The first Venezuelan chef and owner of a Michelin-starred restaurant, Ricardo Chaneton has shot to fame in Hong Kong with fine cuisine that combines the best of his native region with classical French techniques. His restaurant Mono, which opened in 2019, had earned that star by 2022, and was also named Tatler Hong Kong’s Restaurant of the Year 2023, as well as coming in at 41 on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023 list.

He started his career at French restaurant Le Gourmet at InterContinental Tamanaco Hotel in Caracas, before heading to Europe to work at the three-starred Quique Dacosta in Spain, and then for seven years at Mirazur, which also has three stars, as well as sitting at the top of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, where he was a protégé of chef Mauro Colagreco.

He moved to Hong Kong to work as executive chef of Petrus at the Island Shangri-La, taking on the role aged just 28. After staying there for four years, he took the plunge with Mono, in partnership with Yenn Wong’s Jia Group.

“I would like to be known for introducing Latin American cuisine not only to Hong Kong but to Asia,” says Chaneton. “My aim is to build a bridge between Latin America and Asia. I want to give back to the Hong Kong community and to the city that has allowed me to evolve professionally.”