Jungle to Table in the Yucatan
I’ve always been a little bit blasé when it comes to “farm to table” restaurants. After all, good chefs have always looked for the finest and freshest produce from the best farms. I guess it’s ok to advertise that you are seeking the best produce but since I have never eaten at a “can to table” restaurant or a “freezer to table” restaurant I guess farm to table doesn’t mean that much to me. Especially now that it is so overused.
“Jungle to table”, now that is a different story. Researching restaurants for my trip to Yucatan, I found Yaaxche Centro Etnogastronómico. This outdoor restaurant is located deep in the Mayan jungle outside of Campeche and cannot be described any other way. It is the brainchild of Chef Wilson Alonzo and offers multiple approaches to the most traditional of Yucatecan cuisine, techniques, and ingredients that have been passed down for generations. All ingredients are directly from the Mayan jungle. No alcohol, everything is cooked on stone, clay pots, and coal pits as is traditional. It is truly a back to roots project for Chef Wilson whose family consists of multiple generations of Mayan farmers.
It’s kind of like Kieth Richards and Eric Clapton going to the Delta to discover rock and roll roots from Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Walters. Here, Chef Wilson combines his experience as a Chef with all he has learned over the years from his family’s Milpa farms.
And what is a Milpa farm?
This is the Mayan’s name for ancient holistic and polyculture farming. A Milpa consists of preparing a piece of land which is oriented from east to west, following the path of the sun; in this space they will grow corn, beans, squash, and chilis. It also incorporates a three-layered effect of sky (corn), ground (squash, beans, and chili), and underground (tubulars and potatoes). It is the ultimate in organic, no-impact farming.
Yaaxche (named after the sacred Mayan universal tree) is only open to the public 3-days a week for lunch. This gives Chef Wilson extra time needed to run a cooking school and master classes to promote his cuisine and culture.
So, we had to squeeze our lunch in on a Sunday afternoon, in between our visit to the Uxmal ruins and a tour of a chocolate blending farm and factory. It took us forever to find Yaaxche being in the jungle with no internet and shaky GPS. But when we did, we knew we were in for a once in a lifetime treat.
Our first course was wonderful empanadas queso de bola con chaya (Ball cheese and jungle spinach), condiments of onion relish, Yucatan seasoning (repollo), and fried tomatoes salsa. These empanadas were the best we have ever had. Just ask my wife, Thea, who is a self-proclaimed expert on empanadas. She has enjoyed them from Spain to Argentina and dished up some fine examples herself in her restaurants over the years. She fought me for the last one.
Next was Yaaxche’s version of a local country delicacy, Panuchos, which are handmade stuffed Yucatan tortillas. Here they are stuffed with chicken asado. Repollo, tomatoes, fried beans and onion relish. They were served on clay plates to demonstrate their authenticity.
Our third course was an amazing Cochinita Pibil. Chef Wilson seasons and marinates fresh Yucatan pork in citrus and annatto seeds, then wraps it in plantains and submerges the pork in a huge pot of jungle vegetables and chilis. The pot is nestled in a pit of coal and covered with palm leaves, then left to slowly cook for 4 hours or more. All I can say, is when I opened my plantain and experienced the aromas of the pibil, I felt emerged in the true authentic flavors of a rustic culture brought alive by people like Chef Wilson.
After leaving the restaurant, I couldn’t help but realize that this was an epic day for us. Most travelers can tell you about a truly epic experience that they will always remember. An afternoon in Tuscany or a sunrise in Angor Wat. This was no 3-star Michelin restaurant with all its refinement. There were no Kona sunset views. Only a rustic, culinary adventure that I will never forget.
Among many honors given, Chef Wilson Alonso was recently awarded the 2024 International Best Chef Award. We are here to tell you he earned it! Cheers!
Chris Upchurch
