Mexican Food Experience: from “infladita de pollo” to “taco de asada”

2017-09-29 What do Italians know about Mexico? We hear about the Narcos, we drink Tequila, we read about the Aztecs, we know what Chihuahuas are, we listen to Mariachi music and we might even wear Sombreros. But in the end, we don’t really know a lot about the country. Luckily last weekend saw Milan’s first festival celebrating Mexican food’s UNESCO World Heritage status Mexican Food Experience at Fabbrica del Vapore.
Organised by Italmex Association for Italian-Mexican Trade, and opened by the Mexican Consul in Milan, Marisela Morales, the event was held to showcase authentic Mexican food and promote and increase trade of outstanding Mexican food and beverage products in Italy and in Europe as a whole.
The initiative, targeting the general public as well as chefs, restaurant owners and the horeca industry, saw the participation of the top suppliers of Mexican products in Europe including Tequila Jose Cuervo and La Reina de Las Tortillas, along with major institutions from both countries, such as PoliDesign in Milan and Conservatorio de la Cultura Gastronómica Mexicana.
The special guest and spokesperson featured at Mexican Food Experience was Mexican chef Carlos Gaytán, owner of the well-known “Mexique” restaurant in Chicago.
Gaytán, in Italy for the first time, has a great story. He first went to the US as an illegal immigrant, and began his career in the restaurant industry on the bottom rung of the ladder, washing dishes. He gradually rose up the ladder until 2011, when he was nominated “best cook of the year” by the Culinary Federation of America. In 2012 Gaytán became the first Mexican chef to be awarded a Michelin star. He participated in the tv show Top Chef USA, and this year he was a judge on the Mexican edition of the show.
Gaytán, who has cooked for prominent people such as Bill Clinton and is ambassador of the Italian brand Barilla in the United States, is considered by critics to be a talent and a landmark in modern Mexican cuisine . His distinctive trait is a combination of the flavours of traditional Mexican cooking with French cooking techniques .
 
Mariagrazia Villa
 
Photos: © Italmex Associazione di Commercio Italia Mexico