{"id":8052,"date":"2015-07-15T09:26:32","date_gmt":"2015-07-15T15:26:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/?p=8052"},"modified":"2015-07-15T09:26:32","modified_gmt":"2015-07-15T15:26:32","slug":"a-qa-with-enrique-olvera-mexicos-best-known-chef-talks-about-new-los-cabos-restaurant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/2015\/07\/a-qa-with-enrique-olvera-mexicos-best-known-chef-talks-about-new-los-cabos-restaurant\/","title":{"rendered":"A Q&A with Enrique Olvera: M\u00e9xico\u2019s Best-Known Chef Talks about New Los Cabos Restaurant"},"content":{"rendered":"

A little less than a year after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, Enrique Olvera opened Pujol in Mexico City. The massive success of the restaurant\u2013it\u2019s currently ranked as one of the 20 best restaurants in the world\u2013has brought its chef both acclaim and opportunities. In addition to Pujol, Olvera now has restaurants in New York, San Miguel de Allende, Playa del Carmen, and, most recently, in Los Cabos<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Olvera\u2019s latest project, Manta, is the signature restaurant at The Cape: A Thompson Hotel. The laid-back yet luxurious property opened its doors on June 26, sporting a scenic location above Monuments Beach<\/a> and its famed surf break, in the tourist corridor that connects cape cities Cabo San Lucas<\/a> and San Jos\u00e9 del Cabo<\/a>. Manta, like every room, suite, bar and restaurant in The Cape, boasts spectacular views of El Arco and all the granite rock formations that stretch to Land\u2019s End.<\/p>\n

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Enrique Olvera is the acclaimed chef of Pujol in Mexico City, and Manta, the signature restaurant at the recently opened The Cape: A Thompson Hotel in Los Cabos.<\/p><\/div>\n

The restaurant\u2019s name has two meanings. Manta is the Spanish word for blanket, and thus signifies comfort and warmth, two attributes the restaurant strives to provide for guests. And it\u2019s a reference to manta rays, symbolizing the restaurant\u2019s commitment to focus on fresh local seafood. Tasting menus fuse Mexican standards with Pacific Rim influences, and showcase Olvera\u2019s trademark knack for surprising flavors.<\/p>\n

I recently sat down with the chef to discuss his approach to cooking, and his vision for Manta.<\/p>\n

How much familiarity did you have with Los Cabos before Manta, and did your level of familiarity or affection for the area play any part in your decision to participate in the project?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been coming here for the past 10 years. I know that because my oldest son was one when we first came to Los Cabos. The area has this reputation of fine hospitality. I think it became one of the most important destinations for luxury tourism in M\u00e9xico. I\u2019m in the luxury business, so I was attracted from the start to this kind of hospitality. I think that many hotels in Los Cabos have greatly improved the quality of hospitality in the country. I wanted to be part of that, so Los Cabos for me was always in my mind.<\/p>\n

I actually like it so much that at one point I thought I\u2019d never open here because I didn\u2019t want to come to Los Cabos to work. I wanted to just enjoy the destination. But here I am now working. I guess I couldn\u2019t hold it back.<\/p>\n

I know you oversee the food and beverage aspects, but what was your level of involvement in the aesthetics and ambiance of Manta? <\/strong><\/p>\n

I jumped in the project a little bit late, when some of the decisions were already made, but Manta definitely has my personality. We\u2019ve been adapting the restaurant to my taste.\u00a0 When we got here everything you see that is black was wood. We actually burned the wood. The owners make fun of me because they say I like to burn things. I mean, it\u2019s getting there. I\u2019m trying to put myself and my personality into the restaurant. I\u2019ve been talking to the DJ for the past week about the playlist, giving him my input on the music. We\u2019re still working on the lighting. We\u2019ve been open for two weeks, so there are still many things to fine tune. But I\u2019m very proud of where we\u2019re at right now. And the view is probably the best in Los Cabos.<\/p>\n

Do you have any involvement with other bars and restaurants here in the hotel?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019re not in charge of the operation for the hotel, but I participate in the design of the menus, and we\u2019ve incorporated some recipes of ours. As far as the day to day operations, I can\u2019t take any credit.<\/p>\n

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The Cape: A Thompson Hotel opened on June 26, and overlooks Monuments Beach in the tourist corridor that connects cape cities Cabo San Lucas and San Jos\u00e9 del Cabo.<\/p><\/div>\n

What parts of the menu and d\u00e9cor at Manta are site specific, meant to evoke the flavors or culture of Los Cabos and Baja California Sur?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, we\u2019re working with mostly local ingredients, so we definitely have a sense of place in that way. But I think food is a little more regional and less specific to the destination, so we\u2019re incorporating things from the region, from the Baja, not necessarily Los Cabos. Baja has a Pacific influence, so that\u2019s why we\u2019re playing around with Peruvian and Japanese flavors; because a sashimi, a tiradito, and a Mexican ceviche have a common language. It\u2019s fun to combine those things.<\/p>\n

