Chef Ryan Manning, heads The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun’s Culinary Center team. A DC native, Chef Manning’s style is incredibly immersive, bringing authentic and traditional Mexican cuisine to his guests as a means to explore the culture’s storied history. 

Sails & Spices visited Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula to dive into one of the world’s great regional cuisines.  We stopped in to meet an expert in the field, The Ritz-Carlton Cancun’s Chef Ryan Manning, to explore the culinary techniques of the area and the delights of the Chef Experiences on offer at The Ritz-Carlton’s original Culinary Center.

Sails & Spices: Chef Ryan Manning, it’s great to be here with you at The Ritz-Carlton in beautiful Cancun! Thank you for having us. Aside from the incredible views, what inspired you to want to make the move down to Mexico?

Chef Ryan Manning: I have always loved Mexican cuisine, and the opportunity to explore it was alluring. The Spanish language is incredibly important in the restaurant world, so the opportunity to develop my language skill was also a real draw.

S&S: How would your mentors describe your cooking style?

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]I love to dive into a cuisine and really explore it, and for me right now that’s Mexican.[/perfectpullquote]

Chef Ryan Manning: There were two other chef’s that I rose up with. One of them was really into techno music and his cooking style was ultra-modern. The other loved soul music and his style was southern American comfort foods. Myself, I could frequently shift. I would listen to Spanish music, Italian, or popular American. That’s how I view my food as well, from an immersive cultural and historical perspective. I love to dive into a cuisine and really explore it, and for me right now that’s Mexican.

S&S: Cancun feels like a place where you are guaranteed some creature comforts, but you need to fight a bit for Mexican authenticity.

Chef Ryan Manning: Definitely. Cancun is not true Mexico in a way, but it is a gateway for the international world into Mexico. It’s remarkable though. When you leave the Cancun / Playa del Carmen hotel zone and explore an hour or two west it’s a completely different experience. It’s very traditional.

S&S: Every year there are a new batch of food trends that enter pop food culture. What trends are taking flight in Mexico in 2017, as compared to the rest of North America?

Chef Ryan Manning: Here there is no marketing towards “Farm-to-Table” or “Seasonal”, it just doesn’t resonate. The distribution infrastructure is less developed. In Vancouver or Washington, DC you could have a pineapple in December, whereas here, many things simply aren’t available at certain times of the year. If I want a butternut squash out of season, it could take 3 weeks to arrive from Mexico City. So marketing a menu as “seasonal” does not resonate, because that’s just how people live!

About this time last year I was reading an article about food marketing trends that should die with 2015. One of them was “seasonal”, and I agree. Not that the practice should go away, but the marketing should. Any chef worth the time of day won’t serve ‘fresh’ tomatoes in New York City in December.

S&S: We find Tex-Mex to be a limiting view on Mexican cuisine, but that is what is served at many of the tourist restaurants. It’s what they think people want. Your thoughts?

Chef Ryan Manning: I’m not really a fan of Mexican food for Americans or Tex-Mex. For a long time growing up I thought that’s all Mexican food was. I think you have to respect the classic history. So in my restaurants you won’t find something like a shrimp taco with chipotle mayonnaise.

Sails & Spices: People often consider Mexican food in very broad terms, but there is incredible regional variety. How would you describe Yucatecan cuisine?

Chef Ryan Manning: There are three key regions of Mexico for foodies: Oaxaca, Puebla, and Yucatan. The tradition here is rich. Consider the way Mexico was colonized compared to the USA or Canada. There, entire families migrated from Europe and brought their cuisines with them. By contrast, in Mexico the Spanish army arrived and conquered. Soldiers stayed and married locals. As a result, the local cuisines with their Mayan and Aztek influences persisted, even today. Yucatan cuisine in particular has a lot of Mayan influence, and that really distinguishes it from other Mexican styles.

S&S: So as part of the Deluxe Chef’s Experience, where have you brought us today?

[perfectpullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]In Mexico, there are incredible varieties of chilies that have a broad spectrum of tastes[/perfectpullquote]

Chef Ryan Manning: This is Mercado (market) 23. It’s where locals shop for their produce and meat. Most visitors will end up at Mercado 28 which is very touristy, but Mercado 23 is incredibly local and authentic. Visitors definitely benefit from a guide who can speak Spanish.

Here is a traditional Tortilleria. You can see them grinding the corn in the back and then adding the water and salt. Those are the only three ingredients in traditional corn tortillas.

S&S: How do corn soft tortillas compare with the wheat versions? Is one type more typical?

Chef Ryan Manning: Here corn tortillas are a staple. Wheat versions are typically only found in the northern states. The problem with making wheat tortillas is that the dough must rest and it retracts when rolled out, so they are much more labor intensive for the home cook to make by hand.

S&S: Our readers love making authentic travel-inspired dishes at home, so for the adventuresome home chef, what pantry staples will they need to explore Mexican cuisine?

