Stories with flavor: Flavors that become memories in Apapaxoa

The last day of stories with flavor in Apapaxoa began with a special touch: a breakfast that not only delighted the palate but also opened a space for inclusion and learning. Led by Grupo Xcaret's IDEA Committee, the Manos Especiales A.C. Association, and the Manos Xuaves project, attendees experienced a unique moment where gastronomy met Mexican Sign Language.

In a warm and curious atmosphere, more than 150 people shared tables with deaf waiters, who guided diners through the menu using sign language. The initial surprise quickly turned to admiration: each dish was presented with patience a n d pride, inviting guests not only t o taste quesabirrias, tacos de guisado, tamales, bread, aguas frescas, and an essential coffee, but also to delve into the richness of deaf culture.

Don´t know what happened on the previous day of Apapaxoa? Check out Stories of Art and Cuisine: Apapaxoa Day 4

As the Manos Xuaves team explained, the goal was not to showcase a disability, but rather a dignified ability: that of providing impeccable service and creating a real encounter with the community. Attendees learned to say their names in sign language, broke down barriers, and discovered that inclusion can also be enjoyed around the table.

This breakfast marked the beginning of a day that promised even more excitement within the festival, but which already left an indelible mark on everyone who lived this experience.

The Origin is Enough

Chef Sheyla Alvarado, now a member of the Xcaret Gastronomic Collective, and winemaker Fernando Pérez shared the philosophy behind Lunario and Finca La Carrodilla, projects that have positioned the Guadalupe Valley as a benchmark for sustainability and creativity. Both agreed that "the origin is sufficient" a reminder that what surrounds us can be the basis for creating authentic experiences.

Fernando explained how the Ensenada coast is a unique region for viticulture: arid summers, the influence of the Pacific, and mineral-rich soils that produce wines with their own distinct character. However, he also acknowledged the limitations of the area, such as water scarcity and the Santana winds, which put producers and winegrowers to the test.

For her part, Sheyla spoke about Lunario, a restaurant that recently earned a Michelin star and a green star, and how this space changes its menu every month depending on what the land and the farm have to offer. "It's not about finding the perfect ingredient, but about adapting to what nature gives us, even in its imperfection," she shared. She also highlighted her new project at Hotel Xcaret Mexico: Arriba Baja, where she brings the flavors of her homeland to the Mexican Caribbean as part of the resort's collective of chefs.

Both agreed that sustainability goes beyond the environment: it also involves caring for the community, valuing the work team, and maintaining a healthy network of suppliers and collaborators.

The presentation closed with an inspiring message: embracing what is ours, with its virtues and flaws, is what makes Mexican cuisine unique. The pride of sharing the honey from our bees, the wine from the valley, the flavors of Lunario, and the vision of Arriba Baja in Xcaret is the best way to demonstrate that, indeed, origin is enough.

Flavors and More Flavors of Nature

Chef Miguel Bautista, member of the Xcaret Gastronomic Collective and head of the BIO restaurant at Hotel Xcaret Mexico, gave a talk at Apapaxoa that invited reflection on what we consume and where the flavors that accompany us every day come from. With more than 22 years as a vegan and 37 as a vegetarian, the chef has dedicated his career to demonstrating that plants can offer gastronomic experiences as profound as any animal product.

During his presentation, he explained the difference between vegan cuisine and plant- based cuisine: the former focuses on environmental and ethical issues, while the latter also seeks nutritional balance. In this vein, Bautista showed how, through creativity and technique, it is possible to recreate familiar flavors—meat, dairy, or seafood—without resorting to animal products.

Using practical examples, he spoke of ingredients that open up new possibilities: seaweed and phytoplankton for marine notes, mushrooms and dehydrated tomatoes for meat flavors, or the fermentation of seeds and nuts to achieve cheeses and creams with acidity and character. In each preparation, the goal is to surprise and satisfy, always respecting nature.

"We are used to a hamburger, a quesadilla, or a taco al pastor; we cannot deny it, but we can reinterpret it with plants," said Bautista. His approach connects with those who seek health, those who defend the environment, and those who simply enjoy exploring new culinary proposals.

