Interview Series Chef Extraordinaire - Benito Molina
Chef Benito Molina is a renowned Mexican chef known for his expertise in seafood and sustainable cuisine emphasizing simplicity, freshness and sustainability. Born in Mexico City, he trained at the New England Culinary Institute and worked in prestigious kitchens worldwide before establishing himself in Ensenada. Benito is a TV personality and served as a judge on Master Chef México. Most recently Benito and his wife, Chef Solange opened Amapola at the Banyan Tree hotel in Valle de Guadalupe.
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?
For me, my culinary identity was very clear from the beginning. It has always been about the ingredients, and the evolution of having close contact with the fishermen, the seafood producers, the wine makers and many other actors within the industry.
Baja California offers a striking sense of place. How do you translate the landscape—sea, desert, and vineyard—into a coherent culinary language?
I translate it by honoring the ingredients from both the land and the sea — a natural surf and turf. A dish that enhances the flavors of both without overwhelming it.
Every great chef develops an almost obsessive relationship with certain ingredients. Which ones define your kitchen, and why are they indispensable?
This is a very difficult question that is often asked, you can not narrow it down to a couple ingredients. Olive oil, salt, sherry vinegar, chiles such as chiltepin and habanero, black beans, corn and flour tortillas. I love fish and quail here from Valle de Guadalupe — and the steaks which come from Sonora.
The idea always comes to me first and then I start thinking about how to elaborate the dish.
I consider wine as another ingredient of the whole dish, they walk hand in hand into the sunset .
From your perspective, how is Valle de Guadalupe positioned today within the international food and wine landscape?
I think this is a double edge sword. In one hand it is perfect that we have national and international tourism, more wineries and more hotels, but on the other hand, there are many things happening and there no control. We cannot forget that water is limited; it is a dessert area after all, so the true agricultural legacy of the Valle de Guadalupe is in danger. Developments should be well regulated and understand that there should be more vineyards than hotels — for example.
In order to consider luxury dining, many factors have to come together/. Perfect lighting, music, service and of course the right company and then there is the magic of food and wine. Nowadays, I prefer shorter menus than a 30 course adventure — less is more.
Sustainability is often discussed, but rarely understood in depth. What meaningful practices—often unseen by the guest—truly shape your approach?
Everything must be supplied by local farmers and local aqua farms..
Which global influences have shaped your vision, and how do you reinterpret them while preserving a strong sense of place?
I was French trained, went to cooking school in Vermont and worked in Brittany and Boston before coming back to México. My mother and grandmother were great cooks, they both came from Campeche. I spent a lot of time in the kitchen with them, listening that fish was one hundred times better in Campeche than in Mexico City.
I always dreamt of olive trees and vineyards, the ocean was my obsession. I could not understand why people lived in the city and not by the sea. When Hugo D’Acosta invited my to join him at the Santo Thomas winery and I saw all that I had imagined as the perfect place to live, here in my own country, the pact was sealed.
The food we make is the result of many years of training coupled with our heritage. We have the outmost respect for the ingredients from Baja California.
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?
The legacy has already started. Twenty six years ago when we opened Manzanilla — our restaurant, very few people in central México knew where Ensenada was. Today, basically every fine dinning Restaurant in the country has something from Ensenada on the menu. We were the first ones to open an outdoor grill “Silvestre” in the Valle, twenty years ago and today it’s a trend.
I think the foundation for the Baja Cuisine is in concrete, respect the ingredients and work with the many fantastic producers of the land and of the sea.
BajaTraveler® Signature Closing
1. A wine that never fails to move you (red, white, or sparkling)
Sparkling
2. One Baja ingredient you can’t live without
Olive oil
3. A restaurant anywhere in the world that recently inspired you
Güeyu Mar
4. Sea or land—where do you find more inspiration?
Sea
5. A perfect pairing—simple, yet unforgettable
Sparkling wine with Gorgonzola clams
6. A guilty pleasure
Mexican Candy
7. The first dish or memory that defined your palate
Cochinita Pibil
8. If you weren’t a chef, what would you be…
Bullfighter
9. A culinary destination you consider essential today
Oaxaca
10. In one word: what is Baja to you?
EVERYTHING