Stories of Art and Cuisine: Apapaxoa Day 4

Gastronomy not only nourishes, it also connects memories and emotions, becoming a universal language. On this day, tradition, innovation, and art came together to remind us that every dish holds a story.

The day began with the “Breakfast that Inspires” by CEDECO, an organization that promotes community and agroecological development. Their participation highlighted the importance of showcasing local and sustainable cuisine on international stages.

Pastry: Sweetness that Inspires

The first presentation brought together Antonio Bachour and Lluís Costa. Bachour, with restaurants in Miami, Mexico, and Brazil, has been recognized as one of the best pastry chefs in the world. Costa, master at Vallflorida Xocolaters, has received awards such as the Best Croissant in Spain and for his famous chocolate panettone.

Both emphasized the importance of knowing the origin of products. Bachour reminded us that “the croissant, one of the most iconic breads, is not French but Austrian,” and underlined: “it’s important to know your product.”

They also shared how they’ve taken pastry to new forms with three-dimensional molds. “They always call me crazy,” Bachour commented, “Lluís and I wanted more, we started to innovate in shape and flavor. We’ve taken classic pastry to another level.”

Costa noted that pastry demands even more precision than traditional baking: “Pastry is the result of many factors that make it turn out right.”

To inspire the audience, Bachour gave a preview of his upcoming book with more than 1,400 images: “When we read we don’t understand, but when we see, we learn.”

Both agreed on a final message: “What matters is that people talk about cuisine, about what we do, about the artisan. If a content creator spreads it and it’s valuable, that’s fine.”

Eating Love

A meeting between two creative universes: Oaxacan chef Alejandro Ruiz, one of the great ambassadors of Oaxacan gastronomy, with his restaurant Cantina VI.AI.PY. at Hotel Xcaret Arte, spoke with painter Amador Montes about how cuisine and art share the same language: love.

Ruiz emphasized that cooking is an act of affection and memory: “there are techniques, cultures, and everything we can incorporate into a recipe, yes, but without this act of sharing and caring, it’s nothing.”

Amador carried that idea into painting: “the essence of cooking is that act of giving love, and I felt I had to paint it and display it.”

The talk recalled how food accompanies every moment in Mexican culture. Ruiz expressed it this way: “in our culture a wedding is celebrated, but death is also celebrated, and with food too.”

They also reflected on creativity in modern times. “What will save us from all this that AI brings is what we do with our hands, like cooking,” Ruiz affirmed.

Both shared a joint project in which they cooked and painted as a sensory experience. Ruiz summed it up with a comparison: “when you start on the plate there’s nothing, like on the canvas, and in the end, it becomes a work of art. Although the food disappears in 5 minutes, your artwork remains forever.”

A moment where cuisine and art met to remind us that what truly lasts is not the dish nor the painting itself, but the love with which they were created.

Pairings at KOLI: History and Flavor

The Rivera Río Brothers, founders of KOLI Cocina de Origen in Monterrey and also of restaurants Lumbre and Centli at La Casa de la Playa, shared their proposal that has earned them a Michelin star and a place on Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants.

They explained that their cuisine is a bridge between memory and contemporary technique. “The most complex thing is finding your identity as a cook, what kind of cook do I want to be?” they reflected, recalling how their goal was always to transform the cuisine of northeastern Mexico and take it into fine dining.

KOLI offers tasting menus that change every eight months, renewing not only dishes but also music and atmosphere.

Their vision is based on seven commandments: powerful and simple cuisine, community, teamwork, food as protagonist, hospitality, respect for producers, and narrative in every dish. To date, they have presented eleven seasons, each with a distinctive theme.

On consistency, they highlighted: “A restaurant has to be consistent, it always has to taste the same… but we change seasons every 8 months.”

Patricio, in charge of pairings, described his work with enthusiasm: “I have 20,000 glasses and all the dishes, trying all the wines, I love it and I’m fascinated.”

In their pairings they apply two concepts: affinity, where flavors harmonize, and contrast, where opposites enhance each other.

Examples:

• Contrast: “Meteorite” (tempura with dried meat) + Casa Madero rosé wine.
• Affinity: dessert “La herencia” + Hypatia Brut sparkling wine.

An experience that made it clear that at KOLI, every dish and every glass are part of a larger story: that of a cuisine that reinvents itself without losing sight of its roots.

