Gypsy Jan
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Chef Javier Plascencia wants you to fall in love with Tijuana
From: http://www.voxxi.com/chef-javier-plascencia-fall-love-tijuan...
Featured in “The New York Times,” “The New Yorker,” “Food & Wine Magazine,” “Food Arts Magazine” and “Gourmet Magazine,” among many other
publications, the humble and bold personality of Tijuana-born chef Javier Plascencia is reflected in his approach to bringing Baja Mediterranean
cuisine to life — a cuisine of which he is an avid lover and devotee.
“My cuisine is sustainable, organic, artisanal, natural, spontaneous, yet classic, that comes from the heart,” said Plascencia in an interview with
VOXXI speaking softly and deliberately.
Plascencia considers himself a locavore and thinks that without local ingredients “we would have no Baja Med cuisine.”
“It would be just one more cuisine. I did that for years, cooking the typical Italian, but that wasn’t me, I wasn’t happy like I am today using
regional products.”
Adding that “the star (in my kitchen) is the ingredients and most of them don’t travel further than 200 kilometers, we support our local farms and
local produce, we respect the seasons and the cycles of nature.”
Plascencia’s cuisine clearly expresses the ingredients and cultural influences that are so key to the region, his region. He explains that his recipes
are inspired by the sea, the field, the farms and the local markets. “Baja California gives you everything—the sea, the land, the Guadalupe Valley
which provides about 90 percent of Mexican wine, it makes it all so delicious.”
We spoke to Javier Plascencia about food, wine, cooking, life, family, nature, Tijuana and about participating in the upcoming ¡LATIN FOOD FEST!
Here’s what he shared with us:
Q&A with chef Javier Plascencia
Q: What makes your cuisine stand out?
A: My cuisine is very different than the rest of Mexican cuisine, it is influenced by the Mediterranean, Chinese and American cuisine.
Every dish has a story to tell, it has a reason to be encompassing nature in its wholeness from the sea to the land, with aromas of firewood and coal.
My cuisine is bold, a very northern cuisine—Tijuana or Baja Med, as others call it—it’s who I am. It is my seal. Moreover, I cook seasonally with
local ingredients. Including the meat, it is local, farm raised, without hormones or antibiotics, humanely raised and slaughtered. I’d say that only
10 percent of my ingredients aren’t local. For example, the Italian Parmigiano Reggiano cheese that I can’t substitute for any other cheese; and
Spanish and French vinegars.
This cuisine (Baja Med) obtains its ingredients from the fields, fruit farms and farms from both sea and land. And Javier Plascencia seems to have
this innate talent, a sixth sense of sorts, for finding and selecting ingredients to achieve combinations that create completely new and mind-blowing
flavor experiences. With 46 years in the business, Plascencia makes the rules and bends the existing ones.
My flavors are wild and natural, bold with no rules or limitations. For some people it can be too much, like my octopus with bovine udder or the large
oysters with udder crackling. Yet, after all these years, I know my products and flavors, and that’s why I know I can do this. The flavors are truly
incredible.
Q: You sound free and grounded…
A: This is the best and most creative time of my life! I am very happy with what I am doing, where I am, with everything that my region has to offer
me and watching the young generation of chefs that is emerging cooking Tijuana cuisine, getting inspired by its flavors and ingredients. It is a trend
that is getting hotter and hotter, becoming a strong culinary destination, and it is here to stay.
Timeline of a chef
Plascencia grew up inside the restaurant heat — more specifically, in his family’s restaurants. That’s where and how his career started. Since then,
the now 45-year-old chef has accumulated 22 years of training including formal culinary training at the San Diego Culinary Institute.
“After school I was always in the kitchen. My brothers liked helping in the front of the house, but I loved being in the kitchen, cooking.”
After graduating from culinary school, he worked at myriad hotels and restaurants also in the San Diego area before traveling to taste and explore the
world. In 1992, he opened his first restaurant, Cafe Saverios. “An informal café that serves pizzas, salads and last year celebrated its 20th
Anniversary in Tijuana.” Adding that it has done and still does very well, “it has paid for my kids’ school!”
