Chef Martín San Román

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Title: Chef Consultant and Executive Chef, Dobson’s
City: San Diego, CA

Juan “Martín” San Román is a Mexico City native with Basque blood in his veins. A long time American citizen, he has owned and operated several acclaimed restaurants in the U.S. and Mexico, and has shared his talents broadly with both patrons and a large audience who have enjoyed his TV programs. During his career, he proudly represented Mexican gastronomy in England, Switzerland, Russia, Morocco, France, Japan, Singapore, and the U.S, even competing in the Olympics of gastronomy, the   Bocouse d’Or. Therefore, it is not surprising that Chef San Román is recognized by his peers and being among the most respected ambassadors of Mexican cuisine.

Today, Chef San Román, continues to evolve his own style of Baja Provençale Cuisine, marrying his rigorous French training with Spanish and Mexican flavors. Years of executive experience in all types of kitchens, from hotels to intimate dining rooms and catering, have made San Román a highly-qualified restaurant consultant. Yet, he is at his most impressive in the kitchen. I have had the pleasure to cook with Chef Martín and marvel at his impeccable training and seemingly effortless orchestration. His experience and crowd-pleasing creations have made him a highly sought-after caterer in San Diego and Tijuana.

Tucked into my favorite booth in the corner of the Dobson’s bar in San Diego, savoring bite after delectable bite of his sweetbreads in a red wine reduction, he humored me with his responses to The Chat:

Spanish/Basque food aside, which cuisine most excites you and why?
I love French cuisine for the quality of the products, the variety, the techniques, presentations, and fine flavors of France.

What meal most reminds you of your childhood? Who prepared it?
Chile morita enchiladas made by my grandmother was my favorite plate and also carne al pulque (beef in pulque stew) made by my mother.

What culinary trend/fad do you refuse to follow?
I refuse to use foams or too many flowers on the plates. The effect is overly artistic and little in flavor. These days, many chefs spend so much time decorating a plate that when arrives to the customer, it is cold!

If there was a soundtrack for your work life, who are the musicians/groups on the recording?
Led Zeppelin, Bread, America, Cat Stevens, Doors, Mana, Roberto Carlos, fleetwood Mac, Queen, James Taylor, Bee Gees and Rod Stewart.

Where will I find you on your day off?
On days off I am regularly at home! I very much enjoy being in my home, tending my garden and chickens. I also love watching Formula 1 racing and Soccer.

As an EATER, what is the food you most crave when…

  • …you are sick with a cold?
    I want Mexican-style caldo de pollo.
  • …it is your special day and someone else is treating you or cooking for you?
    I really appreciate when people and friends cook for me! I appreciate any kind of food when they are cooking.
  • …you are out late partying?
    My late night favorites are tacos al pastor or menudo to get ahead of the hangover.
  • …you are hungover?
    For a hangover, menudo is the best or maybe some lamb barbacoa!

Chef Ismael Iglesias Esquivias

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Title: Executive Chef, Restaurante Rita
City: San Sebastian, Spain

Chef Ismael Iglesias Esquivias is a native of Toledo, Spain. His was not the usual path to culinary distinction. Iglesias spent his early years learning another trade steeped in time-consuming pursuit of perfection and requiring perseverance and patience – carpentry. Then came real estate and a stint in the hospitality industry. At 27 years old, he moved to San Sebastián to follow his true calling and studied at the school of Chef Luís Irizar. He honed his skills in highly-respected kitchens including Juanito Kojua, Astelehena 1997, Branka, Alameda, Urepel, Narru and as head chef at Kata-4.

In 2017, Iglesias opened Restaurante Rita in the Eguia neighborhood of San Sebastián, set apart from the restaurant-dense streets of Old Town, Gros and Amara. Rita has the feel of a true neighborhood hang-out where you can sense the “regulars” among the crowd. The menu is adjusted in the moment to feature local seasonal product, in honest dishes that offer subtle hints at Iglesias’ Castilian roots. Yet, by his own admission, Rita is a work in progress. The kitchen is ever-evolving, most recently increasing its fire power to offer more wood-fired treats and exploring dry-aged beef.

On the summer night that I dined on the terrace at Rita, I did not yet know the exuberant, well-spoken Chef behind the pass. But, since then, I have gotten to know him as a clever, passionate, and exceedingly hard-working man. In our most recent discussion, we mulled over the “Chat” questions that I share for you here.

