The Hotel Palacio Astoreca, a Relais & Château property has appointed Francisco Araya as Executive Chef of Restaurant Alegre. As an accomplished chef who has gained experience at several of the world’s best restaurants, Chef Araya will bring a new dimension to the hotel’s award-winning Alegre.
Chef Araya returns to his native Chile from Tokyo, where he was chef/owner of “81,” a highly sought after restaurant that received its first Michelin star in December 2013. Previously, he worked with Ferran Adria of El Bulli and Andoni Luis Aduriz of Mugaritz.
He began his culinary education at Chile’s INACAP institute, followed by stints in some of Chile’s top restaurants, including Alma and Boragó. His diverse experience has allowed him to draw inspiration from Chilean, Spanish and Japanese cuisine, using fresh, locally sourced products along with imported specialties, fusing flavours and techniques to create superb, avant-garde cuisine.
During dinner, guests at Alegre may choose from a sensational 12-course tasting menu or order directly from an a la carte menu, which changes frequently according to season and availability. Alegre offers a 3-course lunch menu that will allow travelers to savor the port city’s mélange of flavours, including the fresh seafood that Chile is known for, before heading back out to further explore Valparaiso’s labyrinth of streets. Before dinner, guests are invited to enjoy a glass of wine or an expertly made pisco sour in the hotel’s Piano Bar, or on the hotel’s terrace overlooking the glittering Valparaíso Bay.
The Hotel Palacio Astoreca opened in 2012 following a two-year renovation of one of Valparaiso’s most iconic national monuments, the Astoreca Palace, located in the heart of fashionable Cerro Alegre. The design-driven, 23-room hotel de charme offers luxe accommodations, a chic spa, personalized service, and breathtaking views of the city’s “amphitheater” of eclectic urban landscapes and the Valparaiso Bay. Owners Vincent Juillerat and Francisca Joannon have combined a European and Chilean aesthetic with the guidance of architects Mathias Klotz, Renzo Alvano, and Pablo Riquelme. The Palacio Astoreca is a member of the exclusive hotel group Relais & Château.
