One of the signature activities that guests are invited to experience at Capella Ixtapa is a cooking class lead by Chef Miguel Baltazar. The class starts with a tour of the local market. Jackie and I awoke in our suite and headed down to the lobby to meet Chef and begin our adventure.
Posing with Chef Miguel Baltazar in Hotel Capella’s beautiful hand-painted lobby.
The fresh scent of guava fruit is the first thing I smell as we enter El Mercado Central with Chef Miguel. Next, my eyes are drawn to the beautiful assortment of local mangos, emerald green peppers, and beautifully hanging bananas.
In the background as chef is speaking about the way to choose a perfect guava we are serenaded by mariachi music from a small radio that appears older than me.
Chef is so passionate about what he does, and we were so lucky to learn some tips from him on selecting the best produce and fish!
As Chef helps us navigate the aisles of the food market he speaks of the Ixtapa culture. He says many people come to the market not only for fresh fruit and vegetables each day, but also to socialize at community style tables and eat some prepared food options like the Comida Corrida, a complete meal that’s generally served between 1 and 4 pm which consists of several courses at a fixed price, this is very “Mexican” says Chef.
Locals enjoying their Comida Corrida.
The best salesman at the market, Panchito and his lovely owner.
Locals playing arcade games amidst the commerce.
A fresh pot of Mole.
A woman sits under a menu featuring fresh juices and snacks.
At the next stand we learn about the different types of peppers and how aging and drying impact the potency. Chef alined them in his hand to demonstrate. From pablanos to jalapenos to habenaros, no traditional Mexican dish is complete without a little kick!
Chef explains the various peppers to us .
Peppers
Habanero chiles
Jalapenos
Assortment of fresh produce.
Tomatillos – perfect for salsa making!
Next we head to see what the fisherman have caught this morning as most of the fish is caught and sold the same day. We are coached on how to find the freshest of the fresh and end up taking sailfish and one glistening tuna that has been giving us the fish eye. “It’s like dating,” Chef explains, first you have to make eye contact, then you have to touch the fish to make sure it’s firm and then you have to smell it. We pick out some “keepers” and head on our way.
Chef explains how to select a fresh fish.
The fishermen fish, and their wives sell what they catch.
Perfect for ceviche!
As we are leaving with our fresh bounty, an older man in a cowboy hat approaches and asks in Spanish if we want to buy honey, at first (not remembering the Spanish word for honey) I say no when he puts the plastic Coke bottle within reach, but once finding out he was offering honey I had to buy it.
Thank you chef!
Our stomachs are now begging us to cook the wonderful assortment we just retrieved so it is back to Capella for our cooking class… be sure to check back soon for Chef’s recipes for traditional guacamole, ceviche and more!