Synesthesia: Sounds that Taste like Passion

Chef Gabriela Ruiz, with her restaurant Costero at Hotel Xcaret México, and also her restaurant Carmela y Sal recognized in the Michelin Guide, spoke about her condition of synesthesia: “when I understood it, I said I have to use this… use it in my profession and make it a creative tool.”

From there her project Cooking Songs was born, the first time she put this idea into practice was thanks to a meeting with Aleks Syntek, when she convinced him to let her “cook” his music. “I knew this was something very beautiful that was going to make me happy for a long time and I started cooking songs.”

In her creative process, the flavor profile is defined as if cooking a song. First she researches the musician’s origin, country, and style; then she associates the sound elements with ingredients:

Example:

• Major tones evoke happiness → tropical fruits, fish, light beer.
• Minor tones evoke sadness → smoke, spices, dark chocolate.

“There are songs that give you nostalgia with the urge to dance… You take something from the major tones, like a pineapple, and put it on the grill to give it the smoky note.”

For this presentation, her friends from Monsieur Periné, the Colombian band and Latin Grammy winner, joined her. Catalina García summed it up like this: “every step to create a dish is the same as when you create a song: it starts from an emotion… and you transform it as if in a kitchen.”

Thus, among flavors, sounds, and emotions, “Flavor Story: Synesthesia” became a bridge between gastronomy and music, reminding us that both arts come from the same essence: telling stories that go straight to the heart.

Mitsuharu Tsumura: The Essence of Umami

Chef Mitsuharu “Micha” Tsumura, from Maido in Lima, recognized among the best in the world by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, introduced the audience to umami with a question: “why do things taste the way they taste?” Micha introduced the audience to the concept of umami, that “fifth taste” that transcends sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. He defined it not only as a gustatory sensation but as a total experience that evokes “satiety, dreams, pleasure, appetite, intensity, happiness, salvation, power, memory, deliciousness, and memories.”

He explained in detail how this explosion of flavor is triggered at the chemical level, breaking food down to its most basic structure:

Food → Tissue → Cells → DNA, RNA, proteins, and amino acids.

And he shared that the most effective ways to release those components are to boil, dehydrate, or ferment. In simple words: “this translates easily, these are stews.”

He presented a broth he called Umami, designed to taste pure flavor. From it, he developed a powder that enhances any dish.

He also shared his recipe to prepare this broth and, from it, an umami powder capable of enhancing any dish:

Ingredients

• Beef tendon – 1.5 kg
• Dried tomato – 80 g
• Dried shells – 2 ½ units

• Porcón mushrooms – 35 g
• Ground chicken – 1.5 kg
• Ground fish – 2.5 kg

• Dried squid – 150 g
• Kombu – 100 g
• Katsuobushi – 100 g

• Water – 6 L

Procedure

• Place all dry ingredients in 6 liters of water and let hydrate for 12 hours in cold.
• Cook the beef tendon in a pressure cooker with 1 liter of water for 2 hours. Separate the broth.
• Add the tendon broth to the hydrated mixture along with the chicken and ground fish. Heat to 95 °C.

• Add the katsuobushi, turn off, and let infuse for 30 minutes. Strain.
• Boil the broth for 5 hours until reduced to 350 g.
• Spread 75 g of the mixture into silicone molds and dehydrate at 60 °C for 20 hours, until obtaining a crispy sheet.

• Process the sheets into a fine umami powder.

The result, he said, summarizes the essence of cuisine: “to enhance memory, awaken emotions, and transform the everyday into the extraordinary.”

Ancestral Beverages

The session by Leslie Jaimes closed the day with a sensory journey through distillates. She invited the audience to taste them with sight, smell, and taste, showing how pairings reveal unique nuances. She explained that the way we perceive a distillate changes when paired with certain foods, as the combination can reveal hidden notes or completely transform the sensory experience.

“Each ancestral beverage not only represents a flavor, but also the memory of a people, a land, and a tradition that transcends time.”

Each day of this gastronomic encounter was unique, with stories, flavors, and reflections that left a mark. If you want to relive the best of the previous days, we invite you to also read: Inauguration Apapaxoa, Day 2 in Apapaxoa, and Day 3 of Apapaxoa, where you will find more memorable moments that, just like today, celebrate the union between cuisine, creativity, and culture.