Colonial cuisine is serious business to Mexicans and maintaining their culinary traditions amid globalization has become one of the country’s main initiatives; and American group travelers are responding well.
Cooking schools, such as Mesón Sacristía de Capuchinas in Puebla and La Villa Bonita in Cuernavaca, are booked for two-week and semester long classes. Gastronomy Fairs in Cancún, Michoacán, Oaxaca and almost every mayor city in Mexico are also packed with visitors from the U.S.
“Americans are finally discovering the true beauty of Mexican cuisine…it’s one of the most complex and flavorful cuisines, rivaling classical European cooking. It’s such an exciting time for Mexican food in the U.S. in general, and especially for modern Mexican cooking” said Chef Richard Sandoval, of Modern Mexican Restaurants in New York City.
The Mexican government is continuously active in promoting its cuisine in the U.S. Recently a group of 50 top chefs were flown down to Mexico City to learn about traditional Mexican cuisine.
The Mexico Tourism Board held week-long gastronomy festivals in Houston, Chicago and Los Angeles. New York even brought famed Chef and author, Patricia Quintana, to hold classes and dinners for special guests at Café Frida.
“Educating our clients has required many years and effort,” Chef Miguel Espinoza from Café Frida said. “Finally people are separating Tex-Mex and Mexican gastronomy; they both deserve respect as they each have their own identities, and should not be compared.”
Courtesy of grouptravelblog.com
