Chef
Thalía Barrios García
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- Oaxaca, Mexico
i. Biography
Oaxaca is the organizing principle in Thalía Barrios García’s kitchen: tortillas still warm from the comal, pipián with its nut depth, meatless tamales folded with care, and vegetables treated as work, not garnish. Since 2019, the Mexican chef and owner of Levadura de Olla Restaurante in Oaxaca, Mexico, has built her cooking around traditional Oaxacan cuisine, keeping childhood memory and family technique close to the stove as working tools.
Coming Up
At Technological University of the Central Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico, the discipline of study met the discipline of the kitchen for Thalía Barrios García. Early service work as an intern at local restaurant in Oaxaca, Mexico added the repeated basics of restaurant life: pace, repetition, and the habits that hold a kitchen together. Those years shaped the structure of her practice, tying it to place, routine, and a clear standard of work. The same line continues through Levadura de Olla (since 2019) and La Cocina de Humo (since 2021), both founded by Thalía. Each project keeps to the same register: methods, textures, and memory drawn from Oaxaca rather than novelty for its own sake.
Where They Are Now
At Levadura de Olla Restaurante in Oaxaca, Mexico, the plate starts with vegetables placed first and meat kept secondary. That choice changes the balance of the meal, giving weight to texture, sauce, and the character of local produce. In a regional cuisine often framed through abundance, the cooking lands instead on precision and control, with restraint working alongside generosity.
Signature
Machucados and tamales without meat sit at the center of Thalía Barrios García’s signature. Both show the same method at work: regional ingredients handled with precision, and a kitchen language rooted in Oaxaca.
Honors
Thalía's honors include MICHELIN Guide Mexico Young Chef Award Winner (2024), One MICHELIN Star (2024), and Young Chef of the Year (2024).
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Thalía
What is Thalía Barrios García's current role?
As of 2026, Thalía Barrios García is Chef and Owner.
Where did Thalía Barrios García work before?
Thalía Barrios García's earlier career included Technological University of the Central Valley of Oaxaca and local restaurant.
What recognition has Thalía Barrios García received?
MICHELIN Guide Mexico Young Chef Award Winner (2024).
