Vamos
al Sur

Because the South also has stories to tell.

September 16–19, 2026

Uvita de Osa, Puntarenas

Territory · Cooking · Conservation

Vamos al Sur is how we open the table.

Our mission is to connect people, territory, and cooking — and to make visible the cultural, productive, and biodiverse wealth of Costa Rica’s South Pacific.

We make a space where chefs, mixologists, producers, communities, communicators, and visitors meet, share knowledge, and build ties. We champion local talent, the product of this territory, and the passing on of our culinary traditions. More than 50 chefs and mixologists from across the country come south for this first edition.

So the South is no longer only a destination people visit for its nature — and becomes a place they come for its cooking, its culture, and its people.

  • Chefs
  • Mixologists
  • Producers
  • Communities
A local farmer harvesting in the South Pacific forest.
Hands open a fresh mollusk and dress it with lime.
Portrait of chef Marlon Acuña

A question that was born in the South.

Executive chef · Scala, Potz, Sibu, Contramarea

Why not gather all of this here, in our town, in the South of Costa Rica?

Marlon Acuña, from Pérez Zeledón, watched initiatives like Fogón Futuro gather the trade in other parts of the country. Executive chef of Scala, Potz, and Sibu, and owner of Contramarea, he believes in the potential of this territory. That is how the festival was born: cooking does not start on a plate. It starts with those who grow, fish, cook, and keep a recipe.

A festival made by the South.

  • Celeste OdioGraphic Design & Creative Direction
  • Frenesí RíosCommunity work and cultural recovery · Bahía Ballena
  • Erick SeguraAudiovisual Production

The invited chefs.

50kitchens in the South.

Kitchens from across the country meet in the South Pacific. The archive holds them by gathering — the same format, the same territory.

See the invited chefs

Noche de Bocas.

  • Edgardo Gamboa
  • Luis Protti
  • María José Alvarado
  • Sergio Dobles
  • Sergio Murillo

Fogón Futuro.

  • José González
  • Carlos Alpízar
  • Pablo Bonilla
  • Andrés Cervilla
  • Raquel Chacón
  • Nena Murillo
  • Karina Borges
  • Adriana Sánchez
  • Wendy Mora
  • Paco Cervilla
  • Mariale Brenes
  • Carlos Rodríguez
  • Randy López & Andrés Calderón
  • José Pablo Artavia
  • Rodrigo Vargas
  • Ricardo Piedra

Contragolpe.

  • David Moya
  • Julio Lazo
  • Federico Lizano
  • Andrés Cervilla

Educa & Bebe.

  • Alexander Morales
  • Clark Jiménez
  • Fernando Rodríguez
  • Jafeth Villalobos
  • Moisés Portilla
  • Miguel Sequeira

Collaborative brunch.

  • Fran & Luis Salazar
  • José Cordero
  • Luis Chaves
  • Miguel Agüero
  • Nicole Aguilar

Camino.

  • Alfonso Washington
  • Andrey Rodríguez
  • Bianca Jiménez
  • Daniel Hernández
  • Isaac Madrigal
  • Juan Pablo Álvarez
  • Kenneth Ruiz
  • Kevin Charpentier
  • María Jiménez
  • Marlon Acuña
  • Mónica Phillips
  • Paulo Valerios
  • Rodrigo Zúñiga
  • Ronald Aguilera
  • Santiago Fernández

Different regions, stories, and kitchens meet in the South.

This first edition brings together more than 50 chefs and mixologists, alongside producers, communicators, and communities from across the country. Times and venues may still shift.

Wednesday

Noche de Bocas.

5 chefs / 5 bites

Sibu Restaurant, Uvita

Free entry · exclusive menu · no reservation

  1. Sergio MurilloRebel
  2. Edgardo GamboaAura
  3. Luis ProttiBuchón
  4. Sergio DoblesBilly Sazón
  5. María José AlvaradoFranco

Thursday

Fogón Futuro.

Talks, demos, conversations

Bahía Ballena Community Hall

Free event · open to the public

  1. José GonzálezAl Mercat
  2. Carlos AlpízarRaíz
  3. Pablo BonillaSikwa
  4. Andrés CervillaPee-Pah!
  5. Raquel ChacónHotel Savegre
  6. Nena MurilloRaw
  7. Karina BorgesSebas
  8. Adriana SánchezManos en la Masa
  9. Wendy MoraSibu
  10. Paco CervillaFogón Futuro
  11. Mariale BrenesGastronomy Research
  12. Carlos RodríguezPresidente de la ANCH
  13. Randy López & Andrés CalderónFinca Orgánica Tinamastes
  14. José Pablo ArtaviaAsociación de Piangueros
  15. Rodrigo VargasUniversidad Latina
  16. Ricardo PiedraSax & música

Contragolpe.

