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CANIRAC: The restaurant industry honors the best chefs and restaurants
Event

CANIRAC: The restaurant industry honors the best chefs and restaurants

By Gretel Morales - 2021-10-05T21:25:06Z
The delivery of the Restaurant Business Merit Award (PMER) took place on September 30th, an event organized by the National Chamber of the Restaurant Industry and Spices (CANIRAC). Despite adversity, gastronomy is celebrating, as a total of 26 individuals and organizations received awards and recognitions in 11 different categories.

The long-awaited event was held 18 months after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, one of the toughest challenges faced by the restaurant industry: the loss of around 400,000 jobs and the closure of 120,000 restaurants across Mexico.

However, despite these challenges, the great teams behind each restaurant have shown remarkable resilience, leading them to innovate and take the necessary measures to reactivate the gastronomic sector of our country, which generates millions of jobs nationwide. This was highlighted by Germán González, national president of CANIRAC: “This day is one of celebration, of joy, because the restaurant industry stands strong, due to the unity we have shown during these adverse times, undertaking actions aimed at the reactivation of our sector.”

Oaxaca and Baja California Sur, the big winners of the night

Although all winners stand out for their achievements, the states of Oaxaca and Baja California Sur each received two awards: two chefs from Oaxaca and two restaurants located in Baja California Sur.

Alejandro Ruiz, Chef of the Year

The chef from Oaxaca, the mastermind behind the restaurant Casa Oaxaca, was awarded Best Chef of the Year by CANIRAC this 2021. The Oaxacan chef's career began in 1997 when he opened his famous restaurant in the state capital, for which he received the Five Star Diamond Award in 2008, 2009, and 2010. By 2013, Casa Oaxaca had become the 34th best restaurant in Latin America.

In addition to his long career in the kitchen, Alejandro Ruiz also ventured into literature, releasing his book “Cocina de Oaxaca,” which received the García Cubas award in 2018. On the other hand, he has also participated in organizing the First Contemporary Oaxacan Cuisine Gastronomic Festival, Humánitas, in 2007, and the First Gastronomy and Literature Festival El Saber del Sabor.

Besides his own projects, Chef Alejandro Ruiz has collaborated with restaurants such as Pujol and Los Danzantes. Internationally, he has cooked in restaurants located in Munich, Berlin, Verona, Barcelona, Vienna, and Madrid.

Chef Celia Florián, Award for the Preservation, Rescue, and Promotion of Mexican Gastronomy

The chef received the “Chucho Arroyo” award for the Preservation, Rescue, and Promotion of Mexican Gastronomy for her work at the iconic restaurant Las Quince Letras, one of the most celebrated in Oaxaca.

Since 1992, Celia Florián has dedicated herself to preserving Oaxacan gastronomy through the restaurant Las Quince Letras, one of the most visited and acclaimed in the Oaxacan capital. Florián’s great work has led her to preside over the Association of Traditional Cooks of Oaxaca since 2015.

Over the years, Celia's incredible dishes have earned her awards in Mexico and around the world. The restaurant Las Quince Letras has been included in La Liste, a selection of the best restaurants in the world. In our country, the chef has received the Guardians of Tradition award, which was granted to her by the Association of Traditional Cooks of Oaxaca and the International Congress of Gastronomy, Women, and the Rural Environment.

As if that were not enough, the Oaxacan chef has also ventured into television, as in 2020 she narrated the series Street Food Latin America, produced by Netflix.

Restaurant Árbol

The restaurant Árbol, located within the Las Ventanas al Paraíso Rosewood Resort in San José del Cabo, received the “César Balsa” award for Hotel Restaurant.

This wonderful restaurant has won the hearts of tourists and locals with its seafood dishes and desserts with touches of Indian and Mexican gastronomy. According to CANIRAC, the “chef Anand Singh draws from the culinary traditions of India, as well as a wide variety of influences from across Asia. Born in Bombay, Singh explored coastal cuisines in the Maldives, the Seychelles, and the United Arab Emirates for over a decade.”

Flora’s Field Kitchen

This 2021, the restaurant located in San José del Cabo received the “Carlos Anderson” award for Restaurant Innovation. In this restaurant, all dishes are prepared with ingredients grown on the farm located on-site. For this project, sustainability and organic products are a priority.

Flora’s Field Kitchen offers fresh cocktails, pizzas, and creamy ice creams. Additionally, it also offers farm tours, cooking classes, and other events.