Chefs Present at CIA Event
Panelists at the Arriba Mexico event included, from left to right, Gerard Vazquez Lugo, Sergio Remolina, Jose Ramon Castillo, Gabriela Ruiz, Fany Gerson, Hugo Ortega, Alain Dubernard, and Sofia Sada.
Some of the industry's top chefs and other industry folks gathered on Oct. 17-18 to celebrate the cuisine of Mexico during the "Arriba Mexico" event at the Culinary Institute of America's San Antonio campus. Coincidentally, the campus celebrated its 10th anniversary Wednesday night.
One theme that repeated itself throughout the event was that traditional Mexican cooking techniques are coming into vogue among top quality Mexican restaurants today.
"The most primitive way for making ingredients is now considered the future," commented Gerardo Vazquez Lugo, executive chef of Nicos Mexico and Queretaro, both located in Mexico City.
Chef Lugo demonstrated, for example, how many restaurants are preparing corn-based dishes by grinding native corn by hand and removing the husk material by boiling the corn and skimming it off.
The event featured cooking presentations from numerous chefs, such as Hugo Ortega (who prepared Barbacoa de Borrego); Roberto Santibanez (who prepared pork in adobo); Jose Ramon Castillo (who prepared bon bons with Mexican chocolate); Alain Dubernard (who prepared a six-layer chocolate cake); Benjamin Udave (who prepared Banh Mi Huarache) and Fany Gerson (who made tequila-glazed crullers).
Other industry people also made presentations. For example, Sephen Halpin of Patron gave a history of the margarita; Amy Cavanaugh of Plate Magazine discussed mezcal and other agave spirits; and el Restaurante magazine Publisher Ed Avis introduced attendees to the opportunities of serving Mexican wine.
The 10th anniversary of the CIA San Antonio location was celebrated with a reception on Wednesday evening at the Pearl Stables, a former stable for horses that worked in the nearby Pearl Brewery.
Sponsors of the event included Sysco, Patron, Rational, Kikkoman, Smithfield, McIlhenny Tabasco, MIC Food, Woodstone, McCain, Surlean Foods and Oneida.