Culinary Secrets...

Tip of the week: Eating well to live healthy
More than ever we must eat healthy to stay healthy and not get sick. Feel good, find your ideal weight and stay slim, while at the same time, eat well, a bit contradictory, but not impossible.
So, I share my secrets on how to ... 5

Tips for healthier eating and cooking:
1.Reduce the amount of fat in your recipes: Try not to use olive oil or butter to cook, or use vegetable spray oil or soy in limited quantities; you will actually taste both meat and fish!

2.Slowly getting used to eliminating sugar: Start with half as much...! In my case, I could not conceive having a cup of coffee without sugar, now after several months of no sugar, I enjoy my coffee without it! And I enjoy a small dessert from time to time; fruit only two days a week ... That, and a couple of glasses of red wine every day!
3.Change gradually to LIGHT or Skimmed milk , from time to time you can indulge eating good cheese, butter, etc., but not daily.
4.Cook more simply: anything grilled, steamed, poached, barbequed, and seasoned with salt and freshly ground pepper, some chili marinade. Vegetables, raw or steamed, or even tastier, grilled or baked with herbs.

5.Eating quality food: This is the most important part; only eat good food, fresh fish, good quality meat, preferably free range or organic food.

Cut out bacon and what you buy every day in the super markets such as processed foods, canned, frozen, pre-cooked, anything with additives, preservatives, colorants, etc.

I hope you find my habits useful. Start following these recommendations little by little and you won’t believe how good you will feel eating well, eating rich, eating healthy.

Even though you may break the rules from time to time, don´t worry! But keep it to a minimum. Enjoying good company is also very important Good food, good company:

It is living life to its fullest!


Talking with Chef Thierry: 

Today, I want to talk about recent events in which the cuisine of Puerto Vallarta again stands out and gets the Chef of the Year Award 2010, awarded by the Vatel Club Mexico.

This club of French chefs goes back many years ago with the aim of promoting French cuisine, inspired by the great character Françoise Vatel, banquet manager of Chantilly Castle who, during a party for Louis XIV, chose to sacrifice his life before losing professional honor.

The Vatel Club, Chapter Mexico, emerged 15 years ago thanks to many initiatives and Oliver Lombard, with the same guidelines to promote French gastronomy “To present French gastronomy throughout the world.”

Years later, the founding president and other friends, with the thought of “sowing to change” called for educating professional chefs, regardless of their nationality, to work together to promote the development of its work through various activities .

Currently, the Vatel Club Mexico is comprised of over 200 members, an example of vocation and professionalism within Mexico, in charge of organizing local and international level events. V

atel Club members are founders and precursors of the most important cooking competition in Mexico.

We conduct several important activities during the year to promote and reward talent and Mexican cuisine in general, which include an annual dinner gala, with the attendance of the elite of the profession, leading members of the press and society, where, the members vote to decide the winner for Chef of the Year and a new member, for lifetime achievement, merit, achievement, contributions, etc.., and is awarded the Silver Hat receipt for one year, which present the winner of Chef of the year, next year, receiving a smaller replica.

So with this history we achieved the best in Puerto Vallarta and Mexico. Chef Hugo Ahumada was awarded this important medal, as Chef of the Year 2010 by the Vatel Club de Mexico for his outstanding merits in that year, among others, being the winner of the Latin American Quiz Azteca “National Final, crowned as the best in Mexico.

On August 30, 2011, he will face the challenge of representing Mexico in the “Final Latinoamericana “, where the first three places on the continent will step the major challenge and dream of any chef, to represent his country in the world of cuisine, “Bocuse d’Or” in Lyon, France.

Honestly, I’m very proud of Hugo, who has been my disciple for over 16 year. I have witnessed his evolution to Executive Chef of Café des Artistes.

It has taken him several years to earn my trust, which he reconfirms now. I’ve seen him grow, laugh, make mistakes, mourn, engage, reinvent, sadden, worry, lead his team, etc., and from the very bottom, like all Puerto Vallarta, I wish him well and that he may enjoy new challenges and bring us the best.

For the moment, personally supported by other colleagues, we are assisting in his preparation.

I invite you to taste the flavor of Café des Artistes; Hugo, as a thank-you to our customers, just changed the menu to have new experiences.

¡Hasta la próxima!