Graciela de Holman

Graciela "Chela" de Holman (1930/1931 – 19 March 2021) was a Salvadoran businesswoman and restaurateur. She co-founded the International Gastronomic Festival of El Salvador to promote Salvadoran cuisine at a gourmet standard.

Career Holman began working in the restaurant business at a young age. She started her first restaurant around 1970 with 1000 colónes, and went on to open several gourmet restaurants in the country: Le Mar, Siete Mares, La Tablita, Chalet Suizo, and Chela's. During the Salvadoran Civil War, some of the restaurants were targeted in bombings, forcing her to rebuild. She eventually expanded to Guatemala and opened a U.S. location of Chela's in Miami. Holman continued as a member of the organizing committee for later offerings of the festival. She also served as President of the Tourism Committee.

Over the course of her career, Holman won 27 professional awards. and advised the Ministry of Tourism as late as March 2021.

Personal life Holman had eight children, twenty-one grandchildren, and twenty-eight great-grandchildren. She died on 19 March 2021 at the age of 90.