Javier Plascencia is a Mexican chef who has gained recognition both at home and abroad for his innovative and creative approach to traditional Mexican cuisine. Born in Tijuana, Baja California, in 1972, Plascencia comes from a family of restaurateurs who have operated restaurants in the region for several decades. He followed in his family’s footsteps and began his culinary career in the family restaurant, “El Rincon San Francisco”, at the age of 15.

Plascencia studied at the Culinary Arts School in San Diego and then moved to France, where he studied at the Paul Bocuse Institute in Lyon. Upon his return to Mexico, he worked in several restaurants before opening his own “Misión 19,” in Tijuana in 2011, a restaurant for which he earned a Michelin star in 2015.

In addition to “Misión 19,” Plascencia also owns several other restaurants, each offers a unique approach to Mexican cuisine, yet all share a philosophy of using local ingredients and supporting the region’s farming communities.

One of the most recognized is Erizo; a seafood restaurant located in Tijuana that will soon be coming to Quintana Roo, Mexico’s number one tourist destination in collaboration with the leaders of the restaurant industry: Grupo Andersons. 

Plascencia has also participated in several international gastronomic events, including the Madrid Fusion Gastronomic Festival, and has been featured in TV shows such as Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” and Netflix’s “Chef ‘s Table”, all of this and more have made him one of Mexico’s most prominent chefs and an ambassador of Mexican cuisine in the world.