Board of Directors

Carolina sanchez

Ecuadorian chef and co-founder of the Michelin star restaurant Ikaro. She studied gastronomy at the University of Cuenca. Later she traveled to Peru to do a Masters in Peruvian and International Cuisine at the Cordon Bleu in Lima. She has been in Spain since 2012 where she earned a Master's degree in Culinary, Technique and Product at the Basque Culinary Center in San Sebastián.

Libertad Regalado

For more than two decades, Libertad has been conducting research related to cultural manifestations in the Province of Manabí. She has published several books related to Manabi cuisine, folklore and crafts. She is a university professor, writer and member of the National Academy of History of Ecuador.

Malek Battle

Professor of Nutrition for Public Health in the Department of Nutrition of the Faculty of Medicine at the Université de Montréal. He earned his BA in Human Nutrition and Dietetics and a MA in Food Science from the American University of Beirut. He has a PhD in human nutrition from McGill University in Montreal.

Marcelo ferrari

Parcelo is a professional in the area of tourism with an outstanding trajectory having managed Ecuadorian hotels such as Unipark in Guayaquil and Oro Verde in Cuenca, which won the Travelers' Choice 201. as the best hotel in Ecuador and one of the 25 best in South America in the Best Hotels Category.

Rafael Cartay

Economist, researcher, writer, teacher and winner of countless awards thanks to his literary repertoire on Latin American gastronomy. In addition, Rafael has extensive experience in university teaching at institutions such as the Universidad de Los Andes in Mérida, Venezuela and the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain.

directorio

About us

FUEGOS Foundation is made up of professionals from different disciplines and backgrounds. It has a varied team with vast experience who drive our purpose of promoting gastronomy as a catalyst for development in Manabí and across Ecuador.

Get to know them.

Founders

Orazio Bellettini

Manabí-born social entrepreneur and an Ashoka Fellow, specialized in public policy committed to social transformation. Orazio has led several public-private collaboration initiatives aimed at promoting social and productive innovation at the national and local level.

Martin Dickler

One of the founders and the Director of the Gustu Restaurant-School Project in La Paz, Bolivia, recently chosen among the best restaurants in Latin America. Martin has worked for various development organizations throughout the world.

Michelle O. Fried

Spokesperson for the nutritional values of traditional Andean food, for her contributions in books published by the United Nations, in newspapers and on the radio. Michelle also has two cookbooks that highlight native products and their traditional and innovative uses, with sales of more than 50,000 copies.