Interview Series Chef Extraordinaire - Antonello Lauri
Born in Rome, Italy, Chef Antonello Lauri brings with him recipes of his mother and generations of family tradition to his restaurant in Cabo San Lucas - Invita Antonello's Kitchen. The Southern Italian focus, with select Mediterranean accents, leads to distinctive specials inspired by exceptional local seafood. Each week an outstanding item is offered, such as The Don Correleone- a fresh Baja lobster served with a seafood cream sauce over homemade fettuccine. “Invita Bistro isn’t just another pasta place,” insistsChef Antonello. “Our mission is simple: to gather those who have impacted our lives and supported us in this wonderful town, to bring them, as well as to locals and visitors, high quality food and wines at affordable prices. Combining original family recipes from Rome, regionally inspired dishes from the Mediterranean, and locally sourced ingredients, allows the restaurant to stand out from the rest.” Invita Antonello's Kitchen will celebrate 15 years this upcoming February 2027. Congratulazioni!
by Mayté Rodríguez Cedillo and Fernando Favela · Chef Extraordinaire · BajaTraveler.com
Your cuisine feels deeply personal. If you had to distill your culinary identity into one essential idea, what would it be—and how has it evolved over time?
Italian tradition. I cook with the flavors I grew up with and recipes that have a history. Invita will celebrate 15 years next February, we’ve changed and continued to create over the years, but the heart remains the same: great ingredients, authentic Italian food, and a table made for sharing.
La tradizione è italiana, il prodotto è della Baja.
My cuisine is Italian, but after almost 15 years, Baja has become my home. We work with fresh fish and local ingredients like chocolate clams, which we use in our Linguine Fasolari I prepare them the way I would in Italy: few ingredients, simple cooking, and letting the product speak for itself.
Extra virgin olive oil, Italian tomatoes, Parmigiano, garlic, and basil. We make our gnocchi and ravioli in-house, and our dry pasta is imported from Italy. And of course, fresh fish and seafood are essential.
With a glass of white wine… [Laughs.] After so many years, the technique is already there. Then comes intuition: tasting, adjusting, and letting yourself go a little. In the end, you just know when a dish is right.
At Invita, we have a motto:
“Un pasto senza vino è come un giorno senza sole.”
A meal without wine is like a day without sunshine.
That really says it all. There’s a wine to pair with almost every dish on our menu. It’s the Italian way: good food, good wine, and enjoying them together.
From your perspective, how is Valle de Guadalupe positioned today within the international food and wine scene?
I first visited Valle de Guadalupe in 2005, and seeing it today is impressive. It has grown enormously, both in wine and gastronomy, and it has helped put Baja on the international map.
For me, it’s about finding the right dish, the right wine, and the right moment. A Paccheri alla Genovesa, a traditional dish from Naples, with a Dal Forno Romano, for example. When the pairing works, it changes the whole experience.
Sustainability is often discussed, but rarely understood in depth. What meaningful practices—often unseen by the guest—truly shape your approach?
It starts with respecting the product: buying well, looking for local ingredients, avoiding waste, and finding a second life for ingredients whenever possible. These are small things we practice every day in our kitchen.
Which global influences have shaped your vision, and how do you reinterpret them while preserving a strong sense of place?
Italy will always be my roots, but traveling has opened my palate. Indonesia especially taught me different ways of working with fish, spice, and coconut milk. I discovered much of this culture through my wife, and it taught me to appreciate flavors that wake up the palate and reveal themselves little by little.
Beyond trends, what kind of legacy do you hope to build—and how do you envision the future of Baja’s cuisine on the global stage?
After almost 15 years, my legacy is the people who come back. Guests who discovered Invita years ago now return with their children, friends, or partners. I want Invita to remain that Italian table in Cabo you always want to come back to.
And I see a great future for Baja if we continue to do exactly that: keep our own identity and tell our own story.
BajaTraveler® Signature Closing
1. A wine that never fails to move you (red, white, or sparkling)
White
2. One Baja ingredient you can’t live without
Chocolata clams
3. A restaurant anywhere in the world that recently inspired you
Enoteca Tognoni
4. Sea or land—where do you find more inspiration?
Sea
5. A perfect pairing—simple, yet unforgettable
Invita’s Insalata di Mare with a Greco di Tufo.
6. A guilty pleasure
Invita’s after-dinner grappa cart. Because there’s always room for one grappa, or two…
7. The first dish or memory that defined your palate
My Nonna’s pasta al forno on Sundays. I can still remember the smell filling the house.
8. If you weren’t a chef, what would you be…
I would travel the world.
9. A culinary destination you consider essential today
Bangkok
10. In one word: what is Baja to you?
CASA