Oaxaca is the capital of mezcal. As complex and nuanced as fine wine, mezcal can be made with more than three dozen types of agave, each contributing its own flavor to the finished blend. Many of these maguey species grow in the wild, and some take up to 20 years to mature. Mezcal Real Minero is one of the only female-owned palenques in the state, and Graciela and her brother Edgar are considered some of the world’s finest producers. Their great grandfather, Papa Chico, was one of the town’s early palenqueros. We will taste through several smoky mezcals before our meal from guest chef Rodolfo Castellanos. He was the first winner of Top Chef Mexico and is very much a local culinary celebrity here. At Origen, Chef Rodo’s menus honor the native ingredients and traditional cooking techniques of his Oaxacan homeland.
Oaxaca es la capital del mezcal. Tan complejo y lleno de matices como un buen vino, el mezcal puede elaborarse con más de tres docenas de tipos de agave, cada uno de los cuales aporta su propio sabor a la mezcla final. Muchas de estas especies de maguey sólo crecen en estado salvaje, y algunas tardan hasta 20 años en madurar. Mezcal Real Minero es uno de los únicos palenques propiedad de mujeres en el estado, y Graciela y su hermano Edgar están considerados como unos de los mejores productores del mundo. Su bisabuelo, Papa Chico, fue uno de los primeros palenqueros de la ciudad. Degustaremos varios mezcales ahumados antes de la comida del chef invitado Rodolfo Castellanos. Fue el primer ganador de Top Chef México y es toda una celebridad culinaria local. En Origen, los menús del chef Rodo honran los ingredientes autóctonos y las técnicas culinarias tradicionales de su tierra natal, Oaxaca.
You may think you’re in Napa Valley, but you’re not. Valle de Guadalupe is a buzzy wine country destination less than two hours from San Diego. Host vintner Natalia Badan’s wines are among the valley’s most critically acclaimed, with a portfolio ranging from Sauvignon Blanc to Nebbiolo. And the splendor in the glass will be matched by the splendor on the plate. Guest chefs Drew Deckman and Sheyla Alvarado are two of the region’s very best. A Michelin-starred chef, Drew worked with such greats as Paul Bocuse and Madeleine Kamman before opening the vineyard’s on-site restaurant Deckman’s. Sheyla’s restaurant Lunario was quickly named one of the region’s best after opening in 2019. Together, they’ll craft a meal with ingredients grown right here on the estate and other nearby farms and ranches. Not to mention seafood caught fresh from the waters of the Pacific just a half-hour to the west. Deckman’s was named to San Pellegrino’s 50 Best Discovery list. We invite you to join us on your own voyage of discovery to experience the terroir of the Baja Peninsula.
You may think you are in Napa Valley, but you are not. Valle de Guadalupe is a winery less than two hours from San Diego. Winemaker Natalia Badán’s wines are among the most acclaimed in the valley, with a portfolio that ranges from Sauvignon Blanc to Nebbiolo. And the splendor in the glass will be accompanied by the splendor on the plate. Guest chefs Drew Deckman and Sheyla Alvarado are two of the best in the region. The Michelin-starred Drew worked with great chefs such as Paul Bocuse and Madeleine Kamman before opening the vineyard’s Deckman’s restaurant. Sheyla’s Lunario restaurant was quickly named one of the best in the region upon opening in 2019. Together, you’ll craft a meal using ingredients grown right here on the farm and on other nearby farms and ranches. Not to mention shellfish caught in the Pacific waters just a half hour to the west. Deckman’s was named to San Pellegrino’s Top 50 Discoveries list. We invite you to join us on your own journey of discovery to experience the terroir of the Baja California Peninsula.
The sleepy coastal village of Todos Santos at the southern end of the Baja Peninsula is one of Mexico’s 36 pueblos mágicos or “magic towns.” It’s also a world-class fishing and surfing destination known for fresh-as-it-gets fish and sought-after swells. The semi-tropical waters are brimming with mahi mahi, yellowtail, marlin, and mackerel. Not far from the lapping waves is the Paradero, an austerely luxurious eco resort designed to immerse the visitor in the beauty of the surrounding landscape, with views of the sea, distant mesas and cactus studded desert, all set within 160 acres of family owned farms. Guest chef Eduardo Rios is at the helm of the property’s fine dining restaurant, where his farm-to-table menu makes use of the local harvest and the Paradero’s own market garden. Eduardo uses a traditional Oaxacan clay oven to turn out simple yet sophisticated dishes showcasing coastal Mexican cuisine. In our beach kitchen, Eduardo will cook us a feast of fresh fish and shellfish caught just beyond our seats—along with a bounty of indigenous vegetables and tropical fruits. While Eduardo tends to the meal, OITF founder Jim Denevan will be busy crafting his own version of beach art in the sand along the sparkling Pacific. If you’re looking for the ultimate Valentine’s Day experience, this may be it.
