“For me, cooking is a ritual. It’s a ritual that feeds the soul.”
Luz Dary Cogollo, known as Mama Luz, is a celebrated Colombian chef whose cooking has become a symbol of resilience and cultural pride. Raised between the coastal town of Tolú and bustling Bogotá, she channels the vibrant flavors of Colombia’s Pacific, Andean, and Caribbean regions into her food, creating a rich tapestry of culinary heritage. Her journey began in the Plaza de La Concordia, where she launched her first humble food stall after a personal turning point. College students, drawn to her warmth and hearty dishes, nicknamed her „Mama Luz” – a name that would define her culinary identity.
With growing recognition, she expanded her presence by opening restaurants such as Tolú, named in honor of her birthplace, and Casa Mamá Luz. Today, Mama Luz is not only a culinary force in Bogotá, but also a beloved figure in Colombia’s evolving food scene.
The Best Chef: Can you tell us a bit about your cooking, what it represents, and where you learned this craft?
Mamá Luz: Cooking is about conveying love. Cooking is about responsibility. And it’s a craft where you are always learning. Always. Every day you are learning something different. I am a cook from the Colombian Caribbean, and my cooking honors the regions of Colombia and its women. My cooking represents family. It represents the warmth of home. It represents women. Their work, their perseverance, and that is what I do: cook for the home.
I’ve been practicing this craft for many years, and I haven’t gone to a culinary school. My school is my mother, my father, my aunts, and my grandmothers. That’s how it was, and that’s where I started this trade.
We Caribbean women are more about sweets than desserts. And our cuisine is closely linked to wild game. Many years ago, wild game was hunted, and then things began to change, and we started making all our traditional dishes, like coconut rice, stews, and soups. I really identify with mote de queso, because it’s the soup that I started eating when I was a child. Mote de queso. And it’s been that soup that’s always there. It’s in restaurants and everywhere. I started here in Bogotá selling mote de queso.
Colombian cuisine is very abundant. It’s very extensive. There’s a bit of everything. You have cassava, fried plantains, egg-filled arepas, empanadas. All of that. It’s all important. To me, it’s all important. We have very fertile land. And we have immense biodiversity, making Colombia the best country for cuisine.
The Best Chef: How did your culinary journey evolve, and how did Casa Mamá Luz come to be?
Mamá Luz: Mamá Luz started at the Plaza de la Concordia, then I went to the Plaza de la Perseverancia. And that’s where this whole culinary journey began, and where I won the award for the best ajiaco. Then came Street Food, then came television, and here I am.
Casa Mamá Luz started right in the middle of the pandemic. So that still holds great, great value, because it was very difficult. It was very hard to work with the doors closed. There were no customers to sell to, there was no business, but there we were, always present.
Each of the guys working with me – my sons started this trade with me. I have three sons and a grandson and we’re all part of this. It includes my mother, my father, my siblings, and everyone. Then there’s the work team, and they’ve all been with me for many years. And to each of them, I’m their mom. I’m the mom to every single one of them.
The Best Chef: So to give discipline to your team in the kitchen, to your restaurant, the approach is to be a mom?
Mamá Luz: Yes, I always teach with a lot of love. My grandmother, my father – they all taught me with a lot of love, so I pass that on in my cooking. I feel I can’t be anyone else. I’m always here myself. Calling someone „my little girl,” „my love,” „my dear” – I mean, there’s always affection, there’s that maternal feeling for everything, even for a dish.
The Best Chef: People, chefs, and everyone truly love you. Why do you think that is?
Mamá Luz: Yes, yes. I am the Mamá. I love everyone and I deeply respect and value them. I admire anyone who wants to embrace and be with Mamá Luz. I am always there, present for each one of them. Because we must keep moving forward on this path, and within this community, too, we have to be a family. Always standing together.
So we create that energy, that beautiful energy, so people feel like they’re at home, coming to eat a delicious, healthy meal, and they leave happy. People leave happy. Because for me, cooking is a ritual. It’s a ritual that feeds the soul.
Chef Instagram: @mamaluzcocina
Restaurant Instagram: @casamamaluz_
Restaurant Address: Cl. 10 #2-23, La Candelaria, Bogotá, Cundinamarca
