Alejandro Heredia and Mexican cuisine's great adventure

"I don't really believe in these titles like 'Best Mexican Chef of the 20th Century'. There are chefs out there much more talented than I am. Working here puts me in a unique and privileged position, but the job has its demands and comes with great responsibility. Here at Hacienda de Los Morales, the standard is high; there's room for tremendous creativity, but I also have to be very precise in the work I do."

An unexpected vocation

As is the case with many famous chefs, Alejandro Heredia, executive Chef of Mexico City's La Hacienda de Los Morales, came to the profession by accident, and though he fondly recalls his mother's delicious cooking, he says this was never an influence in his culinary development.

"I wanted to be an architect, but one of my neighbors told my parents that I'd never make a living at it. I enrolled in a trade school, but it turned out I was a terrible student.

I was in a crisis, when another neighbor, a chef, told my parents that one of his relatives just turned down a job offer at the Hotel Presidente. So they decided that I should take advantage of the situation," remembers Heredia.

"It was 1963," he adds, "and I didn't have the least interest, but I imagined myself working as a bellboy or office boy or something that ended in boy. What a surprise when the next day they took me to a kitchen and ordered me to wash the greasy pans. I was annoyed and disillusioned, and the first thing I told my parents was that I was never going back. But they were determined: they didn't want put themselves into a difficult situation with the neighbor."

"For me, the chef, Joaquin Guzman, was a horrible person, completely flawed. Now I can see that he was a great boss. Slowly I discovered the magic of earning money. I focused on work and put in overtime until one day I had the best salary in the whole group.

"I was hungry to make money, and colleagues were jealous of me, but no one worked like I did," he says.

"In 1965," Heredia continues, "I went to the Continental Hilton and discovered a fantastic world. I was still very ambitious, but at the Hilton, coming into contact with talented foreign chefs, with their ice sculptures and chocolate and butter, opened a window to a different universe.

I was working in the Belvedere, a luxurious cabaret with great bands, an elegant crowd, champagne anda comida that was the pinnacle of glamour. The Hilton changed my life, I even learned about hamburgers, which until then I'd never seen."

During this time, Heredia met people like Chef Jacques Bergerault, with whom he'd work at the Camino Real, and who became his great friend. "He was a top chef, an impressive man," he says of Bergerault.

"When I first went to work at the Hilton, Bergerault came to the street to greet me. He didn't know me, but he was so down to earth-no posturing, no attitude, no superiority. With him, as with other chefs, I learned many wonderful things. By now, work was more than just a way of making money; I was absorbed in learning new dishes, and would lose all track of time. I felt like I could eat the entire world! One time I worked three consecutive days, non-stop.

"It's a shame...we are not used to working. Then we start complaining about the hours and want more money, but we don't think about working more. I think that one should have aspirations, and even more, to be willing to pursue them."

In sync with the times, Heredia got involved with French, Italian and other European cuisines. Mexican cooking was just a footnote in his repertoire. In 1968, he joined a project at the Camino Real to create a dynamic Mexican cuisine, the impact of which is still being felt today. By 1982 Heredia had risen through the ranks to the position of Executive Chef; along the way, his perception of Mexican cuisine had evolved.

"It was at the Camino Real where the revolution in Mexican cuisine finally started to take shape. Along with Chef Philippe Seguin, we started to immerse ourselves in new techniques, and to change the sense of salsa, the size of the portions and to use gentler chiles. It was then that [Mexican chef] Alicia de Angeli started to incorporate products like nopales and huanzontles, and also to work with what you might call fusion cuisine.

"Now young people are more prepared, and have greater ambitions for success in the restaurant business. Just look at the growing number of Mexican chefs who are working in countries like the United States.

"Personally, it's been a privilege to participate in the training of young people who are now chefs and have branched off into their own businesses. I think it's very important to leave a legacy. Our time here is short, but one way to transcend that is to support and nurture future generations. I'm very proud to be a part of this process, it doesn't matter if they end up thinking you're a disgrace or the best in the world.

"The only thing keeping us from realizing our dreams is the fear of setting off on the adventure. We work for money and for stability, but I think that it's also important that we don't limit ourselves in what we think we can achieve."