Acclaimed Mexican Chef to Visit Gauteng.

The Embassy of Mexico to South Africa is pleased to announce that acclaimed Mexican chef Alam Méndez Florián will be travelling to Gauteng next month to promote Mexican gastronomy. The visit has been organised through the initiative of Ven A Comer and conjunction with the valuable support of the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (Amexcid).

Chef Méndez will host and take part in various events from September 10 through to September 16, including Mexican food tastings at a number of Johannesburg-based restaurants and cooking master classes at the Prue Leith Chefs Academy and the Capsicum Culinary Studio campus in Pretoria.

 Monday 10 September (morning) at Calexico Restaurant (44 Stanley Ave, Braamfontein Werf, Johannesburg)  Wednesday 12 September (afternoon) at Prue Leith Chefs Academy (262 Rhino Ave, Hennopspark, Centurion)  Thursday 13 September (afternoon) at Salsa Mexican Grill (Loftus Mall, Pretoria)  Hadeda Marketing (40 Bompas Road Dunkeld, Johannesburg) - date/time tbc

With a gastronomy degree from the Culinary Institute of Mexico, AC. and currently in charge of the kitchen at the highly praised Pasillo de Humo Restaurant in Mexico City, Chef Méndez has extensive professional experience in both Mexico and abroad. His international recognition includes being a semi-finalist in the San Pellegrino Young Chef 2018 competition held earlier this year and placing first in the Young Promising Mexican Gastronomic contest held in Ribera del Duero in 2014.

Good Food Mexico said recently of Pasillo de Humo: It is an extraordinary Oaxacan ‘antojería’ under the baton of chef Alam Méndez who happens to be the son of Celía Florian, chef/owner of Oaxaca’s renowned 15 Letras. The "pasillo" refers to the smoky passage in that city’s market where tasajo - dried beef - is grilled over wood-fired coals. The restaurant, which opens for breakfast as well as comida and cena, offers classic regional specialties such as crispy flat tlayudas, tamales, intriguing egg dishes served in polished clay cazuelas and of course, moles. I love the earthy verdant mole verde, aromatic with minty hoja santa. The best ingredients are imported from the south and the tortillas are made by hand.