Chef Elena Reygadas, who brought Mexico City a restrained, rustic but elegant dining destination influenced heavily by Italian cuisine, has been named the best female chef in Latin America.

Described as the “understated queen of Mexico’s restaurant scene,” this year’s recipient of the Veuve Clicquot Latin America’s Best Female Chef award trained at The French Culinary Institute in New York and worked in some of London’s hottest kitchens, including Locanda Locatelli.

For five years, Reygadas worked in the Michelin-starred restaurant headed by chef Giorgio Locatelli, where she developed an appreciation and deeper understanding of fine Italian cuisine that now makes up the menu at Rosetta.

Her rise to culinary stardom is all the more impressive given that the restaurant opened just four years ago.

“Quickly, this simple, cosy and tastefully designed restaurant located in the exclusive district of Roma established itself as one of the best restaurants in the capital of Mexico,” say organizers of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants.

“The seasons and finding the ideal ingredients for the enjoyment of the diners are the basis for the creation of Elena’s delicacies.”

Signature dishes include her handmade pasta such as her gnocchi-like malfatti and orecchiette. Dishes are also given a dash of Mexican flavor with the use of local ingredients and culinary traditions.

In 2012, the chef opened Panaderia Rosetta, a bakery that specializes in artisan breads and now supplies some of the city’s top restaurants.

Reygadas will be presented with the award September 3 at the Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants awards in Lima, Peru.