CupCakes and CrabLegs

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

SMA Food Festival: Five Things We're Still Celebrating

Coming off the heels of the highly successful food show, Sabores San Miguel, just weeks before, the SMA Food Festival had a challenge. With a new location, no longer held at the historical Instituto Allende in Centro, the show rolled out a whole new look and format.

I loved SMAFF for one reason; I got a culinary education having discovered so many new wines, tequilas, chefs and a whole new type of cuisine from Tabasco, Mexico.

For me, it’s always about the total experience. Here are some of the highlights.

Buen Apetito!

The Chefs from Tabasco

This was my first introduction to the food of Tabasco, a state in Mexico’s southeast bordering Campeche to the northeast, Veracruz to the west, Chiapas to the south, and Guatemala to the southeast and all I can say is BRING IT ON! It’s not every day you discover a whole new type of cuisine.

The Tabasco lineup of chefs was put together by a favorite, local chef Armando Prats Leal, who is from Tabasco. The Team consisted of chefs Lupita Vidal, Alfonso Castañeda, Alejandro Vidal and the captivating Cocinera de Humo (traditional smoke cook) Nelly Morillo. Jesus David, founder of Come Tabasco, came along for the festivities.

Nelly made an extraordinary dish called Horneado de Cerdo en Barro, a pork dish; typical Tabasco comfort and fiesta food that defies explanation.

What was interesting to me is that it was served on a plate called comal de barro ahumado that is smoked in the Barro oven for months before using. The flavors of this dish were both surprising and complex. Nelly also made a beautiful Estofado de Lengua de Res at the Chefs table that night.

The experience of tasting Tabasco food and meeting the chefs left me curious and hungry for more. Interjet makes it so affordable to take a weekend trip to Villahermosa just to eat.

I’m also pulling for a Barro oven for Christmas.

The Chef's Tables

The Chefs tables ARE what this event is all about and if you didn’t get a ticket, you missed out.

We spent time with the chefs in the morning as they begun their morning preparation; Chef Allen Williams with his spring rolls and here with Chef Bricio Dominguez and sons Chef Alonso Domínguez, Chef Luis Pablo Dominguez and nephew Chef Pablo Domínguez.

We enjoyed the Saturday night dinner with Chef Marco Cruz of B’ui, Milpa and Nomada Cocina de Interpretacion along with Chef Lucy Noriega, Chef Guanajuato; Chef Carlos Segura, Rosewood; Chef Fernanda Prado, Espaisucre and Chef Carlos Zamora, Matilda.

Two of the dishes I still crave from this meal were Marco’s Esquites and Mushroom Pipian Tecomate, which he recreated for me the following week in the kitchen at Nomada Cocina de Interpretacion.

On Sunday, we took in the brunch, with Chefs Magda Elisa Pablos, El Vergel Bistro and Market, Chef Sandor Emmanuel, The Restaurant; Chef Gabriel Ordoñez, El 58 and Chef Eduardo Ruiz, Monin Syrup.

Chef Magda’s Blueberry Mimosa was definitely one of the high spots.

Chula Parranda Extra Anjeo Tequila

“The longer we stayed, the cheaper it got.” I’m still laughing at this comment from my friend Ricardo but for me finding this tequila was worth the price of admission. It’s the best tequila I’ve ever tasted.

I consider myself a fairly educated tequila drinker having worked in the Tequila industry for years with expert Cesar Mascorro and downing my fair share of both good and ghastly tequila shots. In all the years I’ve enjoyed Tequila, I’ve never run across one like Chula Parranda Extra Anjeo.

Is it tequila or cognac? It’s difficult to tell.

Now, the challenge is on to find a better tequila. Good luck with that one.

Arael Gomez Tello

Arael Gomez Tello, a passionate culinarian and promoter of the world of wine, is one of the most knowledgeable wine experts in SMA. We kept making the rounds but it was at his booth where we got our wine education and experienced some of the best wines from Mexico.

Arael’s company, Argot el Vino, has a wine portfolio that includes close to 300 labels and continues to grow.