Chef Ryan Manning: A lot of what you are able to produce will be dictated by the chilies and hot sauces you can find. In Mexico, there are incredible varieties of chilies that have a broad spectrum of tastes. Not all are very hot. Pumpkin (Calabaza or squash) seeds are also a staple of traditional Mexican cuisine, and are used year round.

In a good North American specialty market you can probably find a lot of the chilies we have here, they will just be dried and not as potent. You want to be sure to toast them in the oven before using them to activate and bring out some of the natural oils you see on these fresher sun-dried versions. That step will really help bring their life back.

If you want to make traditional corn tortillas at home you will need to find some Masa Harina (ie: Maseca brand), which in the USA at least should not be difficult to find.

S&S: How about fresh ingredients? Are there any fruits, vegetables or herbs the Mexican home cook just cannot live without?

Chef Ryan Manning: Regarding herbs, definitely cilantro. There is another that is also used extensively called epazote, but you will likely only find it dried in Hispanic markets outside of Mexico. It gives a similar effect to a dish as lemongrass would.

These here are called naranja agria which translated literally to “bitter orange”. They are very common in Yucatan cuisine and are used in many sauces and marinades. Often when a recipe is translated from Spanish they will write the instructions to simply require lime, so you often see lime, lime, and lime in every Mexican recipe… but that is not always the case traditionally. I recommend cooks combine the juice of one lime, one orange, and one grapefruit and you will get a flavor that is much closer to bitter orange.

S&S: Walking the market we notice an inordinate number of radishes. We always struggle to find a use for them, any recommendations?

Chef Ryan Manning: In Mexico they will chop them up thinly and add them on top of tacos as a garnish, to give it a little bit of bite. I have also had them roasted, almost as a potato would be, and tossed in a lemon oil – they were delicious. The leaves, if in good shape, also can make a great salad leaf.

S&S: Great tips for the next time we get a bunch of radishes in a CSA basket! When visiting world markets, we love collecting the kitchen tools that really make a difference when preparing regional cuisines. What should we pick up while we are here on the Yucatan Peninsula?

Chef Ryan Manning: There’s one type of molcajete that is specific to the Yucatan part of Mexico. It is white and made of sandstone. So if you are going to haul one home that’s definitely the type to get. The black ones you often see are from outside of Mexico City, so the white ones are more of a regional specialty.

Second, this tortilla press will really make your life easier when making fresh corn tortillas at home. I’ll show you how to use one back at The Ritz-Carlton Culinary Center…

S&S: The Culinary Center is absolutely beautiful, and we are so excited the day can be 100% focused on vegan and vegetarian Mexican cooking.

Chef Ryan Manning: I have a lot friends that are vegan and vegetarian and one of the recurring comments I hear about vegetarian food in restaurants is that the offering is typically a choice of tofu, pasta, or a plate full of side dishes. Chefs can do better! Today, I wanted you to experience a number of different takes on plant-based Mexican foods that spanned street dishes, traditional, and higher end.

S&S: We can’t wait! A great way to start a day of cooking by the beach in this gorgeous kitchen is with a margarita, and this one is delicious… Can you tell us the secret?

Chef Ryan Manning: Our recipe has always included the zest of three limes… and it just works so I have never changed it.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]There’s one type of molcajete that is specific to the Yucatan part of Mexico…so if you are going to haul one home that’s definitely the type to get.[/perfectpullquote]

S&S: We can see why. Chef Manning, if there was one thing you would like guests to know about the experiences at The Ritz-Carlton Cancun’s Culinary Center, what would that be?

Chef Ryan Manning: That your day at the Culinary Center is fully customized to your preferences and we will custom build a menu to draw on authentic Mexican techniques for an amazing experience. Whether it be a vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, or an anything-goes menu we can do it. The level of participation can also vary. We always recommend the hands-on and interactive experiences at the local market and in the kitchen, but for those who prefer to observe we also have great Chef’s Table options available.

S&S: We have been having a blast, and are already thinking of our next visit. We hear this Culinary Center at The Ritz-Carlton Cancun was the first for the hotel brand. Are there now others?

Chef Ryan Manning: It remains quite a unique kitchen for The Ritz-Carlton, though now there are two others culinary centers in the company {to start 2017}: La Cocina Gourmet Culinary Center at Dorado Beach Puerto Rico, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, as well as the Culinary Studio at Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman. The Ritz-Carlton Orlando recently opened a magnificent Chef’s Table and Cocktail Table experiences and more great culinary experiences are currently being planned… The Ritz-Carlton New Orleans is currently renovating so keep an eye on that property!

S&S: Thank you Chef Ryan Manning for hosting us today in the Culinary Center at The Ritz-Carlton Cancun. We can’t wait to be back!

Read more about our cooking adventure and visit to Mercado 23 with Chef Manning: The Ritz-Carlton Culinary Center.

To contact Chef Ryan Manning or to find out more about The Ritz-Carlton Culinary Center visit: http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/mexico/cancun/dining/culinary-center
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