Bayless Defends His Mexican Cooking Philosophy At Mod-Mex

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Sep 11, 2013 8:45PM

Rick Bayless is regarded as an authority (if not the preeminent authority) on Mexican cuisine. While most people sit quiet to soak in Bayless’ knowledge at cooking demos and on re-runs of Mexico: One Plate at a Time, others are put off that Bayless is on the short list of chefs reporters run to when working on a story about Mexican food. “What about other chefs?” they ask.

To be fair, Bayless knows his mole from his suiza but there are other authorities on Mexican cuisine whose brains deserve to be pokes, such as Carlos Gaytan of Mexique. Exploring the similarities and differences of different chefs’ philosophies on Mexican cuisine is the basis for this weekend’s Mod-Mex, a two-day affair where Bayless, Gaytan and fellow chefs, Alex Stupak of New York City’s Empellon and Jorge Vallejo of Quintonil in Mexico City, discuss and defend their roots in and approaches to Mexican cooking , both on stage and in the kitchen.

The event kicks off with a sold-out discussion between the chefs at Kendall College 9 a.m. Sept. 14, moderated by Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me host Peter Sagal. The four chefs will collaborate on a five-course dinner at Frontera Grill 6 p.m. Sept. 15. Tickets ($175) to that dinner are still available as of post time.