Connecting Cultures Through Cuisine
Yale Global Table brings culinary thought leaders from around the world to campus, where visiting chefs train staff, engage with students and researchers, and share remarks followed by a reception featuring a menu inspired by their work. Learn more about our past Global Fellows and the culinary perspectives they brought to Yale.
Spring 2026 Fellow
Rodrigo Pacheco is an Ecuadorian chef who fulfills the diplomatic role of Goodwill Ambassador in Ecuador at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. He attracted global attention through his culinary art and his innovative project, “The Largest Biodiverse Edible Forest in the World,” which he develops as Executive Director of the Bocavaldivia Foundation to address socio-environmental causes through a mechanism for ecosystem conservation, reconnection, restoration, and strengthening, catalyzed by gastronomy.
He is the founder of the Bocavaldivia Research and Development Restaurant, located in Puerto Cayo, Manabí, and the founder of Foresta Restaurant, located in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. His vision, career, and purpose—along with his extraordinary participation in the gastronomic competition The Final Table, produced by Netflix—have been widely recognized by the international press and global organizations.
Rodrigo is more than a professional chef; he is a specialist in sustainable hospitality as well as a promoter of culture and biodiversity who bases his culinary art on restoring and connecting ecosystems, wisdom, and flavors. One of his main life goals is to create the largest natural, cultural, and community corridor on the planet.
Chef-In-Residence Program
Our growing cohort of Fellows lies at the heart of the Global Table program. Each semester, we welcome a leading culinary innovator to campus. During their residency, Fellows train dining staff, engage with students and researchers, and share remarks followed by a reception featuring a menu inspired by their work.
Fellows are selected for their demonstrated commitment to environmental and social good, their reputation for culinary innovation, and the regional contexts in which they live and work. While on campus, the academic components of each visit are supported by one of MacMillan’s seven regional councils, providing Fellows with meaningful opportunities to connect with faculty and students who share deep expertise and interest in their region.
