Mexico’s Riviera Maya continues attracting world class chefs from Mexico and abroad, elevating the local scene to Michelin heights. With competition getting fierce, area properties are upping the ante to keep up with the rise in fine dining options available to locals and visitors. This is why luxury resorts Secrets Moxché Playa del Carmen and Impression Moxché by Secrets are collaborating with some of the world’s best chefs to offer unique gastronomic experiences.
By opening their signature modern Mexican Teodoro and French-inspired Bisou to the public outside of the resort’s guests, the culinary team led by executive chef Orlando Trejo is reinforcing the goal to establish the property as a culinary-centered, sustainable hotel.
“Opening Moxché’s two main restaurants to the local public opens up the possibility of seeking new challenges, and with them, being recognized by prestigious culinary guides and lists,” says Trejo, who is in charge of all 14 restaurants at the twin resorts. Advanced reservations, which can be made via Open Table, are required for both Teodoro and Bisou.
Located within Impression, Teodoro’s 8-course chef’s menu is overseen by Trejo and Master Chef Alexis Valera, a top 10 winner in the San Pellegrino Young Chef world competition who has been in charge of the kitchen at Teodoro for 0ne and a half years. The food here is an excellent example of Mexico’s cocina de autor, offering a chef driven menu that uses traditional Mexican ingredients in modern presentations and interpretations which change seasonally to keep things fresh and exciting.
When guests walk into the dining room they are escorted to a bar seat within view of the kitchen, where Valera welcomes them personally and presents a few starters before they make their way to the dining room for the full dinner.
“The idea of welcoming guests at the bar is that the first contact is with the chef and the kitchen, giving a brief introduction of the concept of our kitchen and showing some ingredients that we use during the experience,” says Valera. “It is also to show a “behind the scenes” to the action in the kitchen, so guests can feel the vibe and energy.”
Examples of dishes Valera has served at Teodoro include a mole and foie tart with butternut squash, caramelized orange and Grand Marniere gelee; dry-aged sea bass with parsnip puree, vanilla oil and mezcal; and a tamal de lluvia, featuring wild seasonal mushrooms, summer black truffles, morel mushrooms, mushroom glaze and escamoles, the ant eggs considered a Mexican caviar.
All eight courses are paired with wine and Mexican spirits by sommelier Alonso Lazaro. Guests can choose an international pairing, but if you really want to immerse yourself in the experience, go for the Mexican wine pairing and be pleasantly surprised.
“Moxché’s culinary goal is to create a gastronomic destination where high-level culinary experiences are offered,” says Trejo. “We know that to achieve this we must think and do things differently, so we organize dinners and festivals in which we share the kitchen with great world-class chefs.”
At Teodoro, Valera shares the kitchen once a month with special guest chefs who have earned recognition from 50 Best or Michelin. The resort also hosts a couple of annual events that feature exclusive dinners with limited capacity.
But the property’s signature event is 5 de 50, in which various internationally-acclaimed chefs co-host dinners for five consecutive nights, each available only to 50 guests. So far, renowned chefs Álvaro Clavijo from El Chato in Bogotá (50 Best), Domenico Francone from La Sala dei Grappoli in Italy (Michelin) and José Luis León from Licoreria Limantour (50 Best Bars) have participated.
“We also host a special dinner called “Impression Makers Supper Club” for which we invite a Michelin or 50 Best recognized chef to cook alongside a chef from the resort. We keep the best dishes of the night on the menu for a limited time. So far, we have had one at Teodoro and one at Bisou,” says Trejo.
When it comes to Bisou’s kitchen, Trejo scored a big coup when he brough over rising star chef Jorge Ildefonso to take over as Master Chef. Ildefonso brings years of experience as sous chef and executive chef at many of Mexico’s most luxurious resorts as well as being co-owner of a couple concepts in Yucatan. His playful cuisine style shines with creativity and a passion for local, endemic ingredients.
“For me, coming to Bisou has been a great satisfaction, since during my training, but especially at the beginning of my career, I was fortunate to work with French chefs, which helped me greatly to understand the basics,” says the young chef.
“Although that was a long time ago, today I remember it with great joy and I see French cuisine from another perspective. It may sound like a cliché, but it is really like that scene in Ratatouille where Ego is tasting [the food] and it brings back a fond memory. This is how it feels to cook those recipes again, which maybe I didn’t fully understand before but I am excited to find again today.”
“Now, the experience that the years have given me and the knowledge that I have acquired professionally have resulted in the menu that we have today at Bisou: fresh cuisine, respecting the technique that only French gastronomy can boast, but inevitably with my personal touch. As the great Alain Ducasse said, “a simple but not simplistic cuisine,” says Ildefonso.
With the talent of these skilled chefs, the variety of cuisines and experiences offered, and it’s proximity to Playa del Carmen, it is only a matter of time before Secrets Moxché and its impressive restaurants receive the attention from the international awards they so deserve.
“Today we are on the right track,” says Trejo, “but this is just the beginning.”
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