open concepts that are approachable, fun, and delicious, and I think that’s what we need. We need to enjoy ourselves, eat well, and feel special while doing it.