Chefs & Gastronomy
–Interviews–
Chef Carlos Gaytán
My cuisine is, at its core, an act of memory filtered through discipline. It began as something very instinctive—almost emotional—rooted in my upbringing, in the flavors of my mother, in the way food was a form of care and identity. At that stage, it wasn’t refined, but it was honest.
Chef Javier Plascencia
My cuisine is about creating something very personal and unique that people can connect with. Over time, it has evolved naturally through travel, different cultures, and experience, but Baja has always remained at the center of my cooking. Today, my style feels very Mediterranean in spirit, while still deeply rooted in Mexican and Baja California ingredients.
Chef Miguel Angel Guerrero
My culinary identity is Freedom.
Freedom from culinary trends, freedom to create a dish with whatever product I have at hand, whether I caught it fishing or hunted it myself. Evolution in the kitchen comes with time — with the awareness of taking only what is necessary from nature and wasting nothing.
Chef Sidney Schutte
I was born and raised at the seaside, and that’s still the foundation of my culinary identity today. The sea, the freshness, and the purity of nature inspire the way I cook. Over the years, my cuisine became more personal — less about technique, more about emotion, simplicity, and creating memories through food.
Chef Martin San Roman
The identity of my cuisine has always been French/ Mexican Cuisine with Baja products. Today, one sees high end Mexican cuisine with great ingredients, sauces and elevated presentation influences of France and Spain .
Chef Benito Molina
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.
Chef Roberto Alcocer
If I had to describe my culinary identity in one idea, it would be cooking from memory and emotion while staying deeply connected to place. So much of my menu is influenced by my childhood and by the experiences that shaped me growing up between Oaxaca and Ensenada.
Chef Thiery Blouet
My cuisine is my passion based on my two cultures; the French one and the Mexican one . It is an evolution over the years based on lived experiences from my own evolution, great products and the inspiration that comes from within.
Chef Angel Carbajal
My culinary identity is a cuisine built on respect for the product, technique, and consistency. It began with a strong foundation in Japanese cuisine and, over time, adapted to Baja while always preserving its essence. Today, it seeks balance in every dish.
Chef Enrique Silva
My culinary identity consists of fresh ingredients, using seasonal products from the ground and from the sea.
Chef Aurelien Legeay
If I had to distill it into one essential idea, it would be: discipline in technique applied to living ingredients that are increasingly vegetal, local, and expressive of place.
México is what changed the direction. After more than 20 years, it stops being “influence” and becomes environment
Chef Alberto Collarte
I would say my cuisine is about fire, memory, and the place where I am cooking. It started in a very natural way, from family flavors, from Chile, from travel, and from all the kitchens where I have worked. Over time it became more connected to the product and less about trying to impress. Today I like food that has technique, but also soul. Food that tastes good, feels honest, and has a little bit of rock and roll.
Chef Alex Branch
I would say my cuisine has become more about the ingredients. When I first started, I kept trying to use techniques to help me change the ingredients into whatever I
thought would improve the dish. But through experience I learned the real essence of the ingredients and how they are what truly makes a dish. So, I believe that my true culinary goal is simplicity, and allowing the ingredients speak for themselves.
Chef José Trinidad Solis
Over time, I have evolved through research, dining, and travel. That journey has helped me shape a cuisine with its own identity, one that honors Mexican gastronomy while embracing techniques from around the world and recognizing that cooking is in constant evolution.
Chef Jorge de la Rosa
At its core, my cuisine is about connection, between fire, ingredient and emotion. It began as a pursuit of technique and excellence, but over time it evolved into something more honest. Today, it is no longer about impressing, it is about creating something that stays with people long after the moment is gone.
Chef Mariano Takinami
My cuisine is my way of honoring all the countries where I’ve lived, most of them alongside my wife and sons: Japan, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Thailand, Mexico, Switzerland, and Cuba.
