INTERCAMBIO: An Exploration of Mexican Ingredients
this meal highlighted the history and presence of Native mexican ingredients in cuisines worldwide. The Menu by Chef Daniel Sharp drew inspiration from classic pairings while reimagining them anew.
Intercambio = Exchange
While Mexican cuisine continues to grow in popularity and spread around the world, not many people realize the crops native to Mexico and the Americas have been influencing the way we cook for centuries. And today, they are some of the most widely grown and important crops worldwide. Chef Daniel Sharp of Intercambio Restaurant invited guests to understand and appreciate how native Mexican ingredients found their way across continents and have affected the way we eat all over the world ever since.
Each course introduced a classic pairing starting with squash + peppers, shrimp + grits, pasta + tomato, steak + potatoes and chocolate + peanuts. Natural wine pairings were suggested for each course by Lorenzo of Nuova Terra.
The venue for our evening was the stunning terraza of Hotel Los Pilares a historic and colonial house from the XVII century nestled in the Barrio de Jalatlaco, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its cobblestone streets and abundance of street art. The tablescape, designed by Amber Breitenberg, highlighted local produce including heirloom tomatoes, dried peppers and mamey fruit found in nearby Mercado de La Merced. Candlesticks and hand-dipped beeswax candles were provided by Artisan-crafted home goods store, Oaxaca Collective.
Place settings featured menus and partner cards designed by Jaime Levin of Once in Oaxaca as well as eco-print napkins made by Ainsley Warner of Wilde Fibres using leaves foraged from the hillsides surrounding Oaxaca.
As the evening concluded guests were invited to take their napkins as a reminder of the evening along with a printed illustration by Jaime Levin and a jar of house-fermented hot sauce by Chef Sharp.
We are grateful for the contributions that made this evening possible and allowed us to donate the proceeds of this meal to Solidaridad International Kanda AC (SiKanda), a non-profit founded in 2009 in Oaxaca that works to promote participatory processes of sustainable community development that can bring about an improvement in the living conditions of the most disadvantaged sectors of society.
SiKanda benefits over 5,000 people in the State of Oaxaca (mostly women and children living in slums and marginalized communities) through projects that focus on education, human and labour rights, women entrepreneurship, sexual and reproductive rights, community leadership, sexual violence prevention and sustainability.
*All photos © Amber Breitenberg.
5 COURSES, 5 STORIES + NATURAL WINE
Squash + Peppers
Blue corn battered squash blossoms filled with zucchini, quesillo, requeson and herbs with sweet pepper sauce trio
Flor de calabaza con harina de maiz azul rellenas de calabacin, quesillo, requeson y hierbas con tres salsas de pimiento
Shrimp + Grits
Sauteed shrimp with four colors of polenta made with native corn and house fermented chili salsa
Camarones salteados con cuatro colores de polenta de maiz nativo con salsa de chiles fermentados en casa
Pasta + Tomato
Cannelloni made with guajillo laced pasta, filled with pork, requeson and quesillo, marinara and parmesan
Canelones caseros de pasta al guajillo, rellenos de carne molida de cerdo, requeson y quesillo, marinara y parmesano
Steak + Potatoes
Seared chili crusted steak with potato tortillas, vinegar braised ayocote beans, cured lime aioli and frites
Bistec en costra de chili con tortillas de papa, frijoles ayocote estofados en vinagre, aioli de limon curada y papas fritas
Chocolate + Peanuts
Chocolate ganache made with avocado and caramel cream served with peanut and chili brittle
Ganache de chocolate con aguacate y crema de caramelo servido con chile y crujiente
Thanks to our Contributors
@intercambiorestaurantoax
@chefsharp
@hotellospilares
@nuovaterramexico
@wildfibres
@onceinoaxaca
@jai.me.levin
@oaxacacollective
@cvbronv
@sikanda_oaxaca
Interested in having us feature your Maker community? Give us a shout at info@makersmeals.com
