Pía Salazar

The Path

Trained in Switzerland and at Astrid & Gastón in Quito. that supports her work in pastry, and the range to move past pure repetition. That training was followed by service in professional kitchens, first as cook, then in hot kitchen, and later at the dessert station at Astrid y Gastón (Quito branch) in Quito, Ecuador. The sequence matters: technique, pressure, and repetition shaped the control that now defines her desserts. At Nuema, the progression becomes visible in the role of co-founder / chef. In Pía Salazar’s case, the title signals more than responsibility; it marks a practice built on discipline, then extended into a more expressive pastry language without losing its technical spine.

The Work Today

Local produce and an Ecuadorian point of view sit at the center of Pía Salazar’s work at Nuema. She says it plainly: "I want my customers to take away memories, memories of an honest kitchen that works with a lot of local produce; we are proud to be Ecuadorian and show it to the world." In practice, that means a kitchen language shaped by seasonality and place, with ingredients left room to register clearly. The coconut, yeast, and black garlic dessert at the restaurant shows how she builds contrast into a plate. Pía Salazar describes it as one of her most powerful works and as a dish made in memory of her father. The dessert relies on opposing registers—softness, savory depth, and dark intensity—without flattening them into one note. Texture is a constant in the way Pía Salazar talks about pastry. "I like working with vegetables and chocolates because I like discovering new textures, new flavors: sour, salty, bitter." That approach keeps pastry open-ended: vegetables and chocolate, acidity and salt, bitterness and sweetness can all sit in the same frame when the work is precise enough to hold them.

Signature

Pía's signature dishes include coconut and yeast & black garlic dessert.

In Their Words “I want my customers to take away memories, memories of an honest kitchen that works with a lot of local produce; we are proud to be Ecuadorian and show it to the world.” “My reference comes from my ancestors, my family, when there were those moments of very big celebrations, and there they instilled in me love and respect for food.”

Acclaim

Pía's honors include The World's Best Pastry Chef Award 2023 (2023) and Latin America's Best Pastry Chef 2022 (2022).