Interview Series Chef Extraordinaire - Alejandra García
Chef Alejandra was a Top Chef México finalist in 2015. In 2016, "La Cocina de Ale" was born—her "happy place," where she shares her food and her table through culinary workshops, private events and pairing dinners. Cooking has always been her passion and the love of her life. Above all, her cuisine is defined by bold flavors, cherished memories, the traditions of old-school cooking, and the use of 100% natural, predominantly regional ingredients.
by Mayté Rodríguez Cedillo and Fernando Favela · Chef Extraordinaire · BajaTraveler.com
Your cuisine feels deeply personal. If you had to distill your culinary identity into one essential idea, what would it be—and how has it evolved over time?
My cuisine is all about creating an experience rooted in childhood memories of my mom and abuelitas cooking and has very defined influences of traditional Mexican and french techniques, Mexican flavors and Baja ingredients at the core.
As a caterer though, I create menus that translate into memories of a special moment in my clients life , be it their wedding, a milestone birthday or some special day to celebrate.
Baja California offers a striking sense of place. How do you translate the landscape—sea, desert, and vineyard—into a coherent culinary language?
We are privileged as chefs cooking in Baja because we have here everything we could wish for ingredients wise: locally sourced seafood, meats, vegetables, herbs, olive oil….. that makes for an effortless sense of place in a finished dish.
Every great chef develops an almost obsessive relationship with certain ingredients. Which ones define your kitchen, and why are they indispensable?
Aromatics!!! Seemingly simple ingredients like onions or garlic for example, that are the building blocks of truly exceptional flavor.
Every dish starts as an idea , something I can almost taste in my mind, and the creative process of making that idea translate into a dish requires technical precision and experience to make it come true on a plate.
It starts with the dish, the flavor, the aromas, the textures….. and then we pair it with something that not only complements it, but elevates both into an experience of the senses.
From your perspective, how is Valle de Guadalupe positioned today within the international food and wine landscape?
I think Valle de Guadalupe has become a must destination for food and wine lovers, with its Michelin Starred restaurants, amazing wines and beautiful landscape. It’s a not so hidden gem and its steadily being discovered by people from all over the world.
Luxury is about the whole experience, not only expensive ingredients. When a diner can not only taste a dish but feel the passion and intention behind it.
Sustainability is often discussed, but rarely understood in depth. What meaningful practices—often unseen by the guest—truly shape your approach?
In my kitchen sustainability begins with wasting nothing, we use all the veggie scraps, bones, skin, stc and cooking seasonally with local ingredients. All very simple ways of making a difference that also anybody can do at home.
Which global influences have shaped your vision, and how do you reinterpret them while preserving a strong sense of place?
Growing up in a border city has influenced my taste and my cooking, and travel of course…. Getting to know different cuisines in their place or origin has expanded my vision and my knowledge and influenced my cooking both in incorporating different techniques and flavors in my dishes.
Beyond trends, what kind of legacy do you hope to build—and how do you envision the future of Baja’s cuisine on the global stage?
I think of my legacy in terms of having been a professional chef instructor and culinary director for many Universities for over 20 generations of culinary students in Baja. Some of the Michelin starred chefs in Baja today have at some point been my students and that makes me infinitely happy and proud.
BajaTraveler® Signature Closing
1. A wine that never fails to move you (red, white, or sparkling)
Sparklig
2. One Baja ingredient you can’t live without
Olive Oil
3. A restaurant anywhere in the world that recently inspired you
Lielle
4. Sea or land—where do you find more inspiration?
Land
5. A perfect pairing—simple, yet unforgettable
A touch of salt in a chocolate dessert
6. A guilty pleasure
Mac & cheese
7. The first dish or memory that defined your palate
Mole Poblano
8. If you weren’t a chef, what would you be…
A Teacher
9. A culinary destination you consider essential today
Baja California
10. In one word: what is Baja to you?
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