Semifinal Mazatlán Chef of the Year Mexico

Chef of the Year 2011-2012 continues its search and this time it was the turn of the Northwest region. On March 28 and 29, 2012, the fifth semifinal was successfully held in the port of Mazatlán. As expected, the event filled the University of Durango Mazatlán Campus with gastronomy for two days. The chefs qualified for this semifinal were: - Juan Carlos Hernández - Pedro Ríos Millán - Ricardo Santana - Nathalia Delgado - Ricardo Torres - Ricardo Luján - Jonathan Valdez - Aarón Beltrán - César Iván Vargas - Carlos Alberto Campos - Candelario León In the kitchens, the eleven participants encountered a surprise basket containing regional products such as shrimp, snook, suckling pig, baqueta, mango, achiote, cucumber, among others. They applied different culinary techniques to demonstrate their talent before the jury. This time, the jury consisted of: Daniel Ovadia (Paxia), Javier Plasencia (Misión 19), Fabiola de la Fuente (Food and Travel Editor), Arturo Fernandez (Raiz), Jacobo Turquie (La Panga Antigua), Drew Dreckman (Dekman’s), Benito Molina (Manzanilla), and Luis Osuna (Grupo Panamá). The feedback they provided speaks of a very balanced competition, with quality and level increasing year after year, making the decision at the time of judging not easy. The participants from the northwest region proposed very interesting dishes. But as in any competition, there has to be a winner, and this time it was Ricardo Luján, Chef at Villa la Estancia, Los Cabos, Baja California Sur. Ricardo presented as a starter: Snook sashimi with fish crackling, shrimp in achiote vinaigrette, and Nopal roll; for the main course: Marinated suckling pig in recado blanco with bean and vegetable salad; and for dessert: foie and fruit torreja. A very interesting presentation that captivated the judges' palates. As is customary and in complement to the contest, the companies that make Chef of the Year possible offered a series of free conferences open to the public who love gastronomy. The response was better than expected, with more than six hundred attendees, a mix of local people and others who traveled to Mazatlán from different cities, all to witness and enrich themselves from the quality of these conferences. Daniel Ovadía captivated the audience with the presentation he delivered at Madrid Fusión 2012, Fernanda Pardo sweetened the stage with a demonstration of Espaisure desserts, Drew Deckman spoke about fishing, shellfish, and mollusks from Baja California, sustainable cooking presented by Lorena Naval (Unilever Food Solutions), and a bit of Culinary Chemistry for Chefs by Dr. Janovitz (Rich’s Food Service) left everyone present with an unmatched taste. The closing ceremony was honored by the presence of Lic. Oralia Rice, Secretary of Tourism of the State of Sinaloa, who, in pursuit of promoting regional gastronomy, promised to ensure that next year Mazatlán will once again be the venue for the Northwest semifinal. Chef of the Year Mexico still has a way to go; registrations remain open for the states of Puebla, Tlaxcala, Guerrero, Morelos, Veracruz, Tabasco, Oaxaca, and Chiapas, so if you are a candidate, do not miss the opportunity to be part of this great experience.