Spanish/Basque food aside, which cuisine most excites you and why?
Moroccan because of the unique spice flavors and the way they slow cook everything. They also cook many things with wood fire, which I appreciate.

What meal most reminds you of your childhood? Who prepared it?
A potato stew with chicken livers and hearts that was made for me by the best cook in the world, my mother.

What culinary trend/fad do you refuse to follow?
In my kitchen, I do not usually refuse to follow anything. I am pretty open and I think that every product type or way of cooking has its time and place.

If there was a soundtrack for your work life, who are the musicians/groups on the recording?
The Who – Baba O’Riley.

Where will I find you on your day off?
In the mountains, eating in Casa Urola, or in my house knocked out resting.

As an EATER, what is the food you most crave when…

  • …you are sick with a cold?
    Sick?? I’ve given service on crutches, with a 40 degree fever and suffering a urinary track infection! There is no time to be sick but I would want traditional food with pronounced flavors and the taste of home.
  • …it is your special day and someone else is treating you or cooking for you?
    Lobster! Hahaha. And if you can’t do that, then Japanese.
  • …you are out late partying?
    Fried eggs with chorizo or, even better, with angulas (baby eels) or caviar.
  • …you are hungover?
    In that case, I want Italian pizza or pasta.

Chef Carlos Ramirez Roure

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Title: Chef/Co-owner, Sucre i Cacao Pastisseria
City: Mexico City, Mexico

Chef Ramirez-Roure was born and raised in Mexico City into a proud Catalan family. At the age of 17, he began a steady climb to the height of baking and pastry excellence. He earned his Diploma in Pastry and, with the fundamentals under his belt, he left for Europe, where he studied and worked in Brussels, Paris, London and Barcelona. After returning to Mexico, Chef Ramirez-Roure worked in various restaurants and began his career as bread, chocolate, and pastry instructor. In 2004, he co-founded Sucre i Cacao Pastissería, the premier artisan bakery in Mexico City producing products for some of the top restaurants in the city. In recognition of excellence, he became a member of the Culinary Academy of France and President of the Vatel Club, which named him Chef of the Year in 2014 as the first baker to achieve this distinction. Ever the gentleman and willing instructor, Chef Ramirez-Roure shared his story and answers to the “Chat” with me over lunch at Nicos Restaurante:

Mexican food aside, which cuisine most excites you and why?
I love eating. It is very difficult to decide on only one. I love Asian flavors, from Japanese, Chinese and Thai, to the not very known Laotian or Vietnamese.
Catalan cooking takes me back to childhood, to apprenticeship years, and comfort my heart and soul. Easy to guess, right? Besides Catalán (which is pretty much like Mexican to me), I would say that I love clean and precise executions, where a great product is the star of the dish and is treated with respect and kindness. So, that leaves French cuisine as number one for me.

What meal most reminds you of your childhood? Who prepared it?
I remember Fridays with special nostalgia. My family used to get together, and we had the traditional “pá amb tomáquet”, (bread and tomato) where you just need good bread, tomatoes, olive oil, and some cold meats to have one of the most amazing comfort foods ever. Most of the time, we had escalivada (Grilled peppers, eggplant, zucchini and onions, peeled and dressed with olive oil and vinegar), Serrano ham, lots of cheeses, and tortilla.
If I must think of a dish, my heart is divided between the Catalan cannelloni and the Christmas cod, that mom cooks every year, and only once a year. I am the sous chef those days.

What culinary trend/fad do you refuse to follow?
I was born a rebel, for many reasons. I always like to go against whatever is trending. Even if I try so, trend gets to us many times. I just hate all the hype around the “gourmet” marketing. There is good food and bad food. Gourmet is tired, ridiculous and old fashioned. Another terrifying thing is when a professional, who lacks good techniques in his daily executions, looks for easy things to cover up his knowledge limitations. Example: integrating commercial candies to professional pastries. That’s just one. I could go on for hours…

If there was a soundtrack for your work life, who are the musicians/groups on the recording?
It would definitely be The Rolling Stones. They’re fun, they were the bad boys, they changed the world, and they are still Rolling. Cheers to that. Some moments would be played by Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin, Joaquin Sabina, Andres Calamaro, David Bowie, and The Eagles. Oh! And I can’t leave Rossini (great cook and opera man), Mozart, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky out of the list. Sometimes you just need to play nice.

