Chef
Lis Hernandez
- Discipline
- Chef
Portrait of Lis Hernandez
i. Biography
Lis Hernandez is a Venezuelan chef-owner whose work at Arepa Mia in Atlanta has been shaped by Venezuelan cuisine’s home cooking, memory, and directness. Since founding and owning the restaurant in 2011, she has built a place around dishes and traditions that carry that background forward, while her work has also appeared in cookbooks, magazines and many other publications.
The Climb
The founder-operator model is the frame here: Lis Hernandez has led Arepa Mia since 2011 as founder, owner, and chef. That kind of continuity matters in a restaurant, where the person making the decisions is also accountable for the food on the plate and the room around it. At Arepa Mia, her leadership shows up in a kitchen and dining room shaped by one point of view, with the restaurant bearing her name as part of its identity.
Today
At Arepa Mia in Atlanta, Hernandez works as chef-owner, keeping Venezuelan cuisine at the center of the menu and the operation. The work is daily and practical, but it also carries a clear cultural line: recipes, service, and the feel of the room all point back to the food traditions she cooks from. For Hernandez, the restaurant is a vehicle for sharing culture and care through food, not just a place to feed a dining room.
In Their Words “I am the founder and owner of Arepa Mia since 2011 and my work has apppeared in cookbooks, magazines and many other publications.” Self-taught training is part of how Hernandez names her own practice, alongside cooking, baking, traveling and photography. Those interests suggest an attention to detail and to the way food sits among other forms of observation and record-keeping. In her own telling, the work is not isolated at the stove; it sits within a broader habit of gathering, looking, and making note of what can be carried back into the kitchen.
Career - Founder and owner, Arepa Mia (2011–present) - Chef, Arepa Mia, Atlanta
Recognition
Her work has appeared in cookbooks, magazines and many other publications. That visibility has carried Hernandez beyond Atlanta and given more readers and diners a way into the Venezuelan flavors she works with. She has always had an appetite for sharing her love of food to everyone around her, nationally and internationally. The through line is simple: food as a form of connection, memory, and welcome.
FAQ What is Lis Hernandez's current role? Lis Hernandez is chef-owner. What is Lis Hernandez known for? Venezuelan cuisine.
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