Four Chefs at the Table Dinner, a success in San Miguel de Allende

Published October 30th, 2021

Four chefs at the table dinner, a success in San Miguel de Allende Surrounded by baroque architecture, Gothic facades, and cobblestone streets, the Andanza restaurant, located inside the Sierra Nevada Belmond hotel in San Miguel de Allende, is not only famous for its colonial charm, but also for creating gastronomic experiences that diners never forget, that they store in their taste memory, such as the “Four chefs at the table” dinner.

Daniel Camacho, Abel Hernández, Ana Martorell, and Jonathan Santiago, were the culinary artists who starred in this four-course dinner, organized without a special reason, just for the pleasure of sharing with the diners the beauty of San Miguel, as well as the aromas and flavors of Mexican cuisine, which are found in most of the stoves of this place.

As if it were a theatrical production, the dinner was carried out punctually, each service was masterfully executed by the management. The scenography of each dish was changed every 15 minutes, during which time the diners had the opportunity to enjoy each gastronomic work and to share their comments on the experience with the chefs.

The hors d’oeuvre, prepared by chef Jonathan Santiago, consisted of a chicharron puff pastry with octopus, which heralded the beginning of this elaborately prepared dinner, with live music and lantern lighting.

Daniel Camacho Silva was responsible for preparing the first course of the dinner: shrimp with chile morita, organic tomatoes, cilantro, and pumpkin seed, paired with Cuna de Tierra Blanco, 2020.

“I had the invitation from Casa Nevada to be at this dinner. My main stream is Mexican cuisine, and the inspiration is given to me by the desire that when the diner tastes the dish, he/she feels the flavors of Mexican gastronomy; that my cuisine represents me and that the guests take away a memory, a great experience,” explained Camacho.

The second course: roasted onion tartlet with rain mushrooms, Chiapaneco cheese and foie and chihuacle chile foam, paired with Cuna de Tierra Cabernet Sauvignon, was prepared by Abel Hernandez, who expressed his great love for San Miguel, and what better than an invitation of this kind to express his feelings through gastronomy.

“When I was invited to participate in this dinner I said yes, I saw that there was a lot of talent, very honest food from the heart. In the end, I put a little bit of France to this romantic part of Mexico. This is a friends’ dinner and that’s how we are going to enjoy it,” commented Abel.

The main course of the night corresponded to the culinary staff of the hotel, who put on the table a short rib in a mole de olla reduction, chepil tamalito with hoja santa, caramelized xoconoxtle, seasonal vegetables, cilantro, and real lemon, accompanied with Cuna de Tierra Nebbiolo 2019.

Erick González, general manager of Sierra Nevada Belmond Hotel, indicated that the hotel is recognized in this city, not only for its hospitality but also for the experiences that are lived here, especially the gastronomic, because in addition to offering unforgettable dishes, like the one that, for tonight, his team prepared to entertain the diners. As a final point of this dinner, chef Ana Martorell, offered a dessert out of series, a final dish with a very Mexican seal, the tortilla.

“It was my turn for dessert. I believe that one of the most magical ingredients that our Mexico has given us is corn, and something that comes from this ingredient and that we used as a pre-Hispanic spoon is the tortilla, this dessert is a sweet tribute to this essential element in our culture. And this last dish is composed of a mini golden taco of cajeta, corn meringue, vanilla cream, and sweet mole of tortilla and chocolate,” he said.

To close this dinner, the sommelier, Ana Mejía, who was in charge of all the wine pairing, chose Lloro de Tierra Mistela, whose aging is in the style of sherry wines, to conclude this dinner that had four chefs at the table. Thus, with a smile on their faces, diners and chefs coexisted between time and time, between table and table, just for the pleasure of sharing a dinner in times of pandemic in San Miguel de Allende.