Daniela Soto-Innes and Blaine Wetzel. Image courtesy of Wetzel's Instagram

These two chefs and Phaidon authors are getting married!

In fact, Cosme's Daniela Soto-Innes and Willows Inn’s Blaine Wetzel may open their own place after they've wed

They might come from opposite ends of North America, but when fellow chefs and Phaidon authors Blaine Wetzel and Daniela Soto-Innes met, they found they had plenty in common. 

Wetzel grew up in Washington State, on America’s north-western coast, and arrived at the century-old Willows Inn in 2010, aged 24, after three years working alongside René Redzepi at Noma in Copenhagen, as we explain in The Garden Chef: Recipes and Stories from Plant to Plate.

“Describing his approach to food as ‘a story of the land,’ his hyper-local menu celebrates extraordinary produce that’s foraged in the surrounding area or grown at nearby Loganita Farm, which employs two full-time farmers, growing heirloom and native produce solely for the restaurant using all biodynamic practices.” 

 

Daniela Soto-Innes and Blaine Wetzel. Image courtesy of Soto-Innes' Instagram
Daniela Soto-Innes and Blaine Wetzel. Image courtesy of Soto-Innes' Instagram

Soto-Innes meanwhile, is the daughter of Mexican lawyers, and arrived in the US aged 12, to pursue her dream of becoming a competitive swimmer, but has since found fame in an entirely different field, as explained in the book she co-authored with fellow Mexican chef Enrique Olvera, Tu Casa Mi Casa: Mexican Recipes for the Home Cook.

“In 2014, she moved to New York City to open Cosme as Chef de Cuisine under Chef Olvera’s helm and soon after was named the James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year. Prior to joining Cosme, Daniela graduated from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Austin, Texas and held positions at Brennan’s and Underbelly in Houston. She believes that the simplest food can inspire the most imagination and makes her dishes meaningful by ‘finding the secret life in each ingredient.’” 

Less secretive is the love that's grown between these two. The couple met in Bilbao, Spain, in 2018, at the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards, and got engaged earlier this year, around about the time Soto-Innes was voted the World’s Best Female Chef. They’re still based at opposite sides of the country – Blaine just north of Seattle, and Daniela in NYC – but they hope to open their own place some day.  

 

Signed copies of Tu Casa Mi Casa are currently available in our store
Signed copies of Tu Casa Mi Casa are currently available in our store

Until then, you can bring their food together in your own kitchen; Blaine’s recipes appear in The Garden Chef, while Daniela’s can be found in Tu Casa Mi Casa. Order your copies here.  

 

The Garden Chef: Recipes and Stories from Plant to Plate
The Garden Chef: Recipes and Stories from Plant to Plate