The presentation closed with an inspiring message: plant-based cuisine is not a limitation, but a creative opportunity to rediscover flavors and rethink the way we relate to food. From BIO in Xcaret, Miguel Bautista continues to demonstrate that vegetables can be just as exciting, nutritious, and memorable at the table.

Purépecha Women, The Homes of Michoacán Cuisine

The third flavor story in Apapaxoa was dedicated to paying tribute to the Purépecha women, guardians of Michoacán's culinary traditions. This presentation featured chef Mariana Valencia, a proud member of the Xcaret Gastronomic Collective and the Monarca restaurant, and traditional master chef Benedicta Alejo, a pioneer and symbol of Purépecha cuisine. Together, they shared not only recipes, but also the essence of a culture that is cooked with fire, community, and memory.

Amidst the aromas of blue corn and dried cane, Benedicta explained how to prepare black atole, an ancestral drink made from corn cane ash. This atole, a staple at celebrations such as Christmas, not only nourishes the body, but also has a profound meaning: traditionally, it was given to new mothers to strengthen them in their new role. At her side, Mariana highlighted how this knowledge is passed down from generation to generation, as in the case of her daughter Rosario, who is already beginning to inherit the wisdom of her grandmothers by preparing buñuelos and tamales.

The presentation also highlighted the value of the Michoacán Paradigm, the cultural model that led to Mexican cuisine being declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010. This recognition was achieved thanks to the way in which Purépecha cuisine integrates cultivation, ritual, technique, and community, showing that gastronomy goes beyond flavors: it is identity and cultural resistance.

Benedicta proudly recounted how her grandparents would go into the mountains to gather mushrooms, quelites, or nopales to make tamales and atoles to accompany community celebrations. "Each color of corn has a meaning," she said, recalling that blue is the fruit of God, white is resurrection, and red represents the blood of Christ. For her, cooking is a way of honoring the land and her ancestors, keeping alive a tradition that is always shared collectively.

The audience was able to taste traditional black atole and tamales while listening to stories that went beyond the recipe. It was an experience that brought together flavors, memory, and emotion, reminding us that Purépecha women are much more than cooks: they are symbols of cultural resistance, bearers of a living heritage that is preserved in every dish and every celebration.

and emotion, reminding us that Purépecha women are much more than cooks: they are symbols of cultural resistance, bearers of a living heritage that is preserved in every dish and every celebration.

Coffee, art, and culture

As we continue to recount in the Stories of Flavor from Apapaxoa, this chapter revolved around a shared pride: Xcaret is the first tourist complex in Mexico with fully traceable coffee, from the farm to the bar.

Editor Verónica took the baton to present Café, arte y cultura (Coffee, Art, and Culture), the new book by Julián Martínez—a Veracruz barista with more than 25 years in the trade, defender of Mexican coffee, and authoritative voice on roasting and extraction, currently serving as barista for Grupo Xcaret.. The volume covers history, botany, processes, methods, and a section of recipes created in collaboration with chefs, mixologists, and baristas. "Every cup involves decisions in the field, in the processing plant, and at the bar; this book aims to make us think about those who make it possible when we enjoy a cup of coffee," said Verónica.

Then, Julián took us on a sensory journey through the coffee plantation. He explained the 10-day flowering period and how climate change can synchronize entire harvests, complicating the cutting process. He broke down the anatomy of the bean (from the tegument to the husk) and the metamorphosis of roasting (light, medium, and dark, from the first crack to the exudation of oils). He championed the technique with all five senses: "The 'crema' of espresso is not cream; it is aromatic bubbles that must be captured in time." And he offered a simple map for the cup: washed (citrus), honey/natural (red fruits), and anaerobic (tropical).

