An award-winning executive chef and culinary consultant is adding his celebrated twist to the centuries-old flavours of Mexican cuisine at a new venture in Bahrain.
Chef Salvador Carrillo has touched down in the kingdom to offer guidance to the fine fare being offered at the recently-opened El Chapo lounge in Adliya’s bustling Block 338.
“I’ve come to Bahrain to specifically revamp the restaurant menu with authentic Mexican dishes and I’m enjoying every moment,” said Chef Salvador, who has won several cooking accolades at home and abroad including ‘Best Mediterranean Chef’ in the Professional Chef Awards staged in neighbouring Dubai two years ago.
The basics of Mexican cuisine can be traced back to 7000 BC, when Mexico and Central America had yet to be colonised. Back then indigenous people roamed the area and survived by hunting animals and gathering plants. One of the most common plants in the area was the wild chili pepper, which was eaten frequently.
A touch of Spanish flavour entered the mix when Spain invaded and colonised the country between 1521-1821 and many consider it to have had the most influence on Mexican cuisine, with garlic as well as many different herbs, wheat and spices coming to the fore.
Others suggest the Mexican people saw the assimilation of many other cuisines too, such as Caribbean, South American, French, West African and Portuguese.
Chef Carrillo
None-the-less, 31-year-old Chef Salvador believes that what makes Mexican cuisine unique are ‘the ingredients’.
“There are, of course, techniques that you are required to master, but you can do so anywhere in the world,” he explained.
Success came early, he was named Young Chef of Year in 2011 by the Government of Puerto Vallarta and its tourism minister, and by 2015 he was in the final of Brazil’s national competition.
His initial training, however, came closer to home. Coming from humble beginnings, Chef Carrillo, born in Puerto Vallarta, watched in awe as both of his grandmothers cooked and sold their dishes.
“One of the crucial lessons both my grandmothers taught me was that; I am not cooking for myself, I am cooking for every single person who visits the restaurant,” he said. “It is exciting for me when a new customer approaches me and compliments the food, it feels like I have succeeded in bringing a taste of Mexico to the other side of the world.”
The seasoned chef now boasts experience spanning across Mexico, the US, and the UAE.
Among the favourite dishes on the new El Chapo lounge menu are firm Mexican favourites – Enchiladas, a dish made out of flat tortilla stuffed with chicken and roasted onion and served with a creamy green sauce and the Birria, a six-hour, slowly-cooked dish of short ribs blended with spices, dry chili and beef stock.
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