Alex Raij

Alex Raij is a New York-based chef and restaurateur of Argentinian Jewish descent, specializing in Spanish and Basque cuisines, who co-owns with her husband Eder Montero the restaurants Txikito (Basque, opened 2008), El Quinto Pino (tapas), El Comedor, and La Vara (Michelin-starred, focusing on Moorish and Jewish influences in southern Spain) in Brooklyn. She pioneered tapas and Basque cooking in New York starting with Tia Pol in 2004, followed by El Quinto Pino in 2007, and has been a six-time James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef: NYC and two-time nominee for Outstanding Restaurateur. Raij graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and co-authored the cookbook 'The Basque Book' in 2016.