Máximo Tejada is the Executive Chef and partner of Rayuela Restaurant, established in 2007 in New York's Lower East Side, and headquarters of his Estilo Libre Latino cuisine, which respects yet redefines contemporary Latin American and Spanish dishes. His second restaurant, Macondo, is an exploration of Latino Comida de la Calle, and offers a menu featuring his version of tapas-style dishes. Tejada's cooking is a tangible illustration of his soul, bringing to every creation a harmonious layering of intense and delicate flavors. It is at Rayuela where Tejada finds himself at home, and, as a true artist, connects with others through the craft of cooking. Author of Estilo Libre Latino cuisine, Tejada reenvisions Latin American and Spanish classics through a constant search for new horizons within this traditional cuisine. His kitchen is unpretentious and his menus reflect his unique heritage and experiences –a complex merging of Dominican Republic, Peru, Puerto Rico, and New York legacies. Once trained as a wood carpenter, interior designer and watercolorist, it comes with no surprise that he approaches each new culinary creation with an artistic zeal. A perfect example of Cocina de Autor, Maximo's work is an artistic culinary expression where the love of people inspires creative, heartfelt cooking. Tejada graduated from the French Culinary Institute in 1996 and was quickly recruited by famed New York Times three-star Latin restaurant Patria. His talent soon got him to Chicama and Pipa Tapas Restaurant where he became head chef and helped Chicama earn two stars from the New York Times. He further honed his skills at OLA, before returning to Lucy Latin Kitchen, in 2004 (which earned three stars from Crain's New York Business). Tejada's accomplishments within New York's culinary scene are remarkable, but he truly owes his success to his grandmother from whom he learned the true meaning of soulful home cooking. At the age of 21, Tejada moved to New York, claiming his first job in the industry as a server aboard a World Yacht Cruise boat and rose through the ranks of the elite cruise line and later through operations at Water Club and the Rainbow Room. These experiences inspired him to pursue a culinary career. Tejada's keen interest in Spanish cuisine is opening a new chapter in his career. His exploration in this area is the epicenter of novel culinary foundations which will soon be displayed in his immediate new projects.