Chefs unite to show sophistication of Mexican food ---

Alejandro Heredia, the internationally recognized chef and owner of renowned Mexico City restaurant La Hacienda de Los Morales, visited San Francisco recently for a special event that would make any Mexican or Mexican-American proud.

Heredia was one of nearly twenty chefs from the Bay Area and Mexico who offered their gourmet food creations at Gourmex The Flavors of Mexico, a gala event in downtown San Francisco.

Organized by the Consulate General of Mexico in San Francisco, the event was designed to show the quality of gourmet Mexican cuisine. “The aim is to show that Mexican food is more than tacos and burritos,” said Eva Pizano Cejka, the press attaché for the consulate general.

There were tacos, but the variety of food went far beyond that to include chiles, ceviches, tamales, moles and much more.

The prize for sheer exoticness may have gone to the fried chapulines tostadas with guacamole served by chef Rodolfo Castellanos Reyes of Huaje Oaxacan Cuisine restaurant from Oaxaca, Mexico. The southern city of Oaxaca is considered the culinary center of  Mexico and the chapulines are a native “street” snack especially popular after the rainy season, Reyes said.

“It’s a very, very rich country, big country,” Reyes said. “I want to show people what we have in Mexico, how rich we are, how friendly we are.”

The chapulines impressed Lindsay Lawbaugh, a server who works at Tres Agaves Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco. She found the chapulines crunchy with a good texture.

Adrian Rodriguez, the owner of tortilla factory Sonoma Valley Foods who attended the event with two friends, said he enjoyed being able to taste food from Oaxaxa, including the chapulines dish.

“I’ve never seen that on the menu here in San Francisco,” he said. “There are definitely interesting things here to try.”

Chef Heredia from Mexico City offered fish in corn leaves, chicken with oak-flavored achiote, and potatoes with cheese oaxaca. Heredia, who has won international awards and has cooked for kings and queens and other heads of state, said his goal was to show the quality and sophistication of Mexican cuisine. “I hope everyone really likes the food,” he said.

There were also popular and well-respected East Bay restaurants at the event, including Cocina Poblana from Emeryville and Tamarindo Antojeria Mexicana from Oakland.

Offering samples of tortas ahogadas and chile en nogada, Alfonso Dominguez, the owner of Tamarindo, said it was an “amazing event” and a great idea to unite Mexican chefs.

“I think a lot of people are surprised of the true flavors and true quality of what we represent,” said Dominguez, who runs the restaurant with his mother Gloria Dominguez. “(The event is) well done I think.”

The event also was intended to bring greater business to restaurateurs, vintners, and other food producers that are native to Mexico or owned locally by Mexicans.

Gourmex featured coffee, chocolate, desserts, mescal, tequila and wine as well as Mexican pottery and some season-appropriate Day-of-the-Dead sculptures.

Mexican native Alex Sotelo was pouring cabernets, syrahs, zinfandels and other wines made in his Alex Sotelo Cellars winery in the Napa valley. “I think it’s great to put up an upscale event where you show what Mexican cuisine is all about,” he said.

Approximately 300 tickets were sold for the event with the money going toward the cost of bringing chefs from Mexico and the remainder would go to charity, press attaché Cejka said.

Ambassador Carlos Felix, Consul General of Mexico in San Francisco, gave a speech on the importance of spotlighting high-quality Mexican cuisine. He then stood for photos with chefs Heredia, Reyes and Cynthia Martinez, the owner of restaurant San Miguelito in Morelia, Mexico.

While the event appeared to be a success, Cejka said that more work is needed. Outside of liberal and educated California, she said, there is no mainstream awareness in the United States of gourmet Mexican food.

“That’s kind of what we are wishing to change,” Cejka said, “that people know that Mexican cuisine is first-class cuisine.”