LR
Travel Report
Culinary Cancun
©Photo by Lori Keenan
Impressive Wine & Food Festival
T
he first thing that comes to mind when thinking of Cancun is probably stellar beaches and sprawling resorts. But world-class cuisine? Probably not. However, judging by the offerings and events at the recent Cancun/Riviera Maya Wine & Food Festival, I believe that’s about to change! Surprisingly, Cancun as a culinary destination is not being promoted by a Mexican national, but rather by Moroccan-born businessman and entrepreneur David Amar, who actually lived in Montreal for many years. After selling his business, he moved to Cancun, where he began to discover that there was a new wave of talent emerging in the wine and food scene that should be getting more international attention. So he founded the Cancun-Riviera Maya Wine & Food Festival fours years ago, and today it attracts top chefs, wineries and winemakers, spirits brands, and luxury product companies from all over the globe, and, of course, the best talent Mexico has to offer as well. This year’s event was themed on the influence
of French cuisine in today’s fusion of flavours, and the guest of honour was none other than famous French chef Daniel Boulud. Quebec talent was also very well represented. Our two world-class sommeliers, Elyse Lambert and Veronique Rivest, taught appreciation classes and were in charge of pairing the wine with the main gala dinner. Our own Normand Laprise, owner of Toqué!, was also on the scene; he guest-lectured and contributed to the tribute to Boulud menu. And Laurie Raphaël owner Daniel Vezina also participated in chef competitions and many other events. And there were lots of other events! The four-day schedule was jam packed with opportunities to sample supreme wine and food from all over, and champagne and top quality spirits – especially tequila and mescal – were also in abundance. But the icing on the culinary cake was that the whirlwind of palatable pleasures were held in such an idyllic setting. Aqua seas, white sand beaches and perfect weather all set the stage for what’s bound to become one of the most popular annual events in this region. For more, see: www.crmfest.com . SUSAN CAMPBELL
-- LuxuryReportMagazine.com