About · Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
A Life Built Around Food.
More than 30 years in kitchens. More than two decades on this coast.
Chef James Kelly
Start With the Ingredients. Then Pay Attention.
James Kelly has been working in kitchens since he was 13.
More than 30 years later, his approach remains rooted in the lessons that matter most: start with exceptional ingredients, respect the people producing them, take care of your guests and never stop paying attention to the details.
James moved to Santa Teresa in 2003 and soon opened Soma Restaurant at the boutique Milarepa Hotel. There he began developing the style that continues to define his cooking today — globally influenced cuisine grounded in Costa Rica’s extraordinary local ingredients and the active lifestyle of the coast.
From the beginning, James built relationships directly with local fishermen, farmers and producers. Those relationships became fundamental to his food and remain so today.
Soma’s international clientele increasingly began asking James to cook privately in their homes and villas. What began organically evolved into a private chef and events business serving clients from around the world.
From 2008 through 2023, James served as the Bündchen/Brady family’s personal chef while they were in Costa Rica.
Today, James leads James Kelly Cuisine and SOMA Chefs while continuing to do what brought him to the kitchen in the first place: cook great food for people and create experiences worth remembering.
Great dishes begin with great ingredients. We stay close to the people who grow, catch and raise our food because quality begins long before anything reaches the kitchen. I want the food to be fresh, nourishing and memorable — but above all, I want people to enjoy being together around the table.
A Working Life
Some of the Road Here.
- Age 13
The first kitchen
James starts working in kitchens and never really stops.
- 2003
Santa Teresa
Moves to the Nicoya Peninsula, then a far quieter stretch of coast.
- Soma Restaurant
Milarepa Hotel
Opens Soma at the boutique Milarepa Hotel and begins developing the style that still defines his cooking.
- 2008–2023
Private chef
Serves as the Bündchen/Brady family’s personal chef while they are in Costa Rica.
- Also
Built along the way
Barefoot Organic Market, Dos Santos Taqueria and food truck, Soda Rocamar and La Buena Paleta Ice Pops.
- Today
James Kelly Cuisine & SOMA Chefs
Private chef work, catering, classes, consulting and culinary travel.
Local Sourcing
It Starts Here.
Santa Teresa isn’t simply where SOMA operates. It shapes the food.
After more than two decades here, James has built long-standing relationships with the farmers, fishermen, producers and hospitality professionals who make exceptional experiences possible.
We prioritize seasonal local produce, responsibly sourced seafood and carefully selected proteins whenever possible.
Knowing where an ingredient comes from matters. Knowing the person who produced it matters even more.
The Team
James, and the People Around Him.
SOMA is James plus an experienced group of culinary and hospitality professionals he has worked with for years — chefs, servers, bartenders and coordinators chosen for how they work as much as what they can cook.
For a dinner for six, that might be James and one other person. For a wedding, it is a full brigade, a service team and a production plan.
What James Does Now
Five Ways to Work With Him.
All of it runs out of Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, and most of it happens within an hour of it.
- Private chef in Santa Teresa & Mal PaísVilla dining, single dinners and full-stay chef service for families and private clients.
- Wedding & private event cateringDestination weddings, villa celebrations and brand events across the Nicoya Peninsula.
- Private cooking classes & workshopsHands-on classes in your villa kitchen, built around what the coast is producing that week.
- Recipe development & culinary consultingMenu and product work for restaurants, hotels and food brands, remotely or on-site.
- Culinary travel in Mexico City & OaxacaPrivate three to six day food journeys for a maximum of six guests.
Service Areas
Home Ground
James has lived and cooked on this stretch of the Nicoya Peninsula since 2003.
All service areasSanta Teresa
Home base since 2003 — villas, boutique hotels and beachfront venues along the main road.
Mal País
The fishing village and the houses above it, five minutes south of Santa Teresa.
Nicoya Peninsula
Cóbano, Manzanillo, Montezuma and Tambor — nearly two decades of events across the peninsula.
Puntarenas Province
The wider province, for weddings and private work that sit outside the peninsula.
Inquire
Start a Conversation.
Tell us what you’re imagining and James or a member of the team will reply personally.
