Karla Palacio

I was born and raised in Bogota. I have been making desserts and sweetening people’s lives for the past eight years. From a very young age, I found my passion for baking. Whenever I came home from school, I only wanted to sit on my bed, watch a cooking channel called “El Gourmet” for hours, and then try replicating the recipes. Hence, I decided to study cooking and pastry at a recognized school in my country.

After completing my studies, I pursued an internship at Four Seasons. During this experience, I realized the importance of passion, respect, and determination to succeed in this industry. Following the completion of my internship, I applied my skills in the professional world. I found an opportunity to work at one of my favorite pastry shops, where I honed my techniques and developed my own style in dessert creation while working with puff pastry dough, cakes, creams, and various sweet treats.

For several years, I worked in a few restaurants, always in the pastry area, until the pandemic hit and everything changed. During the pandemic, I started teaching virtual pastry classes and selling desserts to restaurants in my city. Soon after, I was contacted by SMEG, an Italian luxury appliances brand, to become their ambassador and represent their brand in Colombia.

After some time, I decided to create my place, @jardintragosypasteles, located in the garden of a house with English architecture in Bogotá. Our focus is cocktails and pastries, allowing guests to pair desserts with cocktails for a unique experience.

It’s been quite a journey. I hope the industry keeps evolving for the new generation of cooks, and we can see better remuneration, less abuse, and bullying in the kitchen.

What is your favorite street food?

Empanadas y lechona

Which restaurant or food stand do you recommend? (Different from yours) (Add its Instagram handle if possible)

Mesafranca

What is your guilty pleasure?

Piña colada

What ingredient do you find overrated?

Truffle

What ingredient do you think is underrated?

Honey

What is your favorite kitchen tool?

Spatula knife

What is your worst kitchen nightmare?

Enter the kitchen and the scales doesn’t work.