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.
Also a very special thanks to Chef Manning who agreed to share his recipe for a Mexican Spicy Vegan Ceviche with us! Easy & flavorful this recipe is sure to impress and would make a great starter to your next Mexican meal.
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
#RCMemories #RCCancun #Ritzcancun
Acclaimed Chef Marcus Von Albrecht is the president & CEO of Von Albrecht & Associates and MAVA Foods in Vancouver, Canada. He serves as Vice President of AREGALA (Asociasancion Restaurandores Gastronomicos De Las Americas), representing the culinary arts of 42 countries in North and South America.
Chef Von Albrecht is a six-time recipient of the Canadian Culinary Federation’s President’s award, and is past-president and Lifetime Achievement Award winner of the Chef’s Association of British Columbia.
Sails & Spices sat down with Chef Marcus Von Albrecht on a sunny rooftop patio overlooking English Bay in downtown Vancouver, Canada. Over a couple of signature XFour drinks , we discuss Chef Von Albrecht’s inspirations, the evolution of the Vancouver food industry, tips for the home cook, and the future of MAVA Foods… in outer space. Enjoy!
Sails & Spices: Chef Marcus Von Albrecht, thank you for joining us today! Let’s jump right in.
You’ve said that “Food is the essence of life. Eating fresh, local, and healthy is what it’s all about”. Would you tell us a little more about your philosophy of food?
Chef Von Albrecht: When I started in the food industry, farmers were struggling to get local products into restaurants. As I moved through the ranks, eventually becoming president of the Chef’s Association, there was a big trend towards consumers wanting to eat something local.
I approached the Ministry of Agriculture and we laid out the groundwork for the BC Association of Farmer’s Markets. I brought the chefs, and the Ministry brought the farmers. We started out with one farmer’s market at the time. We did a lot of PR and got chefs involved in the 100-mile diet, eating local, and buying local. [perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]You eat with your eyes, your nose, your fingers, and with the sense of satisfaction food gives you.[/perfectpullquote]
Before we knew it, 14 years later, we have farmer’s markets all over Vancouver and people are coming. It’s been crucial… We live here in British Columbia which has access to the vegetable gardens of the Fraser Valley, fruits of the Okanagan, 95+ wineries throughout the region, and it would seem a shame if we did not bring that to the table.
S&S: Speaking of local, what are we drinking today? I understand it’s a BC recipe that has just won some significant accolades abroad.
Chef Von Albrecht: This is Percy’s Old Fashioned Lemonade. It’s my great grandfather Percy’s recipe, a vodka cooler of fresh squeezed lemons, lemon zest, organic honey, and XFour vodka… all hand crafted. No artificial flavors, no aspartame, or anything like that.
There were 482 distilleries that entered products to the SIP (Spirit International Prestige) Awards in Los Angeles in 2016, and Percy’s won a Platinum award, the highest category, as the best in North America. Another member of the X-Four family, the X-Four Chocolate Cocktail, won Gold in 2016.
S&S: That’s incredible, and no wonder. Percy’s Lemonade is crisp and wonderfully delicious, congratulations! Not solely local, you’ve also traveled extensively… having lived in South America, lead food and wine buying trips through Europe, and taken Canadian cuisine around the world. How has travel inspired you as a chef?
Chef Von Albrecht: To give a little prelude as to why I’ve done all of that, when I was four years of age I knew I wanted to be a chef. My mother taught us all how to cook. I would make crazy things and feed the family. I pretended they were guests in my restaurant… at 4 years old! I was crazy.
My father told me I would never make it as a chef and I should go into Law, so I went to university and got my bachelor’s degree. I did a stint with a Cabinet minster as his executive assistant and that’s when I decided I needed to go back to my passion.
[perfectpullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]You can get a lot done by making good food and having dinner…[/perfectpullquote]
Being in the food industry doesn’t mean you just cook. I got actively involved in taking these ideas to other countries. There is a massive group of chefs, companies, and culinary universities that travel all over the world. It’s extensive. You could be traveling every week. This career has taken me around the globe for the past 26 years. To see other cultures and to learn about their techniques and their ways of doing things, you bring that back. You exchange ideas.
You can get a lot done by making good food and having dinner…. Take this building for example. When I moved here 17 years ago all the neighbors were fighting and they didn’t really know one another. I said, “We need to have a dinner! We need to break bread together. Let’s have a barbeque”. Our first year about 30 people showed up. The next year there were 90, and every consecutive year since over we have had over 150 people. They come and party and everyone knows one another. It’s a community. It happened through food!
S&S: You’re an incredible host, and we’ve been fortunate enough to be your guests on several occasions. You regularly have people over for the most inspired meals. How would you recommend people get back to cooking and eating as a community in today’s busy lifestyle? I’ve always been amazed how you host and prepare elaborate meals for your guests yet you’re an entrepreneur who is seemingly on the go 24 hours a day.
Chef Von Albrecht: I think that cooking is therapeutic. In today’s life in Vancouver, you need to have a lot of money in order to live. That requires working hard, and working efficiently. You also need to balance that out with some sort of therapy for your mental health. Cooking is pleasing to me.
S&S: What do you find is the biggest challenge about being an entrepreneur and a business owner responsible for multiple brands?
Chef Von Albrecht: The biggest lesson I’ve learned as an entrepreneur is that I’m not here to make money. I’m here to enjoy life. If you are enjoying life, then you aren’t working. Even though I put in 60-90 hours a week, it doesn’t feel like work because I enjoy it. Consequently, the money comes.
