Marsia Taha Mohamed

Arami, La Paz

Passionate advocate for Bolivian biodiversity

Marsia Taha Mohamed has spent more than a decade helping put Bolivia on the gastronomic map. Born in Bulgaria to a Palestinian father and Bolivian mother, she moved at a young age to La Paz and grew up surrounded by women: her mother, aunts, cousins and grandmother.

Taha credits her grandmother with teaching her about markets, street food and giving her the first taste of traditional Bolivian flavours. While her stepfather taught her to cook at a young age, it was her mother who suggested she studied gastronomy after school.

She joined acclaimed restaurant Gustu in La Paz in 2013 and has been there for 10 years as head chef, and more recently, as executive chef. Gustu, meaning ‘flavour’ in Quechua, champions Bolivian produce and transforms traditional flavours through meticulous research and the integration of native ingredients. The restaurant was co-founded by world-renowned restaurateur Claus Meyer, one of her mentors, who also co-founded legendary restaurant Noma in Copenhagen.

Over the years, Gustu has repeatedly won the award for The Best Restaurant in Bolivia at Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, and currently ranks at No.23 in the 2023 list. Taha herself was named as one of the young people shaping the future of gastronomy as part of 50 Next and was also voted as Latin America’s Rising Star Female Chef 2021.

Deciding she needed a new challenge, Taha is opening her first solo restaurant, Arami (which means ‘shard of heaven’ in Guaraní) at the end of November. The restaurant is set in the fashionable neighbourhood of Achumani in La Paz and will offer a casual fine-dining experience. There are plans to add a wine bar stocked with Bolivian bottles and eventually, a lab where the team can explore new ingredients, techniques and preservation methods. While Gustu celebrates food from all over Bolivia, Arami will focus specifically on the Bolivian Amazon.

Taha is more than a chef. She is also the co-founder and driving force behind Sabores Silvestres, a research and educational initiative that promotes the conservation of biodiversity, the preservation of food heritage and acts as a showcase for Bolivian gastronomic culture. By visiting and working with more than 50 indigenous communities in the Bolivian Amazonia since 2018, the group helps Bolivian consumers and fellow chefs to delve, explore and integrate native ingredients into dishes.

Beyond the kitchen, Taha has also lectured at Harvard University on Bolivia’s biodiversity, and the art of combining science and flavour.

On being voted Latin America’s Best Female Chef, she says: “There are so many talented female chefs all around Latin America that I admire. I am super surprised, super grateful and super happy! I also have a big feeling of responsibility. This means a lot not just for me, but also for the gastronomy of my country. It’s a great opportunity to showcase Bolivian cuisine with the visibility this award will give me.”

Read more about Taha’s dedication to showcasing Bolivian biodiversity and see behind the scenes of her first restaurant, Arami:

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