El tranquilo pueblo costero de Todos Santos, en el extremo sur de la península de Baja California, es uno de los 36 pueblos mágicos de México. También es un destino de pesca y surf de categoría mundial, conocido por su pescado fresco y su codiciado oleaje. Las aguas semitropicales de arena suave están repletas de dorado, cola amarilla, marlín y caballa. No muy lejos de las olas se encuentra el Paradero, un lujoso y austero resort ecológico diseñado para sumergir al visitante en la belleza del paisaje que le rodea, con vistas al mar, a las lejanas mesetas y al desierto cubierto de cactus, todo ello dentro de 160 acres de granjas familiares. Eduardo Rios es el chef invitado y está al frente del restaurante de alta cocina de la propiedad, donde su menú de la granja a la mesa hace uso de la cosecha local y de la propia huerta del Paradero. Eduardo utiliza un horno de barro tradicional oaxaqueño para elaborar platos sencillos pero sofisticados de la cocina mexicana de la costa. En nuestra cocina de playa, Eduardo nos preparará un festín de pescado y marisco fresco capturado justo al lado de donde nos sentaremos, junto con una gran cantidad de verduras autóctonas y frutas tropicales. Mientras Eduardo se ocupa de la comida, el fundador de OITF, Jim Denevan, se dedicará a crear su propia versión de arte playero en la arena del resplandeciente Pacífico. Si buscas la mejor experiencia para San Valentín, ésta puede ser la tuya.
We cannot wait to return to San Miguel de Allende, where we’ll be setting our long table this January at a new central highlands locale — a beautiful vineyard property just 10 minutes from the heart of San Miguel’s Centro. Plan to take some time to soak in the culture and history of one of Mexico’s most vibrant and beautifully restored colonial cities. Donnie Masterton will be back in the field kitchen serving his global comfort food, a staple of San Miguel’s thriving culinary fabric since 2008. Masterton earned his stripes in some of the United States’ most renowned kitchens before moving to Mexico for a slower pace of life. Expect this meal to be muy deliciosa.
Oaxaca is the capital of mezcal. As complex and nuanced as fine wine, mezcal can be made with more than three dozen types of agave, each contributing its own flavor to the finished blend. Many of these maguey species grow in the wild, and some take up to 20 years to mature. Mezcal Real Minero is one of the only female-owned palenques in the state, and Graciela and her brother Edgar are considered some of the world’s finest producers. Their great grandfather, Papa Chico, was one of the town’s early palenqueros. We will taste through several smoky mezcals before our meal from guest chef Rodolfo Castellanos. He was the first winner of Top Chef Mexico and is very much a local culinary celebrity here. At Origen, Chef Rodo’s menus honor the native ingredients and traditional cooking techniques of his Oaxacan homeland.
Oaxaca es la capital del mezcal. Tan complejo y lleno de matices como un buen vino, el mezcal puede elaborarse con más de tres docenas de tipos de agave, cada uno de los cuales aporta su propio sabor a la mezcla final. Muchas de estas especies de maguey sólo crecen en estado salvaje, y algunas tardan hasta 20 años en madurar. Mezcal Real Minero es uno de los únicos palenques propiedad de mujeres en el estado, y Graciela y su hermano Edgar están considerados como unos de los mejores productores del mundo. Su bisabuelo, Papa Chico, fue uno de los primeros palenqueros de la ciudad. Degustaremos varios mezcales ahumados antes de la comida del chef invitado Rodolfo Castellanos. Fue el primer ganador de Top Chef México y es toda una celebridad culinaria local. En Origen, los menús del chef Rodo honran los ingredientes autóctonos y las técnicas culinarias tradicionales de su tierra natal, Oaxaca.
We’re going to Mexico! Come with us to a secret beach, off the beaten path, where we will set the table near the calm, lapping waves. Chef Calixto Gattás will prepare a feast of local seafood from our guest fisherman (including oysters fresh off the boat!), and beautiful produce from the region. We will also feature local tequila and wine!
Henequen, a type of agave used to make sisal as well as a fiery spirit, was once the major source of wealth throughout the Yucatan. About 15 miles from the center of Merida, our host Laura Kirar and her husband de ella Richard Frazier have transformed an abandoned, former 17th Century henequen plantation into an elegantly rustic estate, the perfect setting for our long table. Laura Kirar is a renowned furniture and interior designer who collaborates with skilled artisans in Mexico to create work combining ages-old techniques infused with a modern sensibility. For your event, she will stage a pop-up shop of her de ella tableware collection made from local materials including henequenes and jipi japa, a palm leaf. Chef Roberto Solis is a Mérida native who honed his craft in kitchens around the world, working with celebrated chefs in London (The Fat Duck), Copenhagen (Noma), New York (Per Se) and Tokyo (Narisawa). After years abroad, Roberto returned to Mérida with a mission to honor and elevate traditional Yucatecan cuisine, itself a smoky melange of indigenous Mayan foods and the international influences brought by the Dutch, French, and Spanish to the peninsula’s many port cities.
