No enchiladas. No burritos. No refried beans. At the second annual PacifiCooks event I recently attended in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, only authentic Mexican cuisine was on the menu—i.e., nothing of the Taco Bell variety here. And the few nights I spent gorging on mole, ceviche and quail resulted in some of the most fun and unique dining experiences I’ve had.

Hosted by the lively and passionate executive chef of Pueblo Bonito Oceanfront Resorts & Spas, Antonio de Livier, PacifiCooks brought nine of Mexico’s top chefs together for almost three weeks of special dinners, wine tastings and, most of all, experimentation. Each night, after the chefs were randomly grouped in twos, they set about collaborating on a single course using what was on hand. This spur-of-the-moment system spawned such palate pleasers as baby squash tamal with mole sauce and sesame oil (one of my personal favorites) and miso and yacatecan spice marinated sea bass accompanied by a pork belly taquito (another fave).

Perhaps the best part of the trip was hearing these renowned chefs speak about the future of Mexican fare. “We don’t hide Mexican cuisine now,” was the response from chef Federico Lopez. And based on the numerous courses I sampled, why would they? www.pueblobonito.com.

—Colleen Ringer, Executive Editor

PS—The next time you’re in Cabo, make sure you eat at LaFrida, located at Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach Resort & Spa. Overseen by chef Antonio, the intimate fine-dining restaurant is decked out in Frida Kahlo paintings and features live music most nights of the week.

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