Within 24 hours of landing in Mexico City from the freezing airport in Boston, I was soaked in sweat, chopping up about 50 pounds of beets.
The open-air restaurant was shaded from the sun. However, that didn’t help much as I cut blood-red veggies into small chunks hunched over a rustic wood table.
I had thought lunch would be ready when we got to this restaurant in Xochimilco. Instead, we were thrown into this mini-competition to make our own meal from the vegetables and herbs grown on-site.
The chef presiding over us announced a love of zero-waste in her food, so we questioningly looked at all the discarded stems, roots, and leaves. She said yes, those too. Get back to chopping.
Masters Cooking Across the Caribbean and Latin America
This beet battle made sense, though, as I was in the city for a special hands-on cooking event: The Masters of the Craft match-up of top culinary talent across Marriott Hotels in Latin America and the Caribbean.
This final round welcomed nine culinary, pastry, and mixology competitors to vie for the title of winner from hundreds of original participants. Chefs could bring flavors from their culture into the dishes, which allowed the dishes to tell stories and tantalize the palate.
Before the event, we were treated to our own cooking experience at Arca on the outskirts of Mexico City. I had taken a noisy boat with a dozen other people down the man-made canals of Xochimilco to this off-the-grid farm and restaurant.
Mariana Orozco, one of the best chefs in Mexico City, gave an overview of how zero-waste cooking can be a game changer. It can preserve local biodiversity and protect indigenous ingredients.
This was after a quick tour of the farm, too, led by a passionate caballero-looking man who had dedicated his life to the old ways of farming in rich, volcanic soil. The canal also served as a historic irrigation system, now protected by local farmers doing their best to preserve the land.
Vibrant Cultural Stories Told Through Food
Chopping beets for an eternity gave me a chance to chat with some of the finalists for Master of the Craft.
Pastry Chef Eduardo Garcia Luna from Mexico told me about some of the semi-final dishes he had created. One used herb stems to make a small pouch to hold the rest of the dish. He said it represented the bag used commonly for groceries in Mexico. When someone becomes an adult, they often take their childhood “grocery bag” full of their belongings to follow their dreams.
I also gravitated toward Marlene Cherres and her boss, Sheyla, who came from the Aruba Marriott property. Marlene was the most senior competitor in age but one of the more inexperienced in a professional kitchen. It was her first time in Mexico. She said that while she loved using all the tropical fruit bursts of flavors in Aruba, she enjoyed the earthy tones of root vegetables and stone fruits in Mexico City.
Farm-to-Table Delights in Xochimilco
Our women-only team at Arca on the starter station efficiently prepped piles of beets to sauté with olive oil, vinegar, honey, and salt and pepper. Simple and absolutely perfect, sourced directly from the farm.
I felt incredibly proud to get a nod from chef Mariana after I burned only the first round of vegetables. The rest were ideally al dente and sweetly crusted with honey at the last moment.
At the end, we all feasted on dishes made by chefs and helpers. They ranged from fresh red salsas and Thai curries to chicken with blazing bright chimichanga sauce and a rainbow-colored panzanella salad.
Time for the True Competition: Masters of the Craft
After an evening of tequila sipping, a taco tour, and an early bedtime, the next day was finally time for the main event.
For an entire year, more than 800 sous chefs, bartenders, and pastry chefs-in-training compete for the prestigious title. The Masters of the Craft Competition supports upcoming talent at Marriott hotel properties throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. The annual finale takes place in a trendy major city. The Westin Santa Fe in Mexico City hosted the finals, with three events, each crowning an eventual winner.
The Cooking, Mixing, and Baking Begins
They closed the main restaurant to the public. A massive table with countless ingredients took over the space. Three stations at the main stage created a reality-TV-like feel to the competition. Although the environment was electric, only about 40 people watched the contest.
From broken burners and flopped freezer fails to ticking timers and secret ingredients, it was a non-stop spectacle of fun and thrills in the culinary world. Some competitors showed nerves as it was their first time leaving their home country and performing at this level. Others brought incredible stories of adversity and dedication to their discipline of choice.
And (almost) all of the dishes and drinks created were delicious.
Three Thrilling Rounds of Taste
Culinary was first. Chef Geovanna Bueno and Chef Eduardo chose ingredients from a massive display. It had everything from hot dried chilis and juicy fruit to colorful vegetables and jarred, pickled mysteries.
Winner Chef Geovanna created a dish called moqueca, a savory fish stew common in Brazil, alongside some local roasted corn “ribs” (corn cob cut lengthwise, which curls slightly when torched). With her food, she aimed to draw a bridge between Brazil and the rest of Latin America. She said that although they speak different languages, they’re still like “cousins” and considered family.
Pastry came next. I wondered how they’d create dishes without access to an oven, but each looked (and smelled) delightful. Although Marlene put up a good fight, Gustavo from Brazil took home first place with a sweet pumpkin blossom, fried in tempura and stuffed with fresh fruits. His presentation looked like a gift to uncover in a clay pot garnished with flowers.
Last was the mixology as we all moved to the bar. The secret ingredient of mushrooms was met with gasps from the crowd for its unusual flavor profile in alcoholic beverages. But the competitors did their best to embrace some savory elements in their drinks and still have them shine.
© Eileen Cotter Wright
Yandery Crispin took home gold with her whiskey cocktail, which incorporated pineapple and mushrooms to find balance and sippable satisfaction.
Drama and Disappointment
One of the biggest twists happened during mixology. Once the drinks were finished and presented, one of the judges announced he had a severe dairy allergy. The bartender turned beet red at the error and, in turn, lost the competition.
Should a culinary judge announce his allergies to competitors beforehand? I believe so, but the judge said he should have been asked about it beforehand. You be the judge of that.
© Eileen Cotter Wright
I first got my hands in the mineral-rich earth of Mexico and learned how farming is the lifeblood of fresh ingredients in local cooking. The next day, I clinked cocktails at a gorgeous hotel while cheering on a rainbow of brilliant chefs and mixologists vying for a prestigious culinary title.
Experiencing the competition was a privilege. But tasting my way through the Mexico City food scene and meeting such incredibly talented chefs was my real prize. Witnessing other people traveling for the first time, trying new flavors, and being treated like stars made me so grateful for my job as a travel writer. It’s a gift I never take for granted.
Thanks to Marriott Bonvoy for hosting this trip.
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