One thing I love to do is feel free when it comes to creating a recipe. I am impressed, every day, by the mountains that surround me in Ecuador, volcanoes giving life generously. However, its the fresh ocean mist that comes to mind when I think about making food. I believe the ocean is intuitive and when I listen to it, my mind and body tell me to try a different mix, a new idea.
“Patemula” is the ecuadorian Abalone, found in the Esmeraldas province, one of the hottest spots for finding good products and good food as well. It was a bit rainy one day and I felt like I was somehow being protected by the Andes. This feeling reminded me that vegetables like corn, fava beans and little potatos from my grandmother’s garden would go well with pretty much everything. Also by intuition, I added small pieces of confit pork. The final touch was an emulsion made from orange and lemon blend, which added some perfumery freshness to the dish. Enjoy from afar!
Rodrigo Pacheco is a top-notch Ecuadorian chef who bases half his time in Quito and the other half in Banos, where he prepares meals made from fresh organic ingredients at Casa del Abuelo Art Hotel & Restaurant. He is also the executive chef at Cuisine Standard in Quito.
He has studied with some of the best, including Madrid Fusión in Spain, Alain Ducasse Formation in Paris, the Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon, France, and the Instituto Inacap in Santiago, Chile among others.
He has done a Government Cultural Exchange in Canada and the Masters of Food and Wine tour of the world in Buenos Aires, Argentina,
representing Ecuador as an invited chef. Rodrigo was also a Culinary radio show host on Saberes y Sabores.
