Chef Tita and Aguají earn top honors at Fine Dining Table International Gala
El Salvador.- Dominican chef Inés Páez Nin, known as Chef Tita, received two major international distinctions at the first Fine Dining Table International Gala, held at the National Palace of El Salvador.
Her restaurant, Aguají by Chef Tita, received Tres Fuegos, the highest distinction of Los Fuegos 2026, while Chef Tita was honored for more than two decades of work promoting Dominican gastronomy and preserving the country’s culinary heritage.
The ceremony was held as part of Fine Dining Week El Salvador 2026, which recognized 508 restaurants and gastronomic experiences from 16 countries across Latin America, Spain and the United States.
Aguají was the Dominican Republic’s representative among the establishments receiving Tres Fuegos, a distinction reserved for gastronomic experiences that Fine Dining Table considers capable of creating a lasting legacy. The evaluation considers factors beyond food quality, including cuisine, hospitality, service, design, identity, ambiance, consistency and the emotions generated by the overall experience.
Aguají now shares the highest category with internationally recognized restaurants including Central and Maido in Peru, Boragó in Chile, Don Julio in Argentina and Leo in Colombia.
Chef Tita’s contribution to Dominican gastronomy
Chef Tita was also recognized for her career and efforts to promote Dominican cuisine through the rescue and reinvention of ancestral recipes, the use of local products and the preservation of the country’s culinary traditions.
Through her restaurants, particularly Aguají, and the IMA Foundation, she has developed initiatives connecting haute cuisine with farmers, fishermen, artisans and rural communities, using gastronomy as a means of creating economic opportunities and social development.
“We continue to pave the way for Dominican Republic gastronomy, and that fills me with great pride,” Chef Tita said following the recognition.
The awards place Aguají and Chef Tita among the international culinary establishments and figures helping to showcase Dominican flavors and identity on the global gastronomy stage.
