Culinary experts meet in the Riviera Nayarit

April 23, 2021
Posted by: Adeprotur

“Three days in paradise.” This is how the Editorial Board of Voters of the Guía México Gastronómico by Culinaria Mexicana/S. Pellegrino/Nespresso, published by Larousse Cocina, described their stay in the Riviera Nayarit. They met here from April 12-14 to enter into agreements regarding the voting process to choose the restaurants included in the 2022 edition.

Claudio Poblete Ritschel, managing director of Culinaria Mexicana, presided over this seventh national meeting in which 47 culinary experts discovered the flavors that make the Riviera Nayarit a point of reference in Mexico and an irresistible destination for enjoying the art of fine dining and good service.

There are currently five restaurants from Nayarit that are part of “The Great Restaurants of Mexico 2021.” Three of them reaffirmed their positioning for the sixth year in a row: Carolina at The St. Regis Punta Mita hotel; El Delfín at the Garza Canela hotel in San Blas; and Emiliano Cocina y Vino in Tepic. Another two joined this year thanks to the public’s votes: Tuna Blanca Punta de Mita and Loma 42 Tepic.

Display of Nayarit flavors

The Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita hosted the event this year, where members of the Editorial Board of Voters deliberated on the standards for choosing the 250 establishments that will be part of “The Great Restaurants of Mexico 2022.” They also enjoyed the exquisite gastronomy of Dos Catrinas and Aramara, which presented the innovative creations of chefs Julio Chavez, Jorge Gonzalez, and Fernando Mendez.

Chef Jorge González of Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita. (Photo: Courtesy of Culinaria Mexicana).

The Bahia restaurant also participated in the festivities, hosting a joint meal created by chefs Miguel Soltero and Betty Vázquez. They each represented their respective restaurants, Carolina at The St. Regis Punta Mita hotel and El Delfin at the Garza Canela San Blas hotel, thus consolidating their position in the Guía México Gastronómico.

Chefs Jesús Vázquez and Marcos Valdivia of Loma 42 Bahía and Emiliano Cocina y Vino.

Special mention goes to Loma 42 Bahía and Héctor’s Kitchen, which served the welcome and farewell meals, respectively. The former was presided over by chef Jesús Vázquez with guest chef Marco Valdivia of Emiliano Cocina y Vino de Tepic. Claudio Poblete described this meal as “extraordinary” and said about the chefs: “Together they recreated a display of Nayarit flavors that was out of this world.”

Chef Hector Leyva’s Hector’s Kitchen is a culinary revelation in Punta de Mita, as demonstrated by the menu he presented to the board members. The director of Culinaria Mexicana was full of praise: “From start to finish, it was a perfect culinary experience; the service and the gastronomic concept invites you to revisit it very soon.”

Chef Héctor Leyva of Hector’s Kitchen.

The Riviera Nayarit experience

Claudio Poblete said that the Riviera Nayarit was one of the first entities that trusted in the editorial work of Culinaria Mexicana, and in the tours they organize three times a year with the specialized press, such as “Experiences around Mexico.”

He also explained that the Editorial Board of Voters of the Guía México Gastronómico includes 60 of the most important players in the hospitality industry, including directors of gastronomic media, expert sommeliers, winemakers, and key figures in the culinary industry. These individuals visit around 600 restaurants throughout the year to select those eligible to be included among the best in Mexico.

During the meeting, he added, the parties reached binding agreements regarding the voting system and the standards to be considered (employee care, attention towards the Mexican diner, service, menu, etc.). But more importantly, the research carried out to recognize the efforts of cooks and chefs, both traditional and professional, was evident.

“All the restaurants excelled and demonstrated that from start to finish, the Riviera Nayarit offers a perfect culinary experience; the service and the gastronomic concept invites you to revisit it very soon,” he said in closing.

Riviera Nayarit on the Editorial Board of Voters

The Riviera Nayarit has had a chair on the Editorial Board of Voters since last year with Richard Zarkin, Public Relations Manager of the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), as a permanent voter. He will share the difficult task of selecting the best of Mexico’s gastronomy with the rest of the members.

“There are only three voters in Western Mexico; two are in Guadalajara and one in the Riviera Nayarit. However, I will only be able to suggest which Nayarit restaurants can be added to the guide, but I will not be able to vote for or against them,” said Zarkin, who highlighted the quality and the culinary offer of Nayarit’s restaurants and chefs.

Marc Murphy, managing director of the Riviera Nayarit CVB, congratulated the restaurants involved in this meeting and the chefs who run them for the prestige they bring to Nayarit’s cuisine. “For the Riviera Nayarit, a tourist destination that considers gastronomy one of its key promotional pillars, it is essential for its restaurants to be recognized for their quality, tradition, and innovations,” he said.

With this, the Riviera Nayarit CVB reaffirms its commitment to creating new alternatives that allow the positioning of the destination in markets that have demonstrated their importance for developing tourism while consolidating strategies to attract tourists to the entire state of Nayarit.

The Riviera Nayarit is a safe destination. Our hotels, restaurants, and tourist establishments follow all the health protocols established by the Federal Government’s Ministry of Health and operate at the allowed capacities. Access to the beaches is limited. Be a responsible tourist: wear your mask and keep your distance.

We’re ready!

The Riviera Nayarit Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) and the Bahía de Banderas Hotel and Motel Association (AHMBB) work tirelessly to jointly promote the region with the support of the Government of the State of Nayarit through its Tourism Promotion Trust (Fiprotur).