The experience was rounded off with a guided tasting exercise (orange, lemon, grapefruit, raspberry, pineapple, kiwi, almond, and cocoa nibs) to recognize acidity, sweetness, astringency, and body; and with a look at the recipe section of the book, where coffee is not a garnish but the star of the show: "café de olla" glazes that make ground beans crunchy, bases that pair like wine, and desserts that balance bitterness and lactic acid. "Making coffee is about listening, tasting, failing, and trying again," Julián summed up to applause.

The closing made it clear why this presentation fits with the spirit of Apapaxoa: real traceability, respect for the producer, and impeccable hospitality at home. Between heartfelt dedications to his family, Julián finished with an idea that connects perfectly with this series of stories: "The power of a well-made cup can change everything." At Xcaret, that cup already has a name and surname: verifiable origin, technique, and culture that remain alive event after event.

Corn from Ixtenco

On this day of Apapaxoa, the audience stood up to welcome Cornelio, guardian of native corn and proud Otomí from Ixtenco, Tlaxcala. His presence lit up the room with stories, science, and living memory. In a calm tone—and looking at the younger members of the audience—he reminded them that corn is not just a crop: it is identity, a shared table, and the future. "We are going to pass this work on to you" he said, setting the community tone of his talk from the outset.

The journey began at the origin: from teosinte to the corn cob we know today, passing through the first representations of corn in codices and petroglyphs, and the wisdom that changed the continent's nutrition: nixtamalization (with lime, ash, shells, or tequesquite). Between anecdotes and facts, Cornelio wove together gastronomy and territory: more than 60 Mexican varieties, adapted from sea level to 4,000 meters above sea level, chosen by communities for tlayudas, pozoles, zacahuiles, a n d pinoles. "Each town selected its corn for its cuisine" he said, celebrating the diversity that tastes different in each region.

There was also room for health and biodiversity: purple corn (rich in anthocyanins) and blue corn, sour atole as an ancestral probiotic, chewed corn stalks as a natural source of sugars. And, with the same clarity, the current risk: dependence on imports and possible contamination by GMOs. "Native corn is not defended from a laboratory: it is defended in the cornfield, the kitchen, and the festival," he emphasized, while describing the blessing of seeds (February 2) and the stewardship that sustains the agricultural cycle and collective memory.

The contrast was striking: peasant farming—with hands that select, sow, nixtamalize, and cook—versus the homogeneity of industrial hybrids "that need mayonnaise to taste like anything." With a smile, he defended delicacies that others call "pests": cuitlacoche, golden browned on a griddle with epazote; and celebrated rescues such as "saco" corn, with its multicolored stigmas, saved from oblivion thanks to neighborhood organizations. His final message was a call for shared responsibility: pay fairly for native corn, ask for it by name, cook it, and talk about it.

This flavorful story ties in perfectly with Apapaxoa's previous chronicle: from sustainability on the plate to diversity in the cornfield, the event confirms that Xcaret's cuisine celebrates complete processes, from farm to table. Cornelio made this clear with a phrase that we carry in our hearts: "Defending native corn is defending who we are." Amidst long applause, we were left craving colorful tortillas... and with the certainty that every bite can be an act of preservation.

A taste of memory

The last day of Tales of Flavour was much more than a farewell; it was a reminder of why cooking is memory, encounter, and celebration. Between inclusive breakfasts, inspiring talks, and the opportunity to taste dishes that tell stories, the festival closed with the certainty that each experience will remain in the hearts of those who participated.

The chefs, traditional cooks, and experts who took the stage not only shared recipes and techniques, but also a little piece of their lives, their roots, and their vision for the future of gastronomy. Each story became an invitation to look at cooking from the perspective of identity, respect for ingredients, and a passion for transmitting culture through flavors.

Don´t know how it all started? Don´t miss the Opening of Apapaxoa 2025: the gastro-cultural festival transforming the Riviera Maya

Don’t miss the day-to-day happenings at Apapaxoa 2025, Here is:

• Day 2 at Apapaxoa: where Tradition Meets Inspiration
• Day 3 at Apapaxoa: a journey of roots, memories, and traditions
• Day 4 at Apapaxoa: Stories of Art and Cuisine