30 May 2025
Santa Catarina Welcomes Mexico’s Chef Diana López del Río for a Groundbreaking Oaxacan Residency, A First for Sydney
Chef Diana - Headshots | About Chef Diana | Chef Diana Press Links & Food Images
Deeply rooted, fiercely authentic, and unlike anything Sydney has seen before: Santa Catarina, the Oaxacan dining room in the heart of the CBD, will host an extraordinary culinary residency this June, featuring one of Mexico’s most acclaimed culinary minds Chef Diana López del Río.
While Sydney’s food scene has long embraced Mexican cuisine, few venues have dared to go beyond the familiar tropes of tacos and tequila. Santa Catarina, part of the award-winning Milpa Collective is changing that. Located on Clarence Street, Santa Catarina exists to honour Oaxaca, widely considered the gastronomic capital of Mexico, yet still vastly underrepresented on global menus. And now, with Chef Diana at the helm for a limited-time residency, Sydney will experience a rare and genuine expression of Oaxacan food culture, one that speaks of ancient rituals, slow techniques, and regional pride.
A culinary researcher, teacher, and activist as much as she is a Chef, Diana López del Río has spent over two decades immersed in Mexico’s most intricate food traditions. She began her career working with legendary chefs at Mexico’s most respected kitchens, and in 2022 launched MUX, a restaurant and cultural project in Mexico City that has since been named by Eater as one of the city’s essential places to eat, and by Culinaria Mexicana as one of the 250 best restaurants in the country.
Diana’s philosophy is built on reclaiming culinary memory, documenting and reviving traditional recipes, spotlighting ingredients on the brink of extinction, and working hand-in-hand with rural communities. Through MUX, MATUCHE, and CICLO TIENDA, she’s created a platform for indigenous knowledge, sustainability, and storytelling through food. Her work has been recognised globally for its dedication to using lead-free pottery, regional salts, and fermentation techniques native to regions like the Mixteca, one of Mexico’s most culturally rich yet globally overlooked areas.
At Santa Catarina, Chef Diana will unveil an entirely new menu, designed exclusively for her four-week Sydney residency. Expect soulful dishes using salt from Zapotitlán, fermented tetelas, and her signature moles recipes that are both ceremonial and comforting, passed down through generations and rarely seen outside Mexico’s mountain kitchens.
“This is not Tex-Mex. This is not Baja. This is Oaxacan food, the way it’s made at home, by hands that remember,” says Chef Diana. “Every dish is a story not just of flavour, but of survival, identity, and resistance.”
No one in Sydney is doing Oaxacan food like this. While mezcal bars and taco joints have popped up across the city, Santa Catarina is the only venue carving out space for the complex, ceremonial, and often misunderstood cuisine of Oaxaca. The launch of this menu marks a cultural milestone, a rare opportunity for Australian diners to engage with a form of Mexican cuisine that goes beyond street food into something intellectual, emotional, and ancestral.
The new menu will include an express weekday lunch offering, designed for busy CBD professionals, alongside a robust evening menu that invites guests to take their time and immerse themselves in the textures, aromas, and stories behind each plate.
ABOUT SANTA CATARINA
Santa Catarina is where the ancient flavours of Mexico meet the energy of modern Sydney. With a focus on Oaxacan culinary heritage, the restaurant celebrates the region’s deep-rooted cooking traditions from handmade tortillas and slow-cooked barbacoa, to wild mushroom tlayudas and an expertly curated mezcal and tequila bar. Every dish is a tribute to Oaxaca’s rich cultural fabric, brought to life with contemporary care and reverence.
Join us this June & July as Santa Catarina and Chef Diana López del Río open a rare window into Mexico’s deep south and invite Sydney to experience Oaxacan cuisine in its truest form.