I truly believe you need to live a country’s traditions and culture to understand its culinary soul. Only then can you naturally blend flavors, techniques, aromas, and emotions. But it always starts with respecting the origin.
Chef Palma Bellinghieri
My culinary identity has always been rooted in one essential desire: to bring people pleasure through an expression of love. For me, cooking has never simply been about preparing food. It is about creating a feeling. A moment. A memory that lingers long after the meal is over.
Chef Ruffo Ibarra
My cuisine is rooted in memory, whether it’s the local flavors of Baja or the stories from family and travel. Over time, those memories have evolved into a personal but universal culinary language.
Chef Edgar Roman
My culinary identity is built on respect for the ingredient. That has never changed.The concept changes, but the principle is always the same: respect the ingredient, let it speak clearly, and never overcomplicate what is already extraordinary.
Chef Omar Armas
My cuisine is about emotion through precision.Over time, my cooking evolved from wanting to impress to wanting to connect. Today, I focus on creating food that feels elegant yet honest, refined yet soulful. I want every dish to tell a story of where I come from and where I’ve been.
Chef Cesar Pita
My cuisine is about connecting Baja Sur’s sea, desert, vineyards and gardens into one emotional experience. Over the years my cuisine has evolved into something more honest, product-driven, and deeply connected to this land.
Chef José Peña
Coming from a family of doctors, where values, ethics, discipline, and humanity were always a priority, I learned early on the importance of caring for people. That gave me a deep respect for food as a basic human need, but also as something that can restore the soul.
Chef Larbi Dahrouch
For me, everything starts with the product. Here in Los Cabos, we are fortunate to have access to excellent local ingredients that are fresh and of the highest quality. My philosophy is to respect those ingredients through simple preparations that allow our guests to truly appreciate their natural flavor and essence.
Chef Francisco Sixtos
For many years, I thought becoming a better chef meant learning more techniques, creating more beautiful plates, or finding increasingly exclusive ingredients. Experience taught me something much simpler: none of that matters if the food does not taste extraordinary.
Chef Paolo Della Corte
My culinary identity can be summed up in one essential idea: absolute respect for the land and its history, expressed through technique. For me, a dish is a dialogue between the local environment and personal experiences, striving to ensure that each bite tells an honest story.
Chef Aldo Tirado
Over time, my approach has evolved from focusing mainly on technique and creativity to prioritizing authenticity, balance, and a stronger connection to the product. Today, I aim to create dishes that reflect my experiences, my roots, and the sense of place where I cook, allowing quality ingredients to speak for themselves.
Chef Andres Bracamontes
Over time, I have evolved through research, dining, and travel. That journey has helped me shape a cuisine with its own identity, one that honors Mexican gastronomy while embracing techniques from around the world and recognizing that cooking is in constant evolution.
Chef Hector Palacios
My cooking has always been deeply connected to the product, the sea, and the stories behind every ingredient. Over time, I realized that cooking goes far beyond technique. It’s really about identity, a sense of place, and representing where you come from in an honest way.
Chef Felipe Raul
My culinary identity is “memoria con propósito” — memory with purpose. It began in my mother’s kitchen in Puerto Rico, where spices were love, tradition, and healing. Over time, it has evolved into a dialogue between my roots and my surroundings in Baja — a celebration of
where I come from and where I am now.
Chef Mauricio Hernández
My cuisine is born from respect for the product and the ability to adapt to it, to truly know it and understand it. My cooking has evolved alongside my own personal growth, understanding that cooking is not only about technique, but about transmitting emotions through every dish.
Chef Yvan Mucharraz
Over time, I have evolved through research, dining, and travel. That journey has helped me shape a cuisine with its own identity, one that honors Mexican gastronomy while embracing techniques from around the world and recognizing that cooking is in constant evolution.
Chef Alejandra Garcia
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.
Chef Oliver Seki
It is the meeting point of Japanese rigor and the freedom of Baja California. Over the years, my cooking has evolved from a quest for technical perfection to a reverence for the purity of the raw ingredients.