Today, he is the chef and owner of multiple restaurants in Baja California and Southern California. The family owns and runs nine restaurants
including the classic Romesco on the U.S. side in Bonita. He personally supervises each restaurant’s design, kitchen, menus and beer and wine lists,
paying particular attention to five of the restaurants: Mision 19—named as a tribute to the artisanal food of Spanish missions from Baja to Northern;
Cafe Saverios; Erizo — a seafood restaurant; Finca Altozano — an outdoor restaurant-vineyard located on a four-acre plot of land in Ensenada,
California; and Via Mercado — his newest addition which serves traditional market-style food, local beers and wines and boasts a classic juice bar.
“Restaurants are a lot of work, but it is our passion. Proof is people say that eating at a Plascencia restaurant is a guarantee.” And it pays off as
last year Misión 19 was recognized as Best New Restaurant at the 2012 Travel+Leisure Magazine Gourmet Awards, Mexico.
Q: Where do you cook and how do you get inspired?
A: Misión 19 is my creative playground; it is where I do most of my cooking. I create something new every day depending on what’s available (chef’s
special).
I create the dishes based on my style and cuisine so people can differentiate it from the rest and know that it is my creation, my cuisine.
The rest of the menu (70 percent of it), we change it every 15 days. But we have dishes that are emblematic so we don’t touch them. Some of those are
the parfait of avocado meringue and Baja scallops; the risotto with huitlacoche, heirloom and wild mushrooms; and the wild tuna with nopal and grilled
cauliflower.
I get inspired in the street which is primarily what Mexican food is, by the aromas of the city, the street food carts… like right now I am eating at
this taquería, that’s where you’ll find me, chasing aromas, tasting new flavors. Another place where I find inspiration is the Valley of Guadalupe. It
is so rich, we have so much product! I usually spend my weekends there just relaxing and cooking what I find, enjoying my wines, and spending time in
the ocean, surfing. Connecting with nature relaxes me, inspires me, makes me creative.
Q: Three ingredients you couldn’t cook without…
A: Olive oil, garlic and chili, any kind.
Plascencia’s constant interest in promoting his city and state led him to organizing the first installment of the “Baja Culinary Fest” in October of
2011. And this year he will be part of Latin Food Fest, the first culinary festival of its kind.
“I am so happy and proud to be part of it! I love taking my Tijuana cuisine everywhere and sharing it with the world. I want people to get to know it
and completely fall in love with it. I want to conquer their palates.”
Q: Do you think festivals like Latin Food Fest are needed and relevant?
A: Oh absolutely! Especially because most people don’t know what Mexican food really is. It has nothing to do with anything they might have tried
before. Here we’ll be presenting the authentic Mexican cuisine, the one with the roots, culture and history.
Q: What are you bringing to the festival?
A: I am bringing my cuisine, my northern flavors, and my message. I want to show people how warm and down-to-earth we [people from Tijuana] are. I
want to invite everyone to come to Tijuana to enjoy our cuisine, show them the richness and wealth of our land. We have a lifestyle that many envy. We
have the beach, the valley, the mountains. We have a bounty of everything. I want people to know that we work very hard to change what people think
Tijuana is. And I know that it is now our turn to do that, that it is up to us to deliver that message and to pull Tijuana forward. I was born in
Tijuana, and I will die here.
Q: You will be one of the judges at the Chef Throwdown and you will be preparing a meal for the Culinary Tour of the Americas Dinner with Aaron
Sanchez. Can you give us a heads up or a sneak peek at the menu?
A: I am really excited that I will be cooking with Aaron! Regarding the menu, I don’t know much…I am taking some of my products—both fresh and those I
won’t be able to find there like huitlacoche, some spices, and proteins. I am bringing my cuisine, and he will bring his; the rest we will decide it
on the spot, just the way I cook and the way my cuisine is—spontaneous.
