Christian Irabién

Chef Christian’s cooking is inspired by his family’s traditions from Chihuahua, Distrito Federal (CDMX) to the coastal states of Veracruz, Yucatán and Guerrero.

Chef Christian served as the Executive Chef at Calavera in Oakland, CA, opening the restaurant in 2015. Calavera earned acclaim for bringing elevated, authentic Mexican cuisine to the Bay Area.

Christian spent the previous five years cooking with Chef José Andrés and Chef Cathal Armstrong, where he discovered his love of fine dining and combined it with the traditional flavors he grew up with. Coming up in the kitchens at Oyamel, Restaurant Eve and Virtue Feed & Grain is where Amparo Fondita was born. Chef Christian’s culinary journey is a deeply personal one and manifests beyond the plate. He helped create and implement the culinary education program for La Cocina VA, an Arlington-based non-profit focused on developing hospitality skills in the low-income, Latin American immigrant community.

This year he has pushed efforts in his down time to assist domestic and international causes focused on aiding Latin American immigrants suffering hardships with teams at World Central Kitchen in Tijuana, BC, as well as Tables Without Borders and Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School here in Washington, DC which assist local immigrant communities in acquiring working skills, job placement, career development, mentoring and youth guidance.