Essentially what we\u2019re trying to do is to have a beach feel. That\u2019s why the food is so light. It is seafood, and it\u2019s playful because you\u2019ve probably spent the whole day in the pool, and don\u2019t want to come here and have some heavy meal. So we\u2019re trying to keep things fresh and seafood (focused), and that reflects the destination.<\/p>\n

Are we cooking specifically for Los Cabos, Cabo recipes only? No. We want to bring in more personality. Thompson is a different kind of hotel than any other I\u2019ve seen in Los Cabos. It\u2019s more of a happening. Most of the local hotels are more contemporary, classic. Here I feel the vibe and it\u2019s a little more fun. Therefore, the restaurant is also accommodated to that crowd. Not so quiet and mellow, but more happening.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re best known for Pujol in Mexico City, which has been regularly ranked as one of the best restaurants in the world. What would you say are the similarities between the dining experience at Pujol and Manta?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The thing we\u2019re doing the same is we\u2019re buying the best quality (ingredients) we can, and hiring the best people we can. That concept will never change.<\/p>\n

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View of Land’s End from the Rooftop Nightclub at The Cape: A Thompson Hotel.<\/p><\/div>\n

Where did the name Pujol come from?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a nickname that people used to call me in high school. When I went to school in New York, most restaurants there had the name of the chef. Calling a restaurant Enrique in M\u00e9xico seemed kind of weird. But I did want my personality in the name.<\/p>\n

I read somewhere you won an award for your thesis at the Culinary Institute of America. True? What was it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

True. Long time ago. I did a project about art and cooking. The idea was to incorporate principles of art into cooking, and how cooking can be an artistic expression. I was very young. I had a lot of dreams.<\/p>\n

How soon after you graduated did you open Pujol?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t long. I was 24 years old when I opened Pujol. I graduated from the CIA in May, 1999. They gave me a six-month visa. I used it to go to Chicago, and worked there until December. Then I flew back to Mexico City in January, found a place by March, and we were open in May, 2000.<\/p>\n

What about Manta do you think is different from any other restaurant in Los Cabos?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It has my personality, so there is that. But to say I\u2019m doing something here that has never been done before would be a little bit pretentious, because there are always references from other cultures. It\u2019s definitely very personal We have anticuchos (a Peruvian street food), but you haven\u2019t had an anticucho of octopus like that. I didn\u2019t invent anticuchos. They were already there. I think it is more a question of creativity and doing something nobody else has done. We can talk about being honest and sharing what you think, and the flavors that you like. We\u2019re trying to be authentic and creative.<\/p>\n

You seem to have a love of street food that expresses itself in your menus. What about street food do you appreciate, and how does that translate in your restaurants?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I love the precision of fine dining, and I love the power of street food. The flavor of it. The soul of it. So we\u2019re trying to bring in that soul from the street food, and combine it with the attention to detail and execution of fine dining. Food that is perfectly cooked but has a lot of flavor, that is not cold and monochromatic. Something that explodes in your mouth, but in a subtle way that is not overwhelming.<\/p>\n

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Surf chic and Land’s End views are on display in each of The Cape’s 161 rooms and suites.<\/p><\/div>\n

You always seem to add a flavor note in each dish that is surprising. Do you have a particular approach to try to find that one element that will really stand out?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is something that I do naturally. We like to do that, we like to give you a little punch you\u2019re not expecting. We\u2019re aware of that, but there is not a creative process that takes me to that place. It\u2019s just something that I have in my palate. I know what I like in there to give it a twist.<\/p>\n

Manta features multicourse tasting menus with your choice of three, four or five dishes. What is your approach to the creation of tasting menus?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Right now the menu has 30 dishes, and every day we choose between 15 and 18 to offer. So the menu is flexible. I know that, for example, in New York or Mexico City, my best customers go maybe twice a month. There are crazy people that go a little bit more than that, but it\u2019s usually a restaurant where people go once or twice a month at most. At Manta, I think our customers will probably come back two or three days in a row. So we offer a different menu each day so no one has to try anything again unless they want to.<\/p>\n

Do you have any philosophical limits in terms of making tweaks to traditional Mexican dishes? What constitutes going too far, if such a thing is possible, in terms of putting your own spin\u2013Pacific Rim influences, for instance\u2013on a traditional recipe?<\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s always some restraint that you need to have. You don\u2019t want to take it too far. When I was younger, fusion cuisine was very in vogue, and I think there were some excesses that happened. A lot of people had a backlash and then everybody started being very classical. Now I think that if you\u2019re subtle, if you have something that is not meant as a statement but just to have fun, people can take it lightly. You want to be playful, and you must know your own food.<\/p>\n

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Chef Olvera explains his dishes to guests on opening night at Manta.<\/p><\/div>\n

Fun seems to be the operative word. I get the impression there\u2019s a good deal of humor in your cooking. Do you think that\u2019s true?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes. Cooking is supposed to be fun. Part of what I love about cooking is that it is fun. It\u2019s not something that is super straight and gloomy. You have to be focused, for sure, but you always want to have fun as well.<\/p>\n

