Mikel De Luis

Born in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain, Mikel Trevino de Luis’s love for cooking, sports and nature, along with the values instilled by his family since childhood, all have had a significant influence on both his personal and professional life. Chef de Luis earned a degree from the Escuela de Hostelatge de Barcelona and immediately went to work for Chef Jaume Rius at the Stella Hotel. He moved on to work for Jordi Aros of the Taller de Tapas restaurant group and twice he worked with the esteemed 3 Star Michelin Chef Martin Berasategui and was his Sous chef at the Ritz Carlton in the Canary Islands. Before moving to the U.S., Chef de Luis honed his skills with several certifications; one with Tony Botella in Sous Vide and another in New Technologies at San Pol University in Girona. Mikel obtained an MBA in Hospitality Management from the second most prestigious school in Spain, EADA School of Business. Love and his daughter led Chef de Luis to move to the USA in 2008 where he worked as Sous Chef with esteemed Chef Anthony Bombaci, James Beard Award Winner 2007, at Nana Restaurant, Dallas, TX which focused on fine dining based on Italian cuisine. Subsequently he did a stint as Chef and Instructor for Kirsten Dixon at a resort in Katchemeck Bay, Alaska and then Executive Chef at a Mediterranean Restaurant in Dallas, which garnered awards for being the best in its category two consecutive years. Chef’s passion for cooking extends to education; he collaborated with the Art Institute of Dallas teaching contemporary Spanish cuisine as well as at the specialty food chain, Market Street. In 2011 he won the tv show competition Chef Hunters from the Food Network. At the end of 2011 Chef de Luis took embarked on a new path and moved to New York. He took the helm at a brand new restaurant, Mercado on Kent, which he elevated to Contemporary Spanish cuisine and received rave reviews. In the fall of 2012 Mikel accepted a position as Executive Sous Chef with Soho House New York and in November 2013 he won a culinary competition involving all of Soho House North America and was thus awarded the title Chef Ambassador of NY. Last February Chef De Luis made his dream come true forming his company, aMona, to develop and promote a line of condiments based on his travels and in memory of his beloved grandmother. Today Mikel focuses on his company and exclusive culinary events as well as consulting.