S&S: Vancouver is a dynamic place. How have you seen tastes change here over your 26 years as a chef?
Chef Von Albrecht: Vancouver’s tastes have incorporated all of the different spices and flavor profiles from around the world. Being a hub for international shipping, we can have anything you could find anywhere in the world, 365 days per year.
The consumer has changed. They’ve gone away from the heavy, overcooked, large portions towards a more sophisticated taste. They want to have five or six or ten flavors in a dish. They want tapas, small portions.
Go into Hawksworth or any restaurant of notoriety and you’ll find the portions are smaller but they are much more pleasing than in years past. The presentation is a piece of art.
You eat with your eyes, your nose, your fingers, your sense of taste, and with the sense of satisfaction it gives you.
S&S: What is some of the most sage cooking advice you’ve received over the years?
Chef Von Albrecht: Take the ingredients and cook them properly. Cooking technique is important. If you take some of your freshest beans and you turn them to mush, the flavor will be gone. When you smell food cooking, that’s the flavor leaving it. That’s what you want to keep and enjoy.
Presentation… you have to appeal to all of the senses when you are making food. If you go to McDonalds it’s only to satisfy an urge, but when you truly eat, it should be an experience. There are many things I have learned from my mentors, but a lot of it I think I was born with too. Maybe I was a chef in a past life.
S&S: I think you may have been, knowing at age four with such conviction that you wanted to be a chef.
Chef Von Albrecht: I knew I wanted to be in business, and that I wanted to be a chef. Now, being a chef in today’s market, unless you are a superstar, is not a real well paying job. [perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Chefs have become superstars.[/perfectpullquote]
S&S: Has the heightened interest in “celebrity chefs” been positive for the food industry, or has it detracted from it?
Chef Von Albrecht: I think it’s been good, but the celebrity status has been taxing on the chef. Typically as a chef you operate your property… but now you also have to do all of this extra stuff on your own. The property has to be very forgiving to let you go and pursue those things. The properties have done so because it’s brought them notoriety. You have a lot of great chefs that also represent well-known establishments, resorts, and hotels. That’s because of the food, but also because of their TV shows, appearances, and billboards.
Chefs have become superstars. People are watching these TV shows, and they crave it. They seek out new ideas and then they mimic them. I think that it’s a natural progression. Thank goodness that the general populace have taken the flag and carried it on…
S&S: Now, to the practical… We’ve moved quite a bit the last few years, and as a result have been regularly re-working our kitchen to make it a more functional space. What are your top 3 must-haves in the kitchen?
Chef Von Albrecht: Good knives, an area to prepare, and good organization.
You see the kitchen I have, it is a downtown condo kitchen in a 30-year old building. But, I can prepare an eight-course sit down dinner for twelve people in that kitchen. Most people couldn’t do that. The key to the success of any kitchen is organization. …and knives, spend the money. They’ll last you your entire life.
S&S: How about cookware? Cast iron vs. Stainless Steel vs. Non-Stick?
Chef Von Albrecht: No non-stick. It releases too many chemicals into the food. Stainless steel is my favorite. It spreads the heat well, won’t burn, and cleans in 3-4 minutes. Cast iron is good, but maintains the flavors and aromas of what you were cooking. It can also burn. It has its place… maybe over an open camp fire… though it feels like something of yesteryear.
S&S: Yesteryear is nostalgic for many people. But, in today’s age, what would you tell a young 19-year old whippersnapper named Marcus who is trying to enter the food industry in 2016?
Chef Von Albrecht: I would tell them to ensure they follow their passion in life. Make sure that if they are going into food to realize that the road is long. To evaluate why they are going into it. If they are going into it for fame and money there is only one in ten thousand who achieve that. But if they are going into it for passion, then the comforts of life will come. They will find great satisfaction, and the long hours won’t be something that holds them down. [perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Follow your passion. Cook like there is no tomorrow, and enjoy yourself.[/perfectpullquote]
Don’t forget, the temperature of a kitchen is at least 100 degrees when you’re in front of the flames. You’re going for 8 hours. Usually a busy restaurant will do 200-400 covers in 6 hours. You have to keep focused. Is that something you want to do? Or do you have an illusioned idea that you are going to be a TV star and an instant chef? You aren’t a chef until you put in the years, no matter how good you are, because a chef is not just a person that can cook. They understand all the ingredients that are required to run an establishment. So, to sum that up: Follow your passion. Cook like there is no tomorrow, and enjoy yourself.
S&S: We’ll end here… you mentioned your dad inspired you to write five, ten, and fifteen year plans. What does Chef Von Albrecht and Mava Foods have in store for 2026?
Chef Von Albrecht: It’s interesting. I’ve always put together a ten year plan. Recently, I’ve cut it back to 5 years. I write down everything I want to have materialistically, everything that I want to accomplish emotionally, and everything I want to know spiritually. Of course, spiritually can mean a lot of different things.
So you asked what’s in line for Mava Foods. Me personally, I want to go to outer space. I want to have something to do with the food that is served on the space hotel. Mava Foods, it grows every year. It’s growing because it has good common sense. That means we make quality food, we listen to our clients, and we fulfill their needs. We’re small enough to make changes.
Ten years from now? Hopefully I’ll be in a winery in Argentina creating a guest ranch B&B where you can come down and visit me.
S&S: Perfect! That’s our plan too, and we look forward to seeing you there. Thank you very much, Chef Von Albrecht!
To contact Chef Marcus Von Albrecht or to find X-Four products at a location near you, visit: https://vonalbrecht.com/contact/