Where will I find you on your day off?
Probably cooking at home for my family and close ones, or at any of my favorite restaurants. I have a list of them, and I don’t do much experimentation on that matter. I only explore, if I have good references for a new place. I stopped seeing Friends with frequency, due to my profession, and because I prefer to relax and spend my time resting, instead of partying. Maybe I will go back to it on my days off in the future. You never can tell.

As an EATER, what is the food you most crave when…

  • …you are sick with a cold?
    A good chicken soup, orange juice, and ginger tea.
  • …it is your special day and someone else is treating you or cooking for you?
    I’d let them surprise me. If I love it, they would get a nice treat back. Hint: I love stews and barbecues.
  • …you are out late partying?
    Tacos al pastor. Is there anything better? No. There is not, but I have a weakness for Grilled butifarra and allioli “entrepans”, if I’m in Catalunya.
  • …you are hungover?
    I have a wide range of alternatives for this matter, and they all require beer: tacos de carnitas, tacos villamelón (cecina, chorizo and chicharrón with a chile de árbol sauce), aguachile, barbacoa, grilled meat, or pizza. And Another beer.

Chef Christian Hererra

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Title: Chef, Frida Asador Campestre
City: Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California, Mexico

Chef Christian Herrera, born in San Quintín, Baja California began his career working with distinguished Chefs such as Estéban Lluis, Ryan Steryn, Mario Peralta and Krista Velazco in various vineyards across the Valle de Guadalupe wine region.

At the open air restaurant of Casa Frida, Chef Hererra focuses on rustic cuisine that builds on the flavors of the region, from the Pacific to the surrounding fields. Wood smoke wafts from meat and seafood while fresh, organic produce is as pleasing to the eye as it is flavorful. Yet, the detail that caused me to focus on Chef Hererra, was seeing the young chef cruise through the dining area, busing tables to prepare for arriving guests. His energy and work ethic burst through in each dish that graced our table and left me eager to get to know him better. Ever hospitable, Chef Hererra kindly submitted to share his responses to the Chat:

Mexican food aside, which cuisine most excites you and why?
The area of ??the Central and South American is giving us a lot to talk about.

What meal most reminds you of your childhood? Who prepared it?
Tamales with rajas (green chile) and pork in guajillo salsa and my grandmother’s pozole.

What culinary trend/fad do you refuse to follow?
It is a very difficult question because nowadays it is very easy to fall into the common. However, we always look to give the diner an experience, always seek to honor the product, and always represent our Mexican cuisine. Because in Mexico we eat so well!

If there was a soundtrack for your work life, who are the musicians/groups on the recording?
When I cook alone, I listen to blues and when I am with the cooks, it is Cumbia.

Where will I find you on your day off?
On the beach, in the forest, or at the farmers market just chilling and paying bills.

As an EATER, what is the food you most crave when…

  • …you are sick with a cold?
    When I’m sick, I like to eat chicken soup or beef caldito. These are the best medicine from Mexican moms. I don’t have my mom at home but I’d always look for a little fondita (restaurant) where traditional Mexican moms cook.
  • …it is your special day and someone else is treating you or cooking for you?
    I’d like a great ceviche, big piece of meat, and a wonderful desert. I’m a big dessert fan.
  • …you are out late partying?
    Tacos definitely and burritos.
  • …you are hungover?
    Ceviche, seafood broth, or cereal.

Chef Felipe Bertin Rodríguez

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Position: Private Chef and luxury travel host
City: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Chef Bertin was born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico. He pursued culinary training in Barcelona, Spain, before returning to Mexico, settling in Baja California Sur. He has served as a private chef in Los Cabos for many years, offering services to groups and families from around the world.

I worked with Felipe to host a special gathering of business associates and was enchanted by his hospitality and soulful food. The ingredients showcased Southern Baja’s finest. While prepping smoked marlin quesadillas and Margaritas for the soon-to-arrive group, we stole a moment to have the chat:

Mexican food aside, which cuisine most excites you and why?
Thai cuisine, for sure. I get excited by strong flavors in harmony and vibrant colors and textures. Thai cuisine checks all my boxes.

What meal most reminds you of your childhood? Who prepared it?
Migas con huevo. It is fried corn torilla sofrita in garlic and onion with scrambled eggs. It is one recipe that my Aunt made with a lot of love. And, it is the perfect example of how the most basic recipe can be a success if you cook from the heart.

What culinary trend/fad do you refuse to follow?
I don’t like the use of flowers when they are not needed. And I am philosophically against Brunch, hahaha. I don’t like it.

