Gonzo Jimenez

Chef Gonzo Jimenez was born in Northern Argentina, raised in a Spanish household surrounded by good food and long family meals. At the age of 17, he started working in restaurants and fell in love with the culinary world. He enrolled in pastry and culinary school in Buenos Aires. After completing his studies, he traveled around the country working for 5 star hotels and celebrity chefs.

From 2009 to 2013, Chef Gonzo worked for large hotels in the United States including the St. Julien in Boulder, CO and The Hyatt Corporation in New Orleans and New York. Most notable amongst his various accomplishments throughout this period was the launch of his personal line of chocolates, providing different hotels throughout Manhattan, NY with high end confections.

In 2013, he moved back to South America to work at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Santiago de Chile. Soon after he accepted a highly coveted position with Barry Callebaut as a Corporate Chef for the South American Region and Director of the Chocolate Academy in Chile. 

Chef Gonzo has traveled throughout Europe, North and South America teaching classes, performing demos and offering consulting services. His work and creations have been published in European and North American pastry magazines such as SoGood, Dulcypas, Dessert Professional, New York Times, etc.

Current Netflix show Bakesquad has launched Chef Gonzo's career into a different dimension, showcasing his chocolate art skills globally and allowing him to share his passion for chocolate.

He is currently the Corporate Chef for Republica del Cacao in North America and travels around representing the brand, teaching classes and consulting for customers around the world.

Cheers and chocolate!

Current name of business – Valrhona Selection

Current job title – Corporate Pastry Chef for Republica del Cacao

How many years in the industry – 21 years

Pastry Area of Expertise - Chocolate

Social media handles - @chef.gonzo

Favorite quote/saying – “More books, less likes!”