Jair Tellez Gives His Honest Thoughts About Flavor Trends And The Local Mexican Food Scene - Exclusive
While food trends can disappear as quickly as they surface, the chef behind Merotoro, one of Mexico City's 50 best restaurants, is sure his favorite trend within Mexican cuisine isn't going anywhere. Chef Jair Téllez spoke exclusively with Mashed to discuss not only his partnership with Patrón Tequila, but also his opinions on the latest finds and flavors surrounding Mexican food. For Téllez, the best part about the cuisine is not only all about his favorite flavors, but something much bigger too.
"I like [ingredients] that bring me to the earth," the chef said. "There's a tonality of flavor in Mexican cuisine that tends to go towards the earth and it can be mole, or it can be some inserts, or it can be some beans cooked with avocado leaves. I like that sensation. I like that kind of taste," he explained. But those ingredients represent something more than just great flavor for Téllez. "I find it very authentic, very Mexican, and it's inspiring for me," he said. And that just might be why more people are traveling to Mexico to experience it.
Food travel has become a cornerstone of Mexican cuisine
Not only is Jair Téllez's favorite trend in Mexican cuisine one that lifts up tradition and exposes truly authentic Mexican food, but it is also one that many people love and admire about the country's culture and cuisine. In fact, the chef spoke of the ever-increasing number of people who journey to Mexico to experience authentic dishes. "For one thing, it's real. For many reasons, Mexican food came of age a few years ago. We always knew, but [since] a few years ago, it has gone exponential," Téllez said of the increase in food travel.
According to him, people continue to travel throughout Mexico to experience the many different kinds of traditional, authentic foods that the country is home to. "Yes, there's a lot of substance ... [with] Mexican food ... you need to have a lot of regional foods, no? It's those regional foods that really result in what we know as Mexican food and it's fascinating and it's a huge country, and there's a lot of different cultural diversity. It's a world by itself," he said. The chef certainly believes that Mexico's food scene is well worth all of the praise. "It's well deserved ... it makes a lot of sense that [there's] all this attention. I don't even know all of it. I'm still surprised every day by the things we find," he said.
Follow Jair Téllez's restaurant Merotoro on Facebook to keep up with the chef and learn about his partnership with Patrón Tequila.