Olvera was born in Mexico City. He moved to the United States to enroll at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, graduating with an associate degree in 1997. He went on to earn his CIA bachelor’s degree in 1999. During his studies, Olvera earned various awards, including a gold medal from the New York Société Culinaire Philanthropique and the Jacob Rosenthal Leadership Award from the college.
After graduation, he got his first job at Everest, one of Chicago’s most exclusive restaurants. In 2000, Olvera returned to Mexico City to open his own restaurant, Pujol. Pujol is ranked #12 on the 2019 S.Pellegrino’s World’s 50 Best Restaurant list and number nine on the 2018 list of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants. Cosme is #23 on the 2019 S.Pellegrino’s World’s 50 Best Restaurant list, the highest ranking for any American restaurant. Olvera was named the 2015 International Chef of the Year by The Daily Meal and received The Diners Club® Lifetime Achievement Award for Latin America. He has earned a well-deserved accolade from his fellow elite professionals across the region—the Chefs’ Choice Award, voted for by the chefs of the S.Pellegrino Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants. Pujol now proudly serves as an approved internship site for current CIA students, so Olvera can pass on lessons he learned to future graduates of the college.
Source: https://www.ciachef.edu/enrique-olvera/
