Fine Dining Table Team: Today we have the pleasure of talking with Nicolás Tapia, chef of the Yum Cha restaurant in Chile. Nicolás, tell us a little about yourself, your beginnings, and how the concept of Yum Cha was born.
Nicolás Tapia: Well, the history of Yum Cha is closely linked to my own career. I am Chilean, but I went to live in Mexico with my family when I was 13. I lived there for much of my youth and studied civil engineering in Querétaro. However, after a few years working as an engineer, I decided to follow my true passion: cooking.
Fine Dining Table Team: How was that transition from engineer to chef?
Nicolás Tapia: I started cooking out of necessity, living alone in Mexico while my family moved to the United States. Over time, I discovered that cooking was what I was truly passionate about. I trained directly in kitchens, without going through a formal culinary school. I worked in several prestigious restaurants, including Corazón de Tierra in Mexico and Quintonil, where I learned the fine dining style that I apply today at Yum Cha.
Fine Dining Table Team: How did the idea of Yum Cha come about?
Nicolás Tapia: After years working in different places, I decided to take some time to explore something completely new. In 2019, I traveled to China, a destination I had always wanted to visit, and there I discovered the tradition of “Yum Cha,” which is basically sharing food and tea in a group. This trip inspired me to create a restaurant in Chile where tea was the protagonist, accompanied by a cuisine with strong Asian influences, but adapted to local products and flavors.
Fine Dining Table Team: So, is Yum Cha’s cuisine 100% Asian or does it have influences from other places?
Nicolás Tapia: When we started in 2022, the cuisine was very Asian, especially Chinese. But over time, we have incorporated more Chilean products and other elements from my training in Mexico, South America, and Turkey. Now, Yum Cha offers a very personal cuisine, with a focus on seafood and vegetables, influenced by Asian techniques and flavors, but with a Chilean and Mediterranean touch.
Fine Dining Table Team: How would you define the experience offered by Yum Cha?
Nicolás Tapia: Yum Cha offers a different and unique experience. It is a menu full of intensity in each dish, where tea plays a central role, not only as a drink, but as an element that enhances and complements each flavor on the menu. It is an opportunity for diners to rediscover a product as everyday as tea, but in a completely new context.
Fine Dining Table Team: What do you think of Chile’s gastronomic potential compared to other countries such as Peru and Argentina?
Nicolás Tapia: Chile has enormous potential, although I don’t know if I should call it a “gastronomic power” yet. I think we have the ability to develop something unique, without needing to compare ourselves to Peru or Argentina. Our wealth of seafood is incomparable, and that gives us a solid base to build our own gastronomic identity.
Fine Dining Table Team: In one sentence, what can people find at Yum Cha that they won’t find anywhere else?
Nicolás Tapia: A different experience, full of intense flavours, and a new perspective on a familiar product like tea.
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