The Oyster Fest

Last year, it was the BBQ on Sunday afternoon that stole the show but this year, the chefs of Tabasco showed us all how to party. Hundreds of oysters on the grill and a group of thirsty chefs was the festive conclusion of another great food weekend in San Miguel de Allende.

Sunday, August 14, 2016

Chefs Greta Ortega Casanas and Ana Cecilia Alvarez of MiVida

I would say it’s the ingredients; the fresh ingredients they pick then from the garden in the back of the restaurant or the quality ingredients that Chef Greta Ortega Casañas selectively hand-picks from sources all over Mexico, many of them imported from Italy, but what really makes MiVida Restaurant special is the chefs: Greta Ortega Casañas,

Ana Cecilia Alvarez and

Davide Giribaldi. All three work together as a team and care about giving their customers the best dining experience possible. Blend that with great food and service - the staff is terrific - and you’ve got a winning recipe.

Greta Ortega Casañas

Executive Chef
MiVida

Chef Greta Ortega Casanas was a championship swimmer and spent most of her adolescent life in the pool. She participated in State and Nationals and was selected for the Central and Pan American Games and the Central American University Championships. She was the regional champion in 1998 and also participated in the National Triathlon in 2000.

She studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Mexico City, where she received a diploma in cuisine and pastry. She participated in the Atelier Boulangerie workshops, received a Master’s degree in Nutrition from the Latin Ameican University, Santa Fe campus and did her undergraduate at Metropolitan Autonomous University, Xochimilco.

She loves bread; she worked at The House of Bread in Cuernavaca where she came in every morning at 6:00 AM just to help the bakers. She did her internships at Bistrot The Bourgongne in Mexico City, The Glass Bar and at the Hotel Hyde Away in Playa del Carmen.

She opened MiVida in 2006 and was the first chef to plant a garden and grow vegetables and herbs for the restaurant. This September she will travel to Albany Novella, Italy and study under Chef Alessandro Neri, a chef she met while working in Playa del Carmen.

We salute Chef Ortega for being one of the first female chefs to take the helm of a major, fine dining restaurant in SMA.

Ana Cecilia Alvarez

Sous-Chef
MiVida

When sous-chef Ana Cecilia Alvarez graduated from La Universidad Tecnologíca in San Miguel de Allende, she did her internship at Restaurant Il Grecale in Novello, Italy. She also took baking classes from Chef Christophe Rhedon in Mexico City, courses in contemporary Mexican cuisine and Mexipan’s artisan ice cream making by Italian master Angelo Corvitto. She was Chef-in-Charge at Casa de Path in Los Senderos and later took her current position as sous-chef and bakery-in-charge at Mi Vida Restaurant.

She says she’s always believed that motivation is the key to success, so every day she wakes up with the best attitude, certain she is doing what she likes the most. She admits that occupationally, she’s not very flexible; “I like things to go perfect” she says. Perfect it is when it comes to her specialty; fish (she smokes the Robalo herself), cream of beet, fried chard, chicharron and avocado. I ordered it last week and there’s only two words to describe it: world-class.

We’ve had a number of lunches and dinners over the past two months and every dish hit the high mark on the combination of flavor and taste.

At my most recent lunch on Friday, I got their tasting menu and now that I’ve had one, it will be my menu of choice, unless of course it’s Sunday night, when MiVida rolls out their special pizza. It’s a habit with me; I’ve been in there every Sunday since Marene Flores Silva, the Pastry Chef at Jacinto 1930, told me about it. Don’t ask me to pick a favorite; I love them all.

The tasting menu:

Mixed citrus Martini made with Vodka

Pargo café from Oaxaca (red snapper) with a saffron (they pulled the prime saffron out for this one) broth made with fish and shrimp stock, organic carrots and onions, and clams.

Tortellini pasta stuffed with beef stew, pancetta (my favorite, Italian bacon) , Oporto sauce, green beans, corn and purple radish micro-greens, tatemado olive oil, and parmesan.

Apricot semi-fritto with chocolate mousse stuffed cannoli (honestly this is one of the best cannoli I’ve ever tasted – made with puff pastry and lightly sugared)

We’ve also had a number of ceviches and desserts (Cecy does the magic when it comes to the appetizers and pastries) with our pizzas and pastas that have been really outstanding.