Hernán Zavaleta

The Place Cavas Wine Lodge sits in Alto Agrelo, Argentina, with Zavaleta working there as chef and serving as Executive Chef at Cavas Wine Lodge Relais & Châteaux in Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina. The geography matters to the plate: this is a kitchen defined by proximity to its garden and by the wines that frame the meal. Rather than treating the landscape as scenery, the cooking uses it as a working pantry. Organic products from the lodge’s own gardens become the basis for dishes intended to reflect Mendoza terroir, with a farm-to-table approach that keeps the ingredients close to their source. Previously, Zavaleta worked at Awasi Mendoza in Luján de Cuyo, Argentina. There, he also used a farm-to-table concept, valuing seasonal ingredients grown in the lodge’s own organic garden.

The Method The central gesture in Zavaleta’s kitchen is seasonal selection: ingredients grown on site, harvested from the organic garden, and brought into a cuisine that stays tied to local conditions. His cooking is not described through spectacle, but through the practical relationship between garden, harvest, and dish. That method gives structure to his specialty: local flavors paired with exceptional wines. In Mendoza, pairing is not an afterthought; it is part of how a plate finds its rhythm, with wine serving as a companion to the ingredients rather than a separate luxury. The farm-to-table idea appears across his work, from his previous role at Awasi Mendoza to his current kitchen at the lodge. In both settings, the emphasis remains on seasonality, organic garden produce, and a clear connection between place and menu.

The Range One signature expression of Zavaleta’s work is a seven-step tasting menu served at Cavas Wine Lodge Relais & Châteaux. Designed jointly with Gonzalo Aramburu, the menu is inspired by the surroundings, local products, and the contemporary perspective of both chefs. The format allows the kitchen to move through Mendoza ingredients in sequence, linking the estate’s garden produce with the wines that define the dining experience. Across that progression, Zavaleta’s range sits in the balance between locality and collaboration: a chef working from the soil under his feet, while shaping a menu with another contemporary Argentine voice.