JORGE VALLEJO RIJKS

Earlier this year, Mexico's number one chef Jorge Vallejo was a guest at RIJKS®. There he provided one for a weekend in collaboration with Joris Bijdendijk four hands menu. And that doesn't just mean flying in, putting on your chef's hat and lighting the fire. This requires thorough preparation. “I am not playing around.” Editor-in-chief Bart-Jan Brouwer took this opportunity to put the charismatic young chef through his paces. Text: Bart-jan Brouwer
Editor: Susan Poeer
Image: John van Helvert When we talk about Jorge Vallejo, we are talking about the Champions League among chefs, because his Mexican restaurant Quintonil is eleventh on the list of World's 50 Best Restaurants. His style: contemporary Mexican cuisine combining gastronomic traditions with modernity twist and the emphasis is on sustainability.

When did you know you wanted to become a chef?

“To be able to work as a chef, you must have the passion and the will for it, because you work long hours. When your friends are having fun, you're still working. I discovered at a young age that I had a passion for cooking. Because I didn't finish school, I started working early: in a tavern owned by a friend of my mother, Segundo Plato. I started as a dishwasher, but could also occasionally help out in the kitchen. Then I became a chef on board Princess Cruises.

I learned a lot there. Maybe the quality of the food isn't great, but you have to manage to cook for three thousand guests. People from various cultures worked in the kitchen. I learned a lot about teamwork, discipline and structure there, because it's like being in the army. You work non-stop, ten months straight without seeing your family. I didn't always find it easy to be alone.”

In 2012 you opened restaurant Quintonil together with Alejandra. What goals did you set?

“We have no investors, it is our own company. We put our money into the business, our lives – for five years we've been on top of it
restaurant. Failure was not an option. We wanted to have a place where we could work for a long time, where guests would come every day. But gradually we raised the bar. Recognition followed, Mexican gastronomy came into the spotlight. Everyone wanted to see what was happening there in that area. Many of the ingredients you have in Mexico you can't find anywhere else in the world. We play with a lot spiciness, with the burning of ingredients… Mexican cuisine is at an important point in history. And we are proud to be part of that.”

Aren't you the driving force behind the success, together with Enrique Olvera?

“In a way, yes. But it's not just about fine dining. Traditional gastronomy and street food also play a very important role in Mexico. What we do is quite new, street food is part of life. Mexico is one of the oldest cultures in the field of gastronomy.” 

What is your signature dish?

“We are a relatively young restaurant, so I don't have any real signature dishes yet. But if people still remember certain dishes in twenty years' time, they will undoubtedly include our current bestseller: charred avocado tartare with escamoles, the eggs of the large black liometopum ant – a common ingredient for us. The taste and texture of these ant eggs are phenomenal. And maybe they also remember the pork in 'chile pasado', which we serve at RIJKS®: in a foam sauce made from potatoes and in a sauce made from dried peppers from the north of Mexico. I am very proud of this dish.”