Henequen, a type of agave used to make sisal and a spirit, was once the main source of wealth throughout the Yucatan. About 15 miles from downtown, our hostess Laura Kirar and her husband Richard Frazier have transformed an abandoned 17th-century former henequen plantation into an elegantly rustic estate, the perfect setting for our long table. Laura Kirar is an artist and designer who has collaborated closely with skilled artisans from Mexico to express her practical and conceptual work. For this event, she will stage a pop-up store of her tableware collection. Chef Roberto Solís is a native of Mérida and has honed his art in kitchens around the world, working with celebrity chefs in London (The Fat Duck), Copenhagen (Noma), New York (Per Se) and Tokyo (Narisawa). After years abroad, Roberto returned to Mérida with a mission to honor and elevate traditional Yucatecan cuisine, which is a smoky blend of indigenous Mayan foods and the international influences brought by the Dutch, French and Spanish to the many port cities of the peninsula.
The sleepy coastal village of Todos Santos at the southern end of the Baja Peninsula is one of Mexico’s 36 pueblos mágicos or “magic towns.” It’s also a world-class fishing and surfing destination known for fresh-as-it-gets fish and sought-after swells. The semi-tropical waters are brimming with mahi mahi, yellowtail, marlin, and mackerel. Not far from the lapping waves is the Paradero, an austerely luxurious eco resort designed to immerse the visitor in the beauty of the surrounding landscape, with views of the sea, distant mesas and cactus studded desert, all set within 160 acres of family owned farms. Guest chef Eduardo Rios is at the helm of the property’s fine dining restaurant, where his farm-to-table menu makes use of the local harvest and the Paradero’s own market garden. Eduardo uses a traditional Oaxacan clay oven to turn out simple yet sophisticated dishes showcasing coastal Mexican cuisine. In our beach kitchen, Eduardo will cook us a feast of fresh fish and shellfish caught just beyond our seats—along with a bounty of indigenous vegetables and tropical fruits. While Eduardo tends to the meal, OITF founder Jim Denevan will be busy crafting his own version of beach art in the sand along the sparkling Pacific. If you’re looking for the ultimate Valentine’s Day experience, this may be it.
El tranquilo pueblo costero de Todos Santos, en el extremo sur de la península de Baja California, es uno de los 36 pueblos mágicos de México. También es un destino de pesca y surf de categoría mundial, conocido por su pescado fresco y su codiciado oleaje. Las aguas semitropicales de arena suave están repletas de dorado, cola amarilla, marlín y caballa. No muy lejos de las olas se encuentra el Paradero, un lujoso y austero resort ecológico diseñado para sumergir al visitante en la belleza del paisaje que le rodea, con vistas al mar, a las lejanas mesetas y al desierto cubierto de cactus, todo ello dentro de 160 acres de granjas familiares. Eduardo Rios es el chef invitado y está al frente del restaurante de alta cocina de la propiedad, donde su menú de la granja a la mesa hace uso de la cosecha local y de la propia huerta del Paradero. Eduardo utiliza un horno de barro tradicional oaxaqueño para elaborar platos sencillos pero sofisticados de la cocina mexicana de la costa. En nuestra cocina de playa, Eduardo nos preparará un festín de pescado y marisco fresco capturado justo al lado de donde nos sentaremos, junto con una gran cantidad de verduras autóctonas y frutas tropicales. Mientras Eduardo se ocupa de la comida, el fundador de OITF, Jim Denevan, se dedicará a crear su propia versión de arte playero en la arena del resplandeciente Pacífico. Si buscas la mejor experiencia para San Valentín, ésta puede ser la tuya.
Traveling south on the main highway from Mexico City, you need to make a decision. Shall you continue heading southward to Cuernavaca, dubbed the “City of Eternal Spring” and a popular getaway for Mexico City urbanites, about 90 minutes north? Or will you turn east toward Tepoztlán, the reputed birthplace of Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec feathered serpent god, known for its weekly crafts market and steep trails climbing up into the dramatic cliffs that tower above the town? Either route will ultimately lead you to our table in Yautepec, set for dinner in the stunning star fruit orchards of Vivero Yautepec. Vivero is Mexico’s largest grower of the radiant star fruit and grows a vast variety of other exotic fruit trees. Vivero’s founding family also were the original propagators of the haas avocado variety; most of the haas growing throughout Mexico are the product of their original seedlings. Guest chef Andrea Blanco will come out from the stunning colonial-style mansion in Cuernavaca that houses Pixca Reforma, where her menus feature a rotating seasonal menu of wood-fired pizzas and small plates made with local ingredients. Chef Andrea will create a menu inspired by the glowing star fruit in the trees around us as the stars emerge from the evening sky.