Aside from that, I am planning on living and enjoying the festival too. I am honored to be part of it, and I want to experience every part of it by
seeing, tasting and learning from my peers.
His legacy
Chef Javier Plascencia works diligently and passionately both in Mexico and the United States as a speaker at universities and schools appearing in
seminars, festivals, conferences and presentations “to foster the value and use of local ingredients.” That also includes doing presentations in
different schools to teach kids how to eat healthier.
“Most of the obesity in our kids comes from eating junk-fast food. It makes me sad when I see kids that don’t even know what an eggplant is. My
mission is to inspire others to discover fresh flavors and textures to create new ways of eating that is both good for us and the environment.”
I'm working on my first cookbook, though I am a bit behind schedule, it is almost done. I think it will be ready by the beginning of 2014. In there I
tell the story of my family, I share my cuisine, dishes and many of the recipes I serve at Misión 19 and my other restaurants.
Q: What do you do when you are not in the kitchen? I am guessing thinking about food, but aside from that…
A: I surf, and I try to spend as much time as possible with my kids, or I go to eat to new places. I love exploring new places.
Q: Do you always think about food?
A: (He laughs) Everything is food! When you travel, when you meet someone, everything is about food, everything always revolves around food. In my
family that is the only topic of conversation: Food. Forget about politics and religion. Food is the only conversation worth having.
More about chef Javier Plascencia
Chef Javier Plascencia has appeared in publications such as “Food Arts,” “La Buena Mesa,” “Gourmet Magazine,” “San Diego Home and Garden,”
“Catadores,” “Food & Wine,” “San Diego Magazine,” “GQ Mexico” and as well-known international press such as “The New York Times,” “Los Angeles
Times,” “The New Yorker” and “The Washington Post,” as well as various radio and television shows in Mexico and in the United States.
In the past, Plascencia has been invited to cook for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mexico’s ex-Presidents Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderon
Hinojosa. He has been recognized as one of Tijuana and Baja California’s most passionate promoters, receiving the “Award for Tourism Product
Diversification” in the Gastronomy category, through the Baja Culinary Fest in 2012.
Read more: http://www.voxxi.com/chef-javier-plascencia-fall-love-tijuan...
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
\"Alea iacta est.\"
—Julius Caesar
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DENNIS
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I fell in love in Tijuana before this chef was born. 
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desertcpl
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DENNIS
I fell in love in Tijuana before this chef was born.
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Dennis, go to your room 
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Gypsy Jan
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4275
Registered: 1-27-2004
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You Have to Love This Response to the Question
" I am bringing my cuisine, my northern flavors, and my message. I want to show people how warm and down-to-earth we [people from Tijuana] are. I want
to invite everyone to come to Tijuana to enjoy our cuisine, show them the richness and wealth of our land. We have a lifestyle that many envy. We have
the beach, the valley, the mountains. We have a bounty of everything. I want people to know that we work very hard to change what people think Tijuana
is. And I know that it is now our turn to do that, that it is up to us to deliver that message and to pull Tijuana forward. I was born in Tijuana, and
I will die here."
That's commitment.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
\"Alea iacta est.\"
—Julius Caesar
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
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| Quote: | Originally posted by desertcpl
Dennis, go to your room |
OK....I'm headin' out to Sharky's.
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
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Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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Ate at his place in Tijuana, Mision 19 - over hyped and not impressed. However Finca Altozano in the Guadalupe Valley is another story. Great
setting, great food, a fun experience.
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DavidE
Ultra Nomad
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Location: Baja California México
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Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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¿Whatzuh "Baja Mediterranean"?
Sorta like a melding of Cantonese / Finnish cuisine?
A Lot To See And A Lot To Do
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sancho
Ultra Nomad
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DENNIS
I fell in love in Tijuana |
Was that for 1/2 hr? Mediterranean, Guad Valley is now
the Napa Valley of Baja, whatever it takes to spark
some new interest is good
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DENNIS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DavidE
¿Whatzuh "Baja Mediterranean"?
