Héctor Romero

Alma Cocina Latina

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Check Out Alma Cocina Latina’s Auction Lot
Saturday, May 9, 2026 at the Grand Tasting Reception

Chef Héctor Romero is a celebrated Venezuelan chef, educator, and visual artist
whose work bridges culinary tradition, cultural memory, and contemporary
creativity. A Co‑Founder and Director of the Culinary Institute of Caracas, he has
shaped generations of chefs through innovative training programs and a lifelong
dedication to Venezuela’s regional heritage cuisines. He is dedicated to
preserving and elevating his country’s culinary traditions, and his award‑winning
career spans restaurants, chocolate making, teaching, and authorship. His
contributions have been recognized with multiple honors from the Venezuelan
Academy of Gastronomy, including the prestigious Tenedor de Oro for Chef of
the Year and for his book ROMERO, Contemporary Venezuelan Cuisine.

Alma Cocina Latina, led by Chef Romero, is a vibrant expression of this
philosophy. Its interior spaces are reminiscent of a vibrant Venezuelan home filled
with art, greenery, and warmth. Alma’s dishes reimagine Venezuelan cuisine as
cultural storytelling rooted in migration, memory, and place. Located in
Baltimore’s Station North Arts District, the restaurant has quietly cultivated one
of the largest collections of Venezuelan ajís outside of Venezuela, allowing for rare
authenticity in dishes like hallaca, pabellón, and sofrito. Since opening in 2015,
Alma has become a hub for mentorship, sustainability, and community
impact—partnering with World Central Kitchen to serve more than 150,000
meals during the pandemic and nurturing the next generation of immigrant
chefs.

Together, Héctor and Alma continue to redefine Venezuelan cuisine on the
global stage while deepening its roots in Baltimore’s cultural landscape