I have been in cooking for more than 30 years, and from the beginning I had been in catering and off-premise catering. But it wasn’t until I moved to Cancun 15 years ago that I started to work more closely with DMCs and meeting planner companies as a supplier for their corporate events.
Some of the highlights of my career include being recognized by my colleagues, having many of my students in the field and having my recipes reproduced by other chefs.
The highest mountain I’ve climbed was serving backstage at COP 16 (the United Nations Climate Change Conference) in Cancun in 2007. The event attracted up to 100,000 people in 10 days, and I was responsible for all the food and beverage with my sister company, Gourmet Events.
Food has been my life, starting with my family events and all the family background with great food. It just became my passion and therapy for my anxiety. I love teaching and sharing my knowledge with everybody.
About 10 years ago, I prepared a vegetarian/vegan menu for (author and life coach) Tony Robbins, all with Mexican plates and specialties. At that time being a vegan was not in fashion, and nobody really knew how to approach it. But Mexican food is vegetarian by nature, so he was very impressed by the flavors, the presentation and the variety.
The more information a planner can share about the client, the easier it is for the chef and caterer to design something different. Don’t be afraid of new options and new products; having something new will always bring conversation about the theme.
My mentor in events was Guillermo Rios from Ambrosia catering in Mexico City. He taught us that nothing is impossible—if the client can dream it, we should bring it to reality. In the 1990s he was the pioneer of à la carte catering with alternative options and using local and uncommon products.
A friend invited me to participate in MPI for learning courses and networking. Somebody has to teach me after 30 years in the industry; I still need to continue learning more about the business.
The world is changing very fast, and clients are too, so they need different options in a faster way.
I am passionate about getting to know people—their culture, the way they see the world—and learning about this beautiful planet and its gifts through traveling.
Photo by Fernando Carbajal.