If there was a soundtrack for your work life, who are the musicians/groups on the recording?
Depeche mode
Pink Floyd
Guns and Roses
Radiohead
Jose Jose

Where will I find you on your day off?
In my house playing with my kids.

As an EATER, what is the food you most crave when…

  • …you are sick with a cold?
    There is nothing like the classic chicken broth.
  • …it is your special day and someone else is treating you or cooking for you?
    My Mom’s Roasted and stuffed turkey in the holiday season or carne asada, but it has to be mesquite grilled.
  • …you are out late partying?
    Tacos: asada or pork adobada.
  • …you are hungover?
    Easy, seafood stew.

Chef Luis Armando Mukul

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Title: Chef, Gastro Bar by Martín Berasategui
City: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

What does it take to be the right hand of one of the most important chefs in the on the planet? Two things: confidence in one’s skills and humility. With fifteen restaurants and ten Michelin stars, Basque Chef Martín Berasategui?is in a class all his own, yet he could not have achieved such unprecedented success without his dream-team of Chefs around the globe who lead the charge in his kitchens.

Three of Berasategui’s restaurants are in Mexico:?Passion, Tempo and Gastro Bar. In Cabo San Lucas’ Gastro Bar, Armando Mukul,?a young chef from Quintana Roo holds the reins. Armando climbed the ranks in various hotel kitchens since he was 17 years old.?He earned the respect of Berasategui as a cook in Passion, his first restaurant in Mexico. With respect came the opportunity to lead Gastro Bar and to infuse a Mexican vibe to the Basque menu with seasonal variations and new techniques.

That brings me to the second of two qualities needed to measure up to Berasategui’s high bar: humility. Chef Armando is the antidote to the overdose of celebrity chef egos we all endure. He doesn’t create the vision for Gastro Bar, but he makes the vision reality. He isn’t the designer of Basque dishes, but he enhances them with Mexican touches. He isn’t the mastermind, but he is masterfully teaching a kitchen of very young and promising cooks to deliver on the Berasategui name.

I have had the chance to dine at Gastro Bar several times and even visited Chef Armando’s kitchen. Always the essence of graciousness, he kindly agreed to share his answers to the Chat…

Mexican food aside, which cuisine most excites you and why?
Indian food is one of my favorites because the flavors are heavily spiced and resemble some elements of Yucatecan cuisine with heat and intense flavors. Since I come from Yucatecan parents, it is a very unique flavor which I personally love.

What meal most reminds you of your childhood? Who prepared it?
A typical dish of the Yucatan, relleno negro. It is something that reminds me of the family parties we made when my aunts prepared it together with my grandmother to receive the new year.

What culinary trend/fad do you refuse to follow?
I believe that there is no trend that I refuse to continue. I am more inclined to think that that a good kitchen well speaks beyond new fashions. Using a solid base of sauces or broths, it can create a novel dish. This is when we find creativity and we can play with imagination as cooks.

If there was a soundtrack for your work life, who are the musicians/groups on the recording?
I have a favorite song that I love and it motivates me a lot, from a singer called Quique Neira – Alma.

Where will I find you on your day off?
Possibly somewhere near the beach before sunset with a beer and a good snack.

As an EATER, what is the food you most crave when…

  • …you are sick with a cold?
    A good chicken soup. And even better if it is with the taste of home.
    • …it is your special day and someone else is treating you or cooking for you?
      A good pasta accompanied by a wine, is something that I love and often prepare myself on special occasions.
    • …you are out late partying?
      Tacos, accompanied by some good spicy salsas and one last beer before bedtime.
    • …you are hungover?A good aguachile of shrimp and a clamato preparado to repair the damage of a night before.

Chef Carlo Meléndez

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Position: Chef, Limosneros
City: Mexico City, Mexico

Within the revived Spanish colonial building, flanked with two-story tall volcanic stone walls and arched brick ceilings, any Chef would feel the pressure of living up to a legacy set by the Mexico City icon Café Tacuba. Juan Pablo Ballesteros, great-grandson of the Tacuba creator had greatness in mind for the space, and it seems he has achieved the goal with Chef Carlo Meléndez and Argentinian Chef, Marcos Fulcheri.

Carlo started as a kitchen assistant in 1999, starting in coffee shops and gravitating toward Mexican at Los Almendros. In 2006, he met and worked with Marcos Fulcheri at the D.O in Polanco before moving on to Le Bouchon. In 2013, Chef Fulcheri invited Meléndez to be part of Limosneros, a demanding new project requiring significant research and respect for traditional Mexican cuisine.

