At Chupacabras in Bali, Chef Mauro Santarelli’s approach to cooking is shaped by a background that began far from the professional kitchen. Growing up in Argentina, food was part of everyday life, while his connection to nature and livestock gave him an early understanding of how ingredients are shaped long before they reach the plate.
Santarelli studied Agronomy while also helping manage his family’s cattle farm, which was home to around 800 head of cattle. Working closely with the animals gave him a perspective on meat that begins at the source, from how cattle are raised to how the natural character of the ingredient can be preserved through cooking.
From Argentina to Bali
Santarelli later continued his culinary journey through Europe, including time in Barcelona and Mallorca, before moving to Indonesia. His experiences across different countries and kitchens broadened his understanding of ingredients, techniques, and the relationship between food and place.
His Argentine background remains particularly influential in the way he approaches meat, while his time in Indonesia has introduced him to local ingredients and flavours. At Chupacabras, these influences come together through a menu rooted in South American traditions while incorporating the ingredients and perspective he has developed in Bali.
Cooking With Fire
Fire is central to the cooking at Chupacabras, where it is used as more than a cooking method. For Santarelli, working with fire is about understanding how and when heat should be applied, when an ingredient needs to rest, and how much technique is needed to bring out its natural character.
The approach keeps the cooking relatively simple while using heat to develop deeper flavours. The focus remains on the quality of the ingredients and how they respond to the grill, rather than relying on excessive preparation.
That philosophy is particularly evident in Santarelli’s treatment of meat, informed by his early experience with cattle as well as his culinary work across different countries. At the same time, the menu extends beyond individual cuts of meat, exploring a wider range of South American flavours and ingredients.
A South American Perspective in Bali
The meeting of Santarelli’s South American background with Indonesia’s diverse ingredients has become part of Chupacabras’ culinary identity. Each dish is built around its own combination of ingredients and flavours, while maintaining the same focus on quality produce, considered technique, and cooking over fire.
For Santarelli, the process begins well before an ingredient reaches the grill. His experience in agriculture, cattle farming, and professional kitchens has shaped an approach that considers where an ingredient comes from, how it is handled, and how cooking can reveal rather than mask its natural character.
At Chupacabras, that perspective translates into a menu where Argentine and South American influences meet the ingredients of Bali, with fire providing a common thread between the two.
Chupacabras
Kedewatan, Ubud, Gianyar Regency, Bali 80571