Viajando hacia el sur por la carretera principal desde Ciudad de México, hay que tomar una decisión. ¿Seguirá hacia el sur hasta Cuernavaca, apodada la “Ciudad de la Eterna Primavera” y una escapada popular para los citadinos de Ciudad de México, a unos 90 minutos al norte? ¿O bien girará hacia el este, hacia Tepoztlán, el reputado lugar de nacimiento de Quetzalcóatl, el dios azteca de las serpientes emplumadas, conocido por su mercado semanal de artesanía y sus empinados senderos que ascienden a los espectaculares acantilados que se elevan sobre la ciudad? Cualquiera de las dos rutas te llevará en última instancia a nuestra mesa en Yautepec, preparada para cenar en los impresionantes huertos de frutas estrella de Vivero Yautepec. En Mexico, Vivero es el mayor productor de la radiante carambola (fruta estrella) y cultiva una gran variedad de otros árboles frutales exóticos. La familia fundadora de Vivero también fue la propulsora original de la variedad de aguacate haas; la mayoría de los haas que crecen en todo México son producto de sus plántulas originales. La chef invitada Andrea Blanco saldrá de la impresionante mansión de estilo colonial de Cuernavaca que alberga Pixca Reforma, donde sus menús presentan una carta rotativa de temporada de pizzas a la leña y pequeños platos elaborados con ingredientes locales. La chef Andrea creará un menú inspirado en el resplandor de los frutos estrellas (carambola) en los árboles que nos rodean mientras las estrellas emergen del cielo nocturno.
We first came to San Miguel de Allende in 2018, and each time we return, we discover someplace new. Chef Donnie Masterton was in our field kitchen for that first dinner, and since then, he’s always been our guide. This time he’s taking us to a really spectacular spot—a ranch on SMA’s western border where cattle graze freely on native pasture. The property also encompasses an archeological site believed to have been constructed around 530 AD by the Otomi people, dedicated celestial observers who studied the star cycles and their relation to the timing of key agricultural tasks such as seeding and harvesting. Thanks to the ranch matriarch, who advocated for the pyramid’s preservation, the pre-hispanic ruins are now a national park. We will set our table in the grasslands above the imposing Cañada de la Virgen, a spectacular canyon that cuts through central Mexico’s high-elevation plateau. We will learn about the area’s fascinating history, then sit down for one of Chef Donnie’s unforgettable meals. Donnie earned his culinary chops working with such legendary chefs as David Bouley at Montrachet, Patrick Clark at the Hay Adams Hotel in D.C. and NY’s Tavern on the Green, and Joachim Splichal’s Patina Group in L.A. He opened The Restaurant to rave reviews in 2008 and celebrates his 14th anniversary in SMA this year. This promises to be an experience for the ages.
Vinimos por primera vez a San Miguel de Allende en 2018, y cada vez que volvemos, descubrimos algún lugar nuevo. El chef Donnie Masterton estuvo en nuestra cocina de campo para esa primera cena, y desde entonces, siempre ha sido nuestro guía. Esta vez nos lleva a un lugar realmente espectacular: un rancho en la frontera occidental de SMA donde el ganado pasta libremente en los prados nativos. La propiedad también abarca un sitio arqueológico que se cree que fue construido alrededor del año 530 d.C. por el pueblo otomí, dedicados observadores celestes que estudiaban los ciclos de las estrellas y su relación con el momento de las tareas agrícolas clave, como la siembra y la cosecha. Gracias a la matriarca del rancho, que abogó por la conservación de la pirámide, las ruinas prehispánicas son ahora un parque nacional. Pondremos nuestra mesa en los pastizales que se encuentran sobre la imponente Cañada de la Virgen, un espectacular cañón que atraviesa la meseta de gran altitud del centro de México. Aprenderemos sobre la fascinante historia de la zona y luego nos sentaremos para disfrutar de una de las inolvidables comidas del chef Donnie. Donnie se ganó sus habilidades culinarias trabajando con chefs legendarios como David Bouley en Montrachet, Patrick Clark en el Hay Adams Hotel de D.C. y Tavern on the Green de Nueva York, y el Patina Group de Joachim Splichal en L.A. Abrió The Restaurant con muy buenas críticas en 2008 y este año celebra su 14º aniversario en SMA. Promete ser una experiencia memorable.