Rosewood Mayakoba resort in Playa del Carmen brought their executive chef Juan Pablo Loza, who runs the “La Ceiba garden & kitchen”, to Estia’s Little Kitchen to celebrate Mexican Flavors with the resorts regular clients in the Hamptons!

Over the past ten years the Estia’s Little Kitchen staff has been tightening a bond with real estate mogul Neal Sroka.  Neal and his wife Debby have been regulars for breakfast at the Little Kitchen. They’ve become familiar with the faces and the flavors at our little cafe and thought that an evening in the garden with their Rosewood Mayakoba resort regulars might be fun. The area we live in on Eastern Long Island is a summer home to many of their regular customers. So the Rosewood group arranged to send chefs Juan Pablo, Edgar, and general manager Daniel to Sag Harbor to work with my team and entertain many of the New York based customers that have made Mayakoba part of their winter plans for years.

During the service meeting, prior to our special evening at Estia’s Little Kitchen on Thursday, August 23rd the head guest chef, Juan Pablo Loza told my team that his food represents the essence of Myan cooking. He went on to explain that the majority of the food cooked in Quintana Roo in the Yucatán is borne from fire. In this case the corn was burned on one side to ensure a deep dark flavor in his sweet corn and cream puree which was served with sweet potatoes grilled on the Comal (a cast iron skillet used for Mexican cooking) and finished with lime juice and salt, topped with agave glazed, grilled lamb chops.

The chef was quiet and kind with my staff whom he had met only 24 hours earlier on his arrival on Wednesday afternoon. The prep began when he made a variety of salsas with his sous chef Edgar. They worked along side my team, Raul, Tomasa and Miguelito. All three were interested in learning the new cooking techniques that the 2 visiting chefs had to share. Tomasa was especially interested in the coconut pana cotta that came together quick and easy in an Estia’s juice glass.

The following photos will share wonderful memories of our evening with the Mayakoba team. They represent the best in what can happen when two families working diligently for many years in the business of hosting, cooking and entertaining come together to celebrate the families that support them and keep their business vibrant.