NYC Chef Given Top Honor By 'The World's 50 Best Restaurants'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- What does it take to be the worlds' best?
When it comes to being a chef, it means standing out from hundreds of your peers, and pleasing the most discerning palettes.
CBSN New York's Ali Bauman recently met a New York City chef who is standing out
Welcome to Cosme, a sleek understated restaurant on West 21st Street
"It happens to be a Mexican restaurant with a lot of really incredible people," Daniela Soto-Innes said.
And at the helm is chef and partner Soto-Innes. She was recently recognized with Best Female Chef Award by "The World's 50 Best Restaurants."
"It hasn't sinked in yet. We were hiding downstairs in the basement and were like, OK, what did we just do, guys?" Soto-Innes said.
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An international panel of chef's food experts and writers vote on the award.
"I think World's 50 Best gives you a platform to be able to represent yourself and your restaurant and your culture," Soto-Innes said. "To have the recognition is, of course, something that you have to take with respect and admiration and excitement and be proud."
Proud, of course, in the Soto-Innes style.
Cosme chef and owner Enrique Olvera brought this Mexico City native into this restaurant when it first opened in 2014. Just a year later, Soto-Innes was recognized with a chef's Rising Star Award.
The prestigious James Beard Award for Rising Star followed a year after that. But even with all the accolades, the spirit Soto-Innes brings to her work remains strong and steady.
"We wanted to be the best restaurant that we could do to make people happy, to bring Mexican food to a level where it will make Mexicans proud, that we will make ourselves proud," Soto-Innes said.
And she also looks past her kitchen to the broader reach of her talent.
"For us, it is important to create a movement of music, art, food, different cultures to make people feel special," Soto-Innes said.
The cuisine has roots originating south of the border, but here, high quality dishes are created with great precision and attention to every detail. Bauman sampled Cosme's prawns tostada, which was rich in flavors.
Prices can run upwards of $60 per person at the restaurant, but, still, tables are always in demand.
"Your profession is to make people feel good, to make people feel pampered, to make people feel special, to feed people. When you're feeding people, that's a huge responsibly," Soto-Innes said.
Soto-Innes is a chef who is true to her profession. She feeds customers not only for sustenance, but also wants it to be an experience, and to feed their soul as well.
It's a responsibility Soto-Innes takes seriously, but adds she finds pure joy in the world she helped create at Cosme.
"I'm happy. I'm happy this restaurant is full and we can create more opportunities," she said.
For the full list of winners from The World's 50 Best Restaurants awards, please click here.
