Daniela Soto-Innes has earned a remarkable list of accolades, including the prestigious James Beard Rising Star Award at 25 and being named The World’s Best Female Chef at 28—the youngest person to receive the honor. She could have opened her first standalone venture in any major city in the world.
Instead, she chose the unexpected. Her first standalone concept—which she describes as more of a brand than a restaurant—is Rubra, located in Sayulita, an under-the-radar surf town nestled in the jungles of Mexico’s west coast.
“Rubra means ‘starting over again’ and ‘the beginning of everything,'” Soto-Innes said. “This is a project that will continue to evolve. Originally, it was supposed to be a bar.”
Tucked away at the W Punta de Mita, Rubra’s rosy-pink building rises from dense green foliage. Its brutalist design and concrete construction give it strength beneath its soft appearance. Diners can hear waves lapping the shore below, while natural light and blue skies fill the space alongside native plants. Soto-Innes custom-designed every detail, from the menu and architecture to the wooden chairs and tables, glassware, and plateware.
Rubra embodies Soto-Innes’ philosophy of life. To her, success isn’t about staying in one place or doing what everyone else has done; it’s about having the courage to explore the unknown.
“I have never felt comfortable being just in one place,” she said of leaving New York City for this new adventure. “I’m a little bit of a nomad. Constant movement is part of who I am. Latinos, especially those who grow up in a Latin country and then their parents take them away to live somewhere else, are always searching for new opportunities. It’s like, ‘My parents did this. Let me do this.’ I’m in pursuit of my own dream.”
The restaurant offers several experiences, serving as a dinner destination, cocktail bar, and coffee shop. Designed by Tatiana Bilbao Studio, the two-level space includes the Casa Dragones Palapa Bar by Rubra, a circular bar beneath the main dining room. Its signature pink concrete and geometric wooden chairs frame sea views. Eagle-eyed Karol G fans might recognize it as the backdrop for the Colombian singer’s announcement of her collab with the tequila brand for “200 Copas,” based on her 2021 hit song.
To reach the bar, guests descend into the restaurant’s two-acre herb garden, where basil, cilantro, epazote, hoja santa, beets, and heirloom tomatoes are grown for the kitchen.
The garden was a requirement for Soto-Innes to bring her project to Nayarit. The lot was originally slated for apartments, but she advocated for using the land to grow produce. The effort reflects her willingness to take on hard work: it took nearly two years and required everyone to pitch in through heavy rains, hurricanes, and extreme heat.
“Our farmers are the best,” the chef said. “They have the best attitude. It is almost impossible to do a garden here, but it has been really rewarding.”
Soto-Innes sees success as a team effort. Her opening team includes Estefania and Valentina Brito, Venezuelan sisters who followed her from Cosme; Eli Martínez Bello of Mexico City hot spot Tlecān; Fabiola Padilla of Bekeb in San Miguel de Allende, who created the cocktail menu; and sommelier Andrea Hernandez, who previously worked at Cosme and Quintonil.
It’s a powerhouse team made up entirely of women—a rarity in the industry. Soto-Innes says, “Hire by talent and not by gender.” She recalls starting her career as a pastry chef, not by choice, but because others steered her that way because of her gender.
“It’s really important for us as women leaders not to make it harder for a woman who wants to succeed in this industry,” she said. “Just because one person goes through a hardship doesn’t mean another has to. I see other women doing amazing things, and I want to work with them. There is space for all women to be empowered.”
At 35, Soto-Innes has a career many people only dream of. Yet, despite all she has achieved, she says she still doesn’t know what she wants to be when she grows up. One thing is certain: she wants to stay open and keep moving forward.
“It’s really important not to lock ourselves into one life project or a specific job,” she said. “There is this moment of incertidumbre [doubt] when listening to the noise from the decisions that you’ve made in your personal life can break you, but when you do what you really want to do, it embraces you. Don’t be afraid of the noise. There’s so much beauty in letting go.”