How important is plate presentation?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Presentation tells you that you love your craft, right? If you are very meticulous with your cooking process, then everything else follows. Presentation is not the end. It\u2019s not the goal. If you make a beautiful dish, it\u2019s the consequence of your cooking process. Our presentations are very natural. We\u2019re doing something carefully, but whatever happens, happens. We\u2019re not like drawing things on the dish. We\u2019re carefully creating things on top of that plate because we care about our job, and we\u2019re proud of what we\u2019re doing in the kitchen. But we don\u2019t think making lines or funny shapes adds value to the dish. If you really care about your work, though, usually you get something beautiful. It\u2019s a consequence of craftsmanship.<\/p>\n

Will Manta have a signature dish?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Customers will dictate that. I never know. But people fall in love with things. Right now the octopus is probably the most popular dish.<\/p>\n

Can you tell me a little about your wine program? How much of an emphasis will there be on wines from Valle de Guadalupe and elsewhere in M\u00e9xico?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019re trying to use the same principles for our wine purveyors as we do for our food purveyors. We like small purveyors that care about their product, and we buy a lot from\u00a0 family-oriented businesses because they seem to have a lot more soul.<\/p>\n

We also want flavorful wines that go well with the food, so we\u2019re focusing on wines that go well with seafood: Chardonnays, Gr\u00fcners (Gr\u00fcner Veltliner is a white wine varietal most commonly associated with Austria), Sauvignon Blancs\u2026those kinds of wines. And then M\u00e9xico obviously plays a big role in the menu. We\u2019re conscious that a lot of people that come to the hotel from outside the country are probably interested in Mexican wines.<\/p>\n

We are not pretending to have the biggest wine list in Los Cabos. But we want you to feel comfortable that whichever wine you have at Manta, you cannot make a mistake. We want 100 wines that are hand-picked by our staff. No matter what you choose, you\u2019re going to have a great bottle.<\/p>\n

Are there any Mexican wines for which you have a particular affection, either because of their consistent quality or pairing versatility?<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are plenty of them, but I have a particularly strong bond with Vena Cava. Vena Cava has been doing our house wine in Pujol for a few years. I love their Sauvignon Blanc. And it\u2019s one of the most beautiful wineries in M\u00e9xico.<\/p>\n

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The restaurant and hotel overlook one of Los Cabos’ most famous surf breaks.<\/p><\/div>\n

Now that you\u2019ve opened a restaurant in Baja, you\u2019re obviously a big part of the peninsula\u2019s culinary scene. How familiar are you with the top chefs and restaurants in Baja?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, they\u2019re all my friends. I know Jair (T\u00e9llez of Laja in Valle de Guadalupe), Benito (Molina of Manzanilla in Ensenada), Diego (Hern\u00e1ndez of Coraz\u00f3n de Tierra in Valle de Guadalupe), and Javier Plascencia (of Misi\u00f3n 19, and the best known of Tijuana\u2019s famed family or restaurateurs), and Angel Carbajal (of Nick-San<\/a> in Los Cabos). We\u2019re all friends, and we\u2019re all in the same boat. It\u2019s a very small industry, and we know and like each other.<\/p>\n

Do you also have a tortilla program? <\/strong><\/p>\n

In all my restaurants, the tortilla program is very special. That is the quintessential part of a Mexican restaurant. You can\u2019t have a good restaurant without good bread or good tortillas. And we don\u2019t do bread. We\u2019re hand pressing our flour tortillas, and our corn tortillas. We\u2019re bringing corn from Oaxaca and other parts of the country, and we nixtamalize in-house.<\/p>\n

I know you\u2019re involved in a number of restaurants. What level of involvement will you have in day to day operations at Manta? How often do you expect to be in Los Cabos?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ll be here as often as I can. I was supposed to be here for seven days this time, and it has already been 20-something. I like the destination, so it\u2019s not a problem. I actually look forward to coming here as often as I can. Like you say, I have other restaurants that I have to tend, but probably like a week out of every two months sounds about right. In the beginning, I\u2019ll be coming more often. But I do want to be present as much as possible.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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A little less than a year after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, Enrique Olvera opened Pujol in Mexico City. The massive success of the restaurant\u2013it\u2019s currently ranked as one of the 20 best restaurants in the world\u2013has brought its chef both acclaim and opportunities. In addition to Pujol, Olvera now has restaurants in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":8065,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[128,1057,848,21,499,1246,1298,1305,1296,493,42,1306,1299,1302,1307,1304,1297,112,378,1232,1300,1301,1308,18,1303],"class_list":["post-8052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","tag-baja-california","tag-baja-california-sur","tag-beaches","tag-cabo-san-lucas","tag-celebrity-chefs","tag-chris-sands","tag-cosme","tag-culinary-institute-of-america","tag-enrique-olvera","tag-fine-dining","tag-los-cabos","tag-luxury-hotels","tag-manta","tag-mexico-city","tag-monuments","tag-new-york","tag-pujol","tag-san-jose-del-cabo","tag-surf","tag-surfing","tag-the-cape","tag-thompson-hotels","tag-valle-de-guadalue","tag-wine","tag-worlds-best-restaurants"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8052"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8052\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8369,"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8052\/revisions\/8369"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8065"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}