The sea from different kitchens

Club Marino Ballena, Bahía Ballena

Free entry · exclusive menu · no reservation

  1. David MoyaVilla Avellana
  2. Julio LazoLR Marisquería
  3. Federico LizanoTexturas
  4. Andrés CervillaDJ set

Educa & Bebe.

Talks and 6 mixologists at one bar

Club Marino Ballena, Bahía Ballena

Free entry · signature cocktails · no reservation

  1. Moisés PortillaEduca & Bebe
  2. Jafeth VillalobosNatu Speakeasy
  3. Miguel SequeiraRon Centenario
  4. Fercho RodríguezConsultor / Libar
  5. Clark JiménezB+A+R & Chef
  6. Alexander MoralesRemedios

Friday

Collaborative brunch.

The south through different gazes

Potz Bistro, Ojochal

Free entry · exclusive menu · no reservation

  1. Miguel AgüeroWildhog
  2. Luis ChavesDescarada Tradición
  3. Nikki BlardSobremesa
  4. Fran & Luis SalazarSnobs
  5. José CorderoIsolina

Camino.

The great dinner that travels Costa Rica’s regions

Scala Restaurant, Escaleras

By reservation

$150 per person

Seating 01 · 5:30PM – 7:30PMSeating 02 · 8:00PM – 10:00PM

Reserve here
  1. Paulo ValeriosHuacas
  2. María JiménezFonda Vela
  3. Alfonso WashingtonNichi
  4. Santiago FernándezSilvestre
  5. Kenneth RuizAmana
  6. Juan Pablo ÁlvarezCuisine Juan Pablo
  7. Mónica PhillipsCrème Caramel
  8. Marlon AcuñaScala
  9. Daniel HernándezSan Lucas
  10. Kevin CharpentierCense
  11. Isaac MadrigalOcotea
  12. Ronald Aguilera & BiancaLa Clandestina
  13. Andrés Rodríguez & Rodrigo ZúñigaTabacón

Saturday

Territorio.

Experiences with guests, communities, coral, and local product

Rivas, Pérez Zeledón

A territorial experience

Tied to communities, coral conservation, local product, and the South Pacific.

Comunidad.

Festival close. One last drink in the south.

Scala Restaurant, Escaleras

Signature cocktails · gathering

To close Vamos al Sur: networking, what was lived, and the bar in Escaleras.

  1. Jafeth VillalobosGuest bartending · Natu Speakeasy
A coral colony in the South Pacific, with light filtering from the surface.
Costa Rica Coral Restoration

Celebrating our cooking also means caring for the place it comes from.

Vamos al Sur exists to give back to the territory that hosts us. Part of the proceeds go to the conservation and restoration of South Pacific corals, with Costa Rica Coral Restoration, in Marino Ballena National Park.

Visit the project

The contribution moves toward the reef.

 

You can also give directly to the reef.

SINPE móvil8810-7777

In the name of Asociación Restauración de Coral Costa Rica

Colones

Account
200-01-195-005706-4
Client account
15119520010057067
IBAN
CR94015119520010057067

Dollars

Account
200-02-195-002548-6
Client account
15119520020025482
IBAN
CR50015119520020025482

Those who hold the gathering up.

The same field for every mark. Those who make this first edition possible.

  • Scala
  • ANCH Costa Rica
  • Potz Bistro
  • Arbórea Experiences
  • Sibu
  • Hermosa Software
  • Bahía Ballena Experiences
  • Contra Marea
  • Casa Ramón
  • Club Marino
  • Costa Rica Coral Restoration
  • Educa y Bebe
  • Fogón Futuro
  • Grupo Pampa
  • Habla Bebidas
  • Instituto Costarricense de Turismo
  • Japi
  • Kenneth
  • Koru
  • La Libertad
  • Límbico Project
  • Locato
  • Mako
  • Mayca
  • Mog
  • Morpho
  • Nasua
  • Pacific
  • Pal Patio
  • Sueños de Bambú
  • Tángara Azul
  • Tromen
  • Unique
  • Uvita Print
  • Villa Pacífica