For years, the Ecuadorian culinary presence in South Florida was almost invisible. While Peruvians and Colombians built gastronomic empires across Miami, purveyors of “Middle of the World” cuisine remained hidden. Finding a space that reflected the elegance and biodiversity of home was an unfulfilled longing.
“In Miami, there weren’t actually Ecuadorian restaurants,” said Patricia Guerrero, a Miami resident born in Ecuador who moved here in 1988. “Now, we have restaurants on another level.”
Chef Alejandra Espinoza, who started the Michelin-Guide featured North Miami restaurant Cotoa last year, is the architect of that new level. Her journey didn’t start with a business plan, but with a global mission: to take the ingredients of the Andes and the Amazon and prove they belong on the world’s finest tables. Born in Quito, she attended high school in France, then spent six years at the elite Institut Lyfe in Lyon,; immersed in the rigorous world of French fine dining.
Then in 2014, she moved to San Francisco, where she met her husband, Signo Uddenberg.
In 2019, the couple returned to Quito, where they founded Somos, which would become world renowned for elevating Ecuadorian staples like sal prieta and chocho. Beyond its place on the 50 Best Discovery list, the restaurant was featured by National Geographic Traveler, and Chef Alejandra Espinoza was named a UN Special Ambassador for Gastronomic Tourism for her role in redefining Ecuadorian cuisine.
At one end of the restaurant, she launched La Cava, a bar decorated with a giant mural dedicated to high-end Ecuadorian gin, whisky, and rum.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced a global shutdown, and Somos was forced to temporarily close its doors in 2020. After the 2020 closure, the restaurant’s inclusion in the 50 Best Discovery list drew global clients, establishing it as an international culinary destination.
While Somos was reclaiming its footing in Quito, a personal shift opened a new door. Espinoza’s husband transitioned into a role in Tonies that allowed him to work from anywhere in the United States. This flexibility gave them a blank map, but Espinoza chose Miami for its strategic proximity to her roots.
“I chose the closest place to home,” she explains. “From Miami, I am only four hours away from Quito.”
The move and the planning for Cotoa happened alongside the birth of her second child, Annika Toa. There was no separation between motherhood and business; Espinoza scouted restaurant locations with her daughter in her arms. At just three months old, the infant accompanied her to every site visit.
Espinoza visited more than 25 locations, facing constant rejection from landlords who were skeptical of a chef with a newborn.
“I would go to the visits with my newborn daughter,” Espinoza recalls. “It was harder because people didn’t take me seriously. They saw a mother, not a businesswoman.”
Her mission to bring Ecuadorian coastal cuisine to Miami materialized in 2024 with the opening of Cotoa. Despite its current prestige, the restaurant began in a shared Bayside food hall, where success depended as much on persistence as on the food.
Sebastián Jácome, a 22-year-old chef and previous member of Cotoa’s original crew reflects that persistence. Raised between Guayaquil and Buena Fe, his life centered on the kitchen. His aunt owned a restaurant, and he spent his childhood making desserts with his mother. During the pandemic he started a small fast-food business from his grandparents’ garden, serving burgers, arroz con menestra, and patacones.
Seeking new opportunities, Jácome moved to Miami to join his father and began looking for culinary work.
After seeing an interview with Espinoza by a Cuenca-based influencer Nicolás Muñoz, he decided he had to work for her.
“I was persistent,” he said. “I wanted to be part of a mission to take our gastronomy to the world.”
On his fourth attempt, Espinoza responded, and they met in Downtown Miami. Jácome arrived overdressed and nervous.
“She later told me she didn’t think I cooked because of how I was dressed,” he said, laughing.
At the time, the restaurant was still under construction. Despite that first impression, Jácome was hired and joined a small team working in a cramped kitchen shared with a sushi stand and an American grill.
In those early Bayside days, Espinoza’s French training brought structure to the chaos. Her philosophy centered on consistency: every dish had to be identical, every time.
Jácome describes the pace as intense. He credits his experience handling large events in Buena Fé with preparing him for the pressure.
“I can talk while I work; I multitask,” he said. “Some chefs tell me to just cook, but I can do both and keep orders moving.”
In 2025, while still at Bayside, the team had no idea they were being evaluated. In fine dining, Michelin inspectors remain anonymous.
“You never know who they are,” Jácome said. “That’s why every dish has to come out exactly the same.”
Cotoa was later included in the 2025 Michelin Guide. . The name reflects Espinoza’s vision, a fusion of the Cotopaxi volcano and Toa, a 14th-century princess known for her bravery, and also the name of her daughter.
By proving that high-end Ecuadorian cuisine could succeed in Miami, Espinoza has inspired others to follow. Since Cotoa’s debut, restaurants like La Pata Gorda and Noé Sushi Bar have opened in the city.
“I’m happy to see more concepts,” she said. “It helps people understand both traditional and non-traditional offerings. We don’t need just one successful restaurant, we need many to build a movement.”
Today, Espinoza manages four ventures: Somos, La Cava, Cotoita at the Brightline station, and Cotoa in North Miami. Moving from Bayside to a permanent location gave her full control over the restaurant’s atmosphere and service, while balancing the demands of raising two kids.
She travels to Quito monthly to oversee Somos and keep her children connected to their roots.
Through Cotoa’s Michelin recognition and her role as a UN Special Ambassador for Gastronomic Tourism, Espinoza has helped place Ecuador firmly on Miami’s culinary map, no longer hidden, but shaping a new generation of chefs.
