Mexico
Speaker
Jorge Vallejo
From Quintonil, Vallejo expresses the flavours of the ingredients of the Mexican territory from a personal point of view.
Jorge Vallejo discovered his vocation as a teenager and entered the Culinary Centre of Mexico to study Culinary Arts and Administration. His restless spirit led him to join Princess Cruises in 2004, where he worked on tours around the world. On his return, he joined the team at chef Enrique Olvera's Pujol restaurant and later became corporate chef for the Habita hotel group. Later, in 2010, he became executive chef of Diana restaurant at The St Regis Hotel. He left this position for a stint at chef René Redzepi's renowned Noma restaurant in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The key year in his career was 2012, when he and his wife and partner Alejandra Flores opened Quintonil in the Polanco district of Mexico City. Together with chefs Mauro Colagreco (Mirazur, France) and Virgilio Martínez (Central, Lima, Peru), he launched the Origins initiative to recover and preserve products, techniques and culinary customs that have survived in small communities in Latin America.
Quintonil has two stars in the Michelin Guide and is currently ranked seventh in The World's 50 Best Restaurants.
