Estefania Andrade
Trippy Kitchen at Tripping Animals Brewing Co. | Doral, FL
May 2025
Estefania Andrade has loved food from the very start. Growing up in Caracas, Venezuela, she spent her childhood watching her grandmother in the kitchen, and was always scouting out the snack table at family parties. Once she finished high school, Andrade enrolled at the Culinary Institute of Caracas at just 17 years old. She eventually got her first taste of a professional kitchen at her uncle’s restaurant. The gritty, loud environment was not what she expected, but Andrade wasn’t deterred. After graduating, she started at Alto under Chef Carlos García, where she got a crash course in how to operate in a fine dining kitchen.
Andrade eventually relocated to New York. After securing a stage at Cosme, she was hired full-time under Rising Stars alum Daniela Soto-Innes. There, Andrade was energized and inspired by the woman-led kitchen while learning how to communicate effectively on the line. Two years later, Andrade moved to Miami to be closer to family and reconnected with García. He offered her the head chef position at his new concept, and she joined the team at Obra Kitchen Table. In her first leadership role, Andrade designed the menu and learned all the aspects behind running a successful restaurant, from scheduling to inventory.
In 2020, the restaurant closed its doors, so Andrade moved to Leku as sous chef. Eager to break out of her comfort zone, she began working at Rising Stars alums Nando and Valerie Chang’s Itamae as a line cook, despite never having worked with Nikkei cuisine before. In 2023, Andrade joined the team at Tripping Animals Brewing Company to develop their food program, Trippy Kitchen. At the vibrant brewery, Andrade has curated a menu of American bar staples that are infused with nods to her South American roots. With the addition of a new taproom in Oakland Park, Andrade is drawing from her leadership experiences to continue strengthening her team and push Trippy Kitchen forward.
