Coming
off the heels of the highly successful food show, Sabores San Miguel, just weeks
before, the SMA Food Festival had a challenge. With a new location, no longer held
at the historical Instituto Allende in Centro, the
show rolled out a whole new look and format.
I
loved SMAFF for one reason; I got a culinary education having discovered so many
new wines, tequilas, chefs and a whole new type of cuisine from Tabasco,
Mexico.
Buen
Apetito!
The Chefs from
Tabasco
This
was my first introduction to the food of Tabasco, a state in Mexico’s southeast bordering Campeche to the northeast, Veracruz to the
west, Chiapas to
the south, and Guatemala to the southeast and all I can say is BRING IT ON! It’s not every
day you discover a whole new type of cuisine.
The Tabasco lineup
of chefs was put together by a favorite, local chef Armando Prats Leal, who is
from Tabasco. The Team consisted of chefs Lupita Vidal, Alfonso Castañeda,
Alejandro Vidal and the captivating Cocinera de Humo (traditional smoke cook)
Nelly Morillo. Jesus David, founder of Come Tabasco, came along for the
festivities.
Nelly made an
extraordinary dish called Horneado de Cerdo en Barro, a pork dish; typical
Tabasco comfort and fiesta food that defies explanation.
What was interesting
to me is that it was served on a plate called comal de barro ahumado that is
smoked in the Barro oven for months before using. The flavors of this dish were
both surprising and complex. Nelly also made a beautiful Estofado de Lengua de
Res at the Chefs table that night.
The
experience of tasting Tabasco food and meeting the chefs left me curious and
hungry for more. Interjet makes it so affordable to take a weekend trip to
Villahermosa just to eat.
I’m
also pulling for a Barro oven for Christmas.
The Chef's Tables
The
Chefs tables ARE what this event is all about and if you didn’t get a ticket,
you missed out.
We
spent time with the chefs in the morning as they begun their morning
preparation; Chef Allen Williams with his spring rolls and here with Chef Bricio Dominguez and sons Chef Alonso Domínguez, Chef Luis Pablo
Dominguez and nephew Chef Pablo Domínguez.
We
enjoyed the Saturday night dinner with Chef Marco Cruz of B’ui,
Milpa and Nomada Cocina de Interpretacion along with Chef Lucy Noriega, Chef Guanajuato; Chef Carlos Segura,
Rosewood; Chef Fernanda Prado, Espaisucre and Chef Carlos Zamora, Matilda.
Two of the dishes I still crave from this meal were Marco’s
Esquites and Mushroom Pipian Tecomate, which he recreated for me the following
week in the kitchen at Nomada
Cocina de Interpretacion.
Chef Magda’s Blueberry Mimosa was definitely
one of the high spots.
Chula Parranda Extra
Anjeo Tequila
“The
longer we stayed, the cheaper it got.” I’m still laughing at this comment from
my friend Ricardo but for me finding this tequila was worth the price of
admission. It’s the best tequila I’ve ever tasted.
I
consider myself a fairly educated tequila drinker having worked in the Tequila
industry for years with expert Cesar Mascorro and downing my fair share of both
good and ghastly tequila shots. In all
the years I’ve enjoyed Tequila, I’ve never run across one like Chula Parranda
Extra Anjeo.
Is
it tequila or cognac? It’s difficult to
tell.
Now, the
challenge is on to find a better tequila. Good luck with that one.
Arael Gomez Tello
Arael
Gomez Tello, a passionate culinarian and promoter of the world of wine, is one
of the most knowledgeable wine experts in SMA.
We kept making the rounds but it was at his booth where we got our wine education
and experienced some of the best wines from Mexico.
Arael’s
company, Argot el Vino, has a wine portfolio that includes close to 300 labels
and continues to grow.
The Oyster Fest
Last
year, it was the BBQ on
Sunday afternoon that stole the show
but this year, the chefs of Tabasco
showed us all how to party. Hundreds of oysters on the grill and a group of
thirsty chefs was the festive conclusion of another great food weekend in San
Miguel de Allende.