Meet the LDNY Board

President

Barbara Sibley was born and raised in Mexico City. An anthropologist, for many years she collected traditional, rare, and ancient Mexican recipes, including 17th Century recipes from Mexico’s convents following the traditions of the Mayoras, the women leaders of Mexican kitchens. Her extensive experience led her to open La Palapa Cocina Mexicana in 2000. As a truly authentic Mexican restaurant, La Palapa has been awarded the “Disctinctivo” by the Sabores Autenticos de Mexico Foundation. Barbara is a past president of the New York Women’s Culinary Alliance, and previous trustee of Les Dames D’Escoffier NY, LDNY. In 2022 she was awarded the Operator of the Year award from the Industry Excellence Awards presented by the Food and Restaurant Expo, La Palapa was named the Gender Equity Restaurant of the Year by One Fair Wage and the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and selected as a member of the James Beard Foundation Women Entrepreneurial Program. Sibley co-authored the cookbook, Antojitos: Festive and Flavorful Mexican Small Plates. She is a featured contributor to many cookbooks including: The Way We Ate: 100 Chefs Celebrate a Century at the American Table, Mocha, Women Chefs of New York, and WW Fresh Mex! During the pandemic she served over 90,000 meals to frontline hospital workers, nursing homes, and soup kitchens.