The CULINARY Atelier: Practice, Path & Perspectives
I’m Renato Osoy, founder and creative director of Culinary Collector. This project is my laboratory—born from a singular quest for the flavor elixir. I view every formulation as one step closer to unlocking that secret. My practice operates at the intersection of the visual arts studio and the kitchen brigade—a tension that transforms the kitchen into a true Atelier.
Trained at Le Cordon Bleu Paris and the Royal Academy of Art in Antwerp, I draw on the rigorous discipline of the Michelin brigade and the conceptual freedom of the studio. The culinary atelier is where I document that collision—sharing the technical foundations of professional cooking alongside the creative intuition required to break them.
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My journey is a continuous dialogue between the visual arts and professional gastronomy, taking me from my roots in Guatemala across the academies and kitchens of Europe and the United States.
My artistic foundation—built between Denver, New York, Antwerp, and Amsterdam—culminated in co-founding a contemporary art gallery. Simultaneously, my culinary discipline was forged at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, tested in Michelin-starred kitchens across Spain and Holland, and solidified by leading large restaurant groups back home.
Today, I draw no boundaries between these disciplines. Whether curating an exhibition or designing a menu, my work is about translating a creative vision into a tangible, impactful experience.
Read more about my trajectory ↗ -
To cook is to transform matter into memory. I approach ingredients not just as food, but as elements with distinct properties—history, chemistry, and character.
My work seeks Depth above all else—a richness that comes from understanding the roots and the unexpected potential of an ingredient before applying technique. Whether fusing the smoke of the parrilla with the finesse of French sauce-making, the goal is always the same: to create food that feels inevitable, grounded, and deeply human.
Technique is not the end goal; it is the tool we use to unlock the soul of the raw material.
BASED IN MONTREAL, QC
SPECIALIZING IN CULINARY R&D, CREATIVE DIRECTION & EDUCATION.
PERSPECTIVES
In these articles I am tracing the arc from the romance of being serious about your cooking, to the reality of joining the trenches. This is the documentation of a creative evolution—where the sensory joy of cooking meets the discipline of the line. The transition is not just technical; it is mental. Here, we explore the adventure of professionalizing your passion, reminding you that the heat of the kitchen is not an obstacle to your dream, but the fire that forges it. It is, ultimately, a question of perspective.
The Gap: The Threshold Between Home Cook and Chef
At home, time bends around you. In a professional kitchen, time compresses. A reflection on the threshold between home intuition and professional structure.