Meet Chef Carolina Diaz

Carolina Diaz Bio

Whether cooking meals for her family or learning her father’s mastery of balancing flavors, Diaz appreciated the art behind creating a culinary experience from a young age. Initially a psychology major, Diaz switched to the Illinois Institute of Art, Chicago to follow her passion for cooking and focus on culinary management. She graduated in March 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in Applied Science. After beginning her culinary career as a line cook, she worked her way through different culinary positions learning how to run an effective, orderly, and smooth kitchen.

In January 2012, Diaz shifted to Italian cuisine and worked as a line cook at Filini Bar and Restaurant in Chicago’s Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel under Chef Christian Fantoni.  Diaz joined the team at Terzo Piano at the Art Institute of Chicago in May 2016 as chef di cucina under acclaimed Chef Tony Mantuano. In 2018, Chef Carolina Diaz was nominated by Latino Magazine as one of the trail blazing latinas of the year as she competed in 2018 Barilla’s World Pasta Championship in Milan against chefs from 17 different countries. Diaz has become the first female chef to win the title Pasta World Champion for the USA.

Chef Carolina Diaz is now the Culinary Director of the Art Institute of Chicago. There she will lead large teams that operate 2 cafes, an American inspired restaurant, and a banquet team. Diaz is an instructor at Tuition College, a local community college and offers a cook training program for her students at the Art Institute of Chicago.