i. Biography
“My mission with Boba is to showcase what we're capable of doing here in Puerto Rico.” For Carol Reyes, Executive Chef of Bóveda Restaurante in San Juan, Puerto Rico, that sentence sets a clear horizon: the work points back to place, to ingredients, and to the people who grow and produce them. The origin is even closer to home, in her maternal grandmother's cherished recipes, the first inheritance behind a career built through study, hotel kitchens, and Puerto Rican dining rooms.
Coming Up
Carol Reyes trained at Universidad del Este and Culinary Institute of America.
Where They Are Now
Reyes is Executive Chef at Bóveda Restaurante in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In that role, her work gathers the personal and professional strands that shaped her: a grandmother's recipes, formal culinary study, Puerto Rican restaurant experience, and a stated commitment to local ingredients. Her own description of the project is concise: “Boba is a space where the classic and the modern comes together.” That idea gives her cooking a particular tension. The classic is not treated as a museum piece, and the modern is not treated as escape; each becomes a way to read the other. What makes her position especially clear is the way she speaks about capability. The emphasis is not only on what one chef can do, but on what can be shown from Puerto Rico, through Puerto Rican products and producers, by a kitchen working from San Juan rather than looking away from it.
Signature
Carol's signature dishes include branzino, local tomato salad, and koshino.
In Their Words “Although my cooking is not traditionally Puerto Rican, I always try to incorporate local ingredients on my menu and support local farmers and producers.” “My mission with Boba is to showcase what we're capable of doing here in Puerto Rico.”
Honors
The dated milestones in her career are educational: Universidad del Este in 2001 and the Culinary Institute of America in 2006, followed by leadership roles in Puerto Rico, including Chef de Cuisine at 1919 Restaurant and Executive Chef at Bóveda Restaurante.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Carol
What is Carol Reyes's current role?
As of 2026, Carol Reyes is Executive Chef.
Where did Carol Reyes train or study?
Carol Reyes trained at Universidad del Este and Culinary Institute of America.
