Meet Chef Julián Acuña

From San José to the Caribbean

Julián’s story starts in San José. Nine years ago he came to the Caribbean coast as sous chef at Hotel Aguas Claras in Playa Chiquita, a hotel featured in the MICHELIN Guide, and he has lived on this coast ever since.

Along the way he has cooked at The Retreat Boutique Hotel, Blue Conga Boutique Hotel and Kat House, at Al Mercat in San José, and today at Mixta. For the last five years he has also cooked for private clients, in the villas and homes where they stay.

Self-taught, and curious

Julián learned to cook by reading, researching and experimenting, constantly. There was no culinary school and no formal mentor, just curiosity and a lot of hours at the stove.

It’s why his food moves so easily between Costa Rican tradition, international technique and new ideas. He never stopped testing, tasting and learning, and that curiosity reaches every menu he writes.

The food he loves

Julián describes his cooking as Costa Rican, international and avant-garde, with Caribbean influences, served as a true gastronomic experience.

Ceviche is the dish that tells his story: fresh, simple ingredients turned into something full of flavor, and a taste of his childhood. He loves cooking over live fire, with ribeye, pork and beef cuts and seafood from the grill, over charcoal or smoked, and he makes his own corn tortillas.

His time at The Retreat, a wellness- and diet-focused hotel, gave him real experience with specific diets, so plant-based, gluten-free and kids’ menus are familiar ground.

Why Ceiba?

The ceiba is the sacred giant of the tropical forest: roots that reach deep into the earth, and a crown wide enough to shelter everyone beneath it. That’s the idea behind the name: cooking rooted in Costa Rica, and generous with the people it feeds.

When you contact Ceiba Dining Co, you’re talking to the chef who will plan your menu, do the shopping and cook in your kitchen, in Spanish or English. There’s no agency in between.