David Mantilla

A native of Cali, Colombia, Chef David considers himself a true New Orleanian after living here for over 15 years.

As a child he was always watching & learning what mom, grandma or his aunts were cooking but never thought working in kitchens could fulfill his dream of being an entrepreneur.

He moved to Miami in 1999 looking for the American dream. After working in a few kitchens as a prep cook, he then decided to start working in sales. At 17 years old, he advanced from best salesman of the year to overseeing more than 15 retail stores around the US as district manager.

At 20, he opened his first franchise in Riverwalk mall New Orleans. While only a small kiosk selling demonstration products and generating $40k+ in revenue a month, after a few months he had already expanded to 5 kiosks around the city.

After 5 years opening different locations around the US, he started developing and manufacturing his own product. He then sold his franchises to clients in Nashville, Atlanta, Chicago, San Diego, Honolulu, Miami, and Orlando to name a few.

Hurricane Katrina took a big hit on David’s businesses in New Orleans obligating him to move away and start over. A year later, upon arriving back to New Orleans after hurricane Katrina, David found his calling as a Chef.

David’s first restaurant venture in 2007 won City’s Best New restaurant and Best Latin American restaurant. While he spent most of his time there (2007-2012) as front of house manager, his passion to cook really awakened.

Maïs Arepas Restaurant brought David’s vision to life in November of 2012. Innovative, yet authentic Colombian cooking. Maïs focuses on showcasing Colombian flavors and dishes with an innovative twist while using ingredients grown from our local farmers. Since conception, Maïs Arepas has topped the list of best Latin restaurants in the city thanks to its loyal, local, New Orleans patrons.