In July 2018, Chef Evan White and his partner Amelia Stokes opened authentic coastal Mexican taqueria and named it CHUPACABRA (from Latin American folklore of a vampiric animal known as the “goat-sucker”) in Byron Bay.

Evan has been mastering the art of authentic Mexican food for many years and his focus is on the coastal or Caribbean style which channels the beaches of the Yucatan coast. Evan and Amelia chose Byron Bay to open Chupa with all the similarities connecting the cultures, ocean and land. The east coast current of Australia has the same ecosystems as the Mexican Gulf Stream and they share the same ocean fauna such as tuna, sail fish, prawns, great whites and many more. This means that a lot of the coastal produce, especially from the ocean, is strikingly similar. 

Byron Bay is unique in the Australian market in its accessibility to fresh seafood direct from the source, as you would find in Mexico. In Byron Bay, Evan also has access to locally grown traditional South and Central American produce, including tomatillos, cream guava, nopales cactus, beautiful jewel corn, and many subtropical fruits and herbs so often under-utilised in Australian cooking.

Despite working in some of London, Florence and Sydney’s best restaurants (including Nobu Park Lane, Harvey’s, White House, Lumiere), Evan considers the time he spent with grassroots cooks and kitchens to be what made him the chef he is today. 

His cuisine is rustic and wholesome, and his passion is for food made slowly, with love and integrity. 
Visiting and living in Mexico truly cemented Evan’s food direction where he took time to learn about the culture and history behind the cuisine. 

The importance of locality and community to Mexican cooks resounded with him at a young age and his ethos reflects this today. 

Through his work in Brisbane in the last 10 years (Mexican taqueria Coyotito formerly Chingon, Red Hook, The Burrow) and especially in this new venture, Evan believes in the importance of working closely with local producers and growers. 

Mexico is the birthplace to some of the oldest forms of agriculture and farming, which has always fascinated Evan. He loves the crossing of cultures and the deep, timeless cooking style of Mexican cuisine.