Meléndez is quoted as having said that he first entered kitchens to satisfy the need for work and an insatiable hunger. Today, twenty years into his career, I cannot say if he is getting enough to eat but he is certainly satiating the desires of his patrons. The menu he oversees and continues to develop with Chef Fulcheri is a gourmet’s dream, a sort of choose your own adventure that allows one to try seven different dishes from an extensive menu. The work this must generate in the kitchen is mind-boggling but the effect in the front of house is as impressive as the 400-year-old dining room itself.

After a thorough satiation, and a very happily received gift of sotol from the kitchen, I had the pleasure of meeting with Chef Meléndez. He kindly agreed to endure my probing for your entertainment…

Mexican food aside, which cuisine most excites you and why?
I think maybe Spanish food for its rice paella, tapas, sausages, and hams. Also because they set the trend from Ferrán Adriá for inventive molecular gastronomy.

What meal most reminds you of your childhood? Who prepared it?
I remember that my mother prepared many vegetables to be economical feeding our family, and I have great affection for her tortilla of carrot or potatoes, of green beans or peas almost always in a sauce of red or green tomatoes accompanied by rice or beans.

What culinary trend/fad do you refuse to follow?
I do not know if it is still the fashion in gastronomy, but I am not excited by the fad that demands too much interaction by the diner, that makes them stop to take a bite or put on headphones to eat something. I do not think that the food should be an intellectual challenge, rather it should be a sensual pleasure. Taste must prevail over everything else.

If there was a soundtrack for your work life, who are the musicians/groups on the recording?
In few kitchens we work with music, but I enjoy cooking with jazz (Parker), soul (Bradley) or the Buenavista Social Club.

Where will I find you on your day off?
Surely in some taquería or canteen downtown. Sometimes at the Cineteca, somewhere recommended, or at home with a glass of wine.

As an EATER, what is the food you most crave when…

  • …you are sick with a cold?
    When I am down with a cold, I usually use soups with pasta or broths from shrimp.
  • …it is your special day and someone else is treating you or cooking for you?
    I like indulge on fish or seafood.
  • …you are out late partying?
    For partying, I like appetizers, tacos, tostadas, gorditas, and tamales.
  • …you are hungover?
    For a hangover, I want red chilaquiles with fried eggs or a guajolota (tamale cake) with a champurrado.

Chef Alfredo Reyeros

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Title: Executive Chef, Beefbar
City: Mexico City, Mexico

Chef Alfredo Reyeros learned about life on the line at an early age, working in his family’s restaurant in Mexico City and spending summers preparing Mexican food in New York. After earning a degree in Hotel Management and completing his culinary education at Cordon D’or, he honed his skills cooking for hordes of cruise line guests at sea – no doubt building skills of resourcefulness and administration. He returned to Mexico City to participate in the opening of Le Cirque. A few years later, Chef Reyeros was tapped to lead the kitchen of Beefbar Mexico City.

Born in Monaco the Beefbar global franchise is famed for impeccable beef selections. And, while the corporate brand remains prominent in the Mexico City location, Reyeros is encouraged to honor the resources and flavors of his homeland. The menu includes choice cuts of Mexican raised Limousine beef, Wagyu street tacos, ceviche, tiraditos, and even a vibrant green jalapeño potato purée in place of classic mashed potatoes. As a result, despite the very sleek restaurant interior and international wine selection, once you begin eating, there is no forgetting that you are on Mexican soil.

On the recommendation of a friend and Master Butcher, Chef Marc Pauvert, I caught up with Chef Reyeros at Beefbar while in Mexico City. After an artful and very satisfying tasting menu, he indulged me by answering The Probe:

  1. Mexican food aside, which cuisine most excites you and why?
    For me the Thai cuisine is delicious, fun and varied. It is my favorite for its spicy and bittersweet touch and fantastic vegetal ingredients and insects.
  2. What meal most reminds you of your childhood? Who prepared it?
    Typical home made Mexican cuisine , sauces, moles, tortillas, beans, and rice.
  3. What culinary trend do you refuse to follow?
    The molecular Kitchen is not my favorite. Neither the tiny tastings.
  4. If there was a soundtrack for your work life, who are the musicians/groups on the recording?
    Madonna “ray of light”
    Tarkan “karma”
    Fangoria “extraño viaje”
    Bruno mars “just the way you are”
    Reik “amigos con derechos”
  5. Where will I find you on your day off?
    In theaters, the field on the beach too. And in bars with good music and friends.