Other
Flavia Amad
Relais & Châteaux Grand Chef
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
The work at La Vida at Susana Balbo Unique Stays is built on regional reading: technique used as a tool for Mendoza, not apart from it. In Flavia Amad’s hands, fine dining, leadership, and regional cuisine sit in the same frame, with training and management carried through into a current, disciplined service language.
The Climb
Technique first comes into view through formal study and hotel service. At Escuela Internacional Islas Malvinas, Flavia Amad built the base noted in her profile, then entered hospitality staff at Hyatt Mendoza, Argentina, where service pace, precision, and attention to the room became part of the job. That foundation was followed by time as chef trainee / student at Le Cordon Bleu in Florida, United States, adding a stricter structure to the craft. The line work in New York, New York, United States broadened that base into different registers of kitchen labor. As cook at 5ninth and later as pastry chef at Minetta Tavern, Flavia Amad moved through roles that demanded consistency, discipline, and control. The progression reads as accumulation rather than abrupt ascent: each kitchen widened the technical range available to her later work in leadership and menu direction. Management changed the scale of the work. As director at Gastronomic company founded with Jesús in Mendoza, Argentina, and later as General Manager at Gastronomic company founded with Jesús in Mendoza, Argentina, Flavia Amad shifted from producing dishes to shaping the systems around them. In hospitality, that means holding standards across teams, timing, and experience; the trajectory from kitchen roles into management shows that move clearly. Her current responsibilities bring those strands together across several posts. As Executive Chef, food & Beverage Manager, and chef responsible for fine dining restaurant La Vida of Susana Balbo Unique Stays, as Executive Chef of Osadía de Crear Restaurant at Susana Balbo, and as co-leader of Al Mando, Flavia Amad works across the plate and the program behind it. The scope is broad, but the throughline is consistent: food, service, and operations treated as one field.
Today
At Susana Balbo Unique Stays in Mendoza, Flavia Amad’s work stays centered on La Vida and on the larger dining program she helps run as Executive Chef and Food & Beverage Manager. She is also the chef responsible for the fine dining restaurant La Vida. Her current practice includes reworking traditional recipes and applying new techniques, with regional cuisine serving as the base rather than the limit. That balance of tradition and experiment defines the present tense of the work. In Mendoza, Flavia Amad keeps the regional frame intact while pushing at its edges through technique, precision, and contemporary execution. The result is a style that stays legible to the place it comes from while remaining open to change.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Flavia
What is Flavia Amad's current role?
As of 2026, Flavia Amad is chef responsible for fine dining restaurant La Vida.
Where did Flavia Amad train or study?
Flavia Amad trained at Escuela Internacional Islas Malvinas.
What recognition has Flavia Amad received?
First Michelin star.