Chef Volker Romeike
My culinary identity is Asian -Fusion, evolved by research, traveling and cooking without fear.
Chef Marcelo Hisaki
When I was younger, I was seduced by complexity and innovation for their own sake. I thought mastery meant adding layers. But over years of working in Baja, I learned the opposite: mastery is removing what doesn’t belong. A perfectly ripe heirloom tomato needs almost nothing. A wild fish from our coast, a handful of salt, a whisper of heat.
Chefs & Gastronomy
–Recipes–
Peruvian Dessert Recipes by Pía León
Pía León is one of Latin America’s most original visions in contemporary gastronomy, celebrating Peru’s vast biodiversity and cultural multiplicity. She co-owns Central Restaurant in Lima, Peru, which was named No.1 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ list in 2023 and for many years ranked at the top of the list.
From The Kitchen Of Michelin Star Chef Javier Plascencia
Javier Plascencia is a down-to-earth, charismatic man, who is continuously in the search for flavor. This has led him to take an adventurous journey, first into Baja, and then to the rest of the world to find unique ingredients.
Chefs & Gastronomy
–Culinary Reviews and Interviews–
Our Celebrity correspondent gets personal with Chef Nobu
There are few chefs as synonymous with the good life as Nobu Matsuhisa. The man known for perfecting miso black cod is more than a household name in modern Japanese cuisine—he’s a master of high-end hospitality, too, thanks to his Nobu Hotels, which he launched with partner Robert De Niro in 2013.
My Five Favorite Restaurants in Todos Santos, Baja California Sur
There is something magical about dining in Todos Santos. This charming Baja California Sur
town has a relaxed, creative energy where old-world Mexican character meets a distinctly
modern, bohemian food scene.
Chefs & Gastronomy
–Interviews & Food Videos–
ANTHONY BOURDAIN (Gone Too Soon) LOVED BAJA… its people, its WINE, its FOOD!
People still talk about Baja like it’s a quick border detour. Anthony Bourdain saw something else: a region quietly rewriting what people think they know about México—with chefs, vineyards, and a food culture in full motion.
Chefs & Gastronomy
– Archives–
BOCUSE D’OR MEXICO, helmed by Chef Marcelo Hisaki is headed to BOCUSE D’OR FINALS in Lyon, France!
At the Wormwood Private Garden, BajaTraveler® joined an electric room rallying behind Team México, led by Chef Marcelo Hisaki, on their road to the Bocuse d’Or Finals (January 26, Lyon)—the culinary Olympics with no mercy and no shortcuts.
MICHELIN GUIDE/ LOS CABOS RECOGNITIONS 2025
Rodrigo Esponda, Managing Director of the Los Cabos Tourism Board, explained that joining the Michelin Guidewasn’t automatic—it required an economic commitment to bring inspectors and be officially included. The surprise wasn’t the challenge. It was the response.
Chef Javier Plascencia’s ANIMALON restaurant in Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California earns a second Michelin star!
Chef Javier Plascencia’s Animalón Restaurant in Valle de Guadalupe earns its second Michelin star, cementing Baja California’s global culinary prestige.
Chef Carlos Gaytán’s HA’ restaurant at Hotel Xcaret Mexico earns a second Michelin star!
Chef Carlos Gaytán’s HA’ Restaurant at Hotel Xcaret México earns its second Michelin star, elevating Mexico’s fine dining on the global stage.
Grand Velas’ COCINA DE AUTOR restaurant in Cabo San Lucas earns a second Michelin star!
Cocina de Autor at Grand Velas Los Cabos earns its second Michelin star, solidifying Cabo San Lucas as a global fine-dining destination.
UNITED for Sustainable Fishing at Esperanza Los Cabos
Leaders unite at Esperanza Los Cabos to promote sustainable fishing, ocean stewardship, and responsible culinary practices in Baja California Sur.