Sorta like a melding of Cantonese / Finnish cuisine? |
They've been pimping this cuisine, Baja Med, for a while now. Nothing new. It's a twist on the age-old gastro experience down here when you would
first, eat out, then, take your meds...preferably, Lomotil. 
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msteve1014
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I'm wondering how the 45 year old chef has 46 years in the business. The whole thing reads like an infomercial.
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DavidE
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Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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Kee-rime-ee-nee,
Eat where the Mexicans eat. You'd think after a thousand years or so they'd have their own food down pat. Yeah things are changing but for years I
took comida in a strange town between the hours of 2 and 4, and looked for the joints that were packed. Don't like spicy food? Choose a place that has
children munching. Mexican kids as a rule don't like Chernobyl grade spicy food either. I would however be cautious around a taqueria surrounded by
indigenas that is operated by indigenas. These folk are imported field workers from Guerrero and Oaxaca and some of what they like will blow your
brains out your -------.
A Lot To See And A Lot To Do
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Udo
Elite Nomad
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Mood: TEQUILA!
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You are right on David!
The TJ residents as well as others, have begun a food revolution in their town (if you can call it that...a city of close to 2 million inhabitants!).
They have one of the best culinary schools in North America (which includes Panama to Canada). they have shown a culinary interest that is unequaled
in Mexico as well as Latin America.
They are not just using their heritage foods, but are embracing other world cuisines, and fusing the two together.
Part of which is seen in what Chef David has done in Muelle Tres.
Sadly, 95% of all foods cooked in Mexico comes from a family's heritage, and although their cuisine is fabulous, it lacks some progressive creativity.
The TJ Culinary Institute has shown that culinary creativity does pay big dividends in the end.
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Udo
They are not just using their heritage foods, |
I hope by that, Udo, you mean food of Spain. Only that creepy guy from the Discovery Channel would dare eat what the Aztecs served up......rocks,
twigs and crawly bugs.
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willardguy
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I hate it when it lacks progressive creativity! 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMUDw4_e93Y
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DavidE
Ultra Nomad
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Location: Baja California México
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Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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Yeah I guess I have fallen to the wayside. Tonight at home, tortillas de maize, frijoles, queso cotija y chilies. I guess I don't fit. Gracias but no
soy sauce on my southern fried chicken, no curry on my machaca, or wasabe on my fish & chips. Give me a gosh darnned tamale or enchilada any day.
The day is coming I know, hollandaise sauce on ceviche, red chile powder on the chocolate mint ice cream, mayo on the chocolate cake and spaghetti
cooked in beer topped by liver & onions.
Christ I cannot even find nopal cactus for my huevos revueltos. Restaurants have no idea what huevos abanil or divorciados are. Señor would you care
your post toasties with or without relish.
A Lot To See And A Lot To Do
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DENNIS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DavidE
Christ I cannot even find nopal cactus for my huevos revueltos. Restaurants have no idea what huevos abanil or divorciados are. Señor would you care
your post toasties with or without relish. |
Nopal??? Another flavorless food of desperation for the Azzys.
But..."Post Toasties"........it's been so gosh darn long, I almost forget what they were like.
You old, David. Really old.
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fishbuck
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I've fallen in love in Tijuana many times. Twice with differenrt girls on a good night!
"A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for." J. A. Shedd.
A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it. – Albert Einstein
"Life's a Beach... and then you Fly!" Fishbuck
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DavidE
Ultra Nomad
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Location: Baja California México
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Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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Yes I guess I am old. Every time I switch on the car radio I expect to hear to hear the hum of the vibrator.
Nopalitos, machaca de res, mas huevos en revueltos is one of my favorite breakfasts.
Say, whatever happened to that "Don't Cook Tonight. Call Chicken Delight" outfit. Seems like yesterday.
"Is your motor sick and tired, want your car to run like new; Call Automotive Engineering, pleases thousands why not you?"
Richfield, Signal gas, Flying A
Those.....Were.....The.....Days!
A Lot To See And A Lot To Do
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