Original subtitles

-[Drew] We don't sell any commercial… -Soda.

…sodas or anything. And so people come in, "Well, we want--

I want a… a, a rum and, and cola."

I was like, "Well, we don't have rum. And we don't have cola."

-[laughter] -[man 1] "We have ice."

-"I, I-- We have ice. -[cross talk]

And I-- you know, we-- I can make--

how about a… a house-made kombucha with mezcal?"

"What's that?"

"Just-- if you don't like it, you don't have to pay for it."

And then they order a second one or a third one, and you start--

-[man 2] Yeah. -But in it's, it's--

people are so accustomed

-to having everything all the time. -[man 2] Yes. Of course.

And they're, they're accustomed to the industrial flavor.

-It happens to me a lot. It's just, like-- -[Drew] Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

For example, we do our own ketchup, our own mustard.

[cross talk]

It's just like, "It's weird. This ketchup is weird."

"What do you mean? It's just, like, 100% tomatoes."

You know? It's just, like, it's cooked and maybe some vinegar and that's it, no?

-You like season it. -[Drew] A-hah.

-[Luis] People just, like, get used to… -"This is not good."

-…industrial ketchup. -Flavors in back of the ketchup, you know.

Like, I gotta tell a lot of people, I don't think ever know--

they just think it's born like that.

It grows somewhere in a Heinz-- in a bottle.

-[cross talk] -"Oh, wow. Here it is. Here it is."

They don't even know what's in there.

You know? Like, "Oh, it's tomato-- tomato and vinegar? Wow!"

[serene music]

[Drew] I've lived and worked all over the world.

In 2012, we opened Deckman's en el Mogor in Valle de Guadalupe,

on the grounds of an organic farm and vineyard

with the goal to be as close to a sustainable,

zero-kilometer restaurant as possible.

And I think I finally found my home.

[music intensifies]

I came here because of the incredible ingredients

that come from both the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Ocean.

We have beautiful produce, cheeses, meats, olive oils,

all within mere miles from the restaurant.

For me, it really is a chef's paradise.

After I became a Mexican citizen,

it was important for me to travel the country…

and meet like-minded chefs,

ranchers, producers, fishermen, artisans

who share my commitment to responsible and sustainable farming and fishing.

Join me as we explore and deep dive into the magical landscape of Mexico

and discover its rich culinary tapestry.

INGREDIENT MEXICO

[music continues]

[Dew] The state of Yucatán on the Yucatán Peninsula,

home to the ancient Mayan civilization,

is undoubtedly one of the most unique, mysterious, and fascinating places

I have visited in Mexico.

Surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico

and the Caribbean Sea,

with its crystal clear waters and stunning coral reefs.

Its beaches are spectacular.

Its ruins, breathtaking.

Its culture, awe-inspiring.

Its cuisine, extraordinary and complex.

The food here is heavily influenced

by the traditions and ingredients of the Mayan civilization,

along with Spanish, Caribbean, and Middle Eastern influences.

The modernization of traditional Mayan dishes

is a fascinating trend that showcases

the creativity and innovation of the chefs blending old and new.

The food here celebrates the diversity, history, and ingredients

of the state of Yucatán.

[cheerful music]

Two hours northwest of Cancún lies Mérida.

The culturally diverse capital city of Yucatán

is a combination of Mayan heritage,

Spanish, and colonial architecture, and influences.

It has become a culinary hotspot, attracting chefs from all over the world.

Before I start exploring,

I want to sit down with my friend Chef Jeremiah Tower,

who's been credited as being one of the pioneers of California cuisine

in the farm-to-table movement that began to emerge in the early 1980s.

He's been living in Mérida for the last ten years,

and I'm interested to understand why he has called this place his home.

Your standards are very high.

And you have taught high standards to…

would you be willing to say, at least two generations of cooks?

-Absolutely. -For you to say this is world-class

and then make the decision to move to a place because of food,

that's beautiful.

What Mexico has done for the world in terms of ingredients…

Does everyone know about chocolate, and tomatoes and chilies?

All came from here.

And half the world…

what they're eating, they should be saying,

"Thank you, Mexico."

Think about Italian food without tomatoes.

-[exclaims] That's what I mean. -Think about Italian food without polenta.

-Absolutely. -Um…

I went to the market in, in Mexico and thought,

"Wow, you know, this is as good as Barcelona or Paris or anywhere."

[Drew] In the same way, what we understand as Mexican food today…

-Yeah. -…so much of it,

what we know today, has only been here since 500 years.

-It all came on boats. -Right.

-Bananas, cilantros from someplace else. -Yeah.

All the citrus, pork,

-beef, anything dairy. -Right.

You know, all of that came-- flour tortillas.

-Well, the wheat came on a boat. -Yeah.

It… you know, it's definitely an exchange.

But I think there's some, really, key ingredients, like you mentioned,

that are… world-changing.

Well, think what's-- what-- how that happened.

What, what was here when the Spaniards arrived.

Then that marriage of everything you just talked about.

And now you've got the world influencing Mexico

and, and Mexico, the world.

Mexico now has a lot more chance to become--

I think it's already

fabulous world-class, but the world doesn't know it.

But what's been happening in the last few years in Mexico with the chefs,

the food is actually spectacular.

For me, a great chef is the one who finds

the most perfect ingredients, quality ingredients,

knows how to keep them,

'cause that is when it can all go bad,

um, and then to cook them simply.

So it's not about me, me, me, me, me.

What, what is it you're cooking?

Are you cooking, you know, a fabulous fish from Esenada?

It was just caught that morning, and you know how to treat it.

And then present the fish so that it is a star for me.

And I think that that's happening in Mexico.

[Drew] The tendency is toward simple.

More food, less show, less flash.

As Oscar Wilde said, "Simplicity is the last refuge of the complex."

There's nothing more complicated than simplicity.

[Drew] One of my favorite dishes to prepare and eat is octopus.

When in season, it's always on my menu at Deckman's.

We source our octopus from Bahía de los Ángeles,

which is part of the Sea of Cortéz in the eastern part of the Baja Peninsula.

Today, I'm headed with two chef friends, Luis Ronzón and Vidal Elías,

to Progreso, a vibrant port town on the Gulf of Mexico,

known for its fresh seafood and white sandy beaches.

[uplifting music]

We are meeting marine biologist, Karim Mena and his son,

of Camiman Products, a local seafood distribution company,

to do a dive and learn more about this coveted species.

[muted]

[Drew] So, Karim, where have you taken us today?

This is absolutely beautiful out here.

Well, this is the north side of the Yucatán Peninsula.

We are in the fishermen community named Chuburná.

-Okay. -And all this land is 380 kilometers.

It's the land of the Octopus maya.

And this is very important for the economy.

-We have 16,000 fishermen living about-- -[Drew] Sixteen thousand?

-Sixteen thousand people… -[Drew] Wow, that's a lot.

…plus his families working with this fishery.

So, tell me what we're looking for down, down on the bottom.

[Karim] We are looking for-- to see how's living in the caves.

[Drew] Great. Well, I can't wait. Let's get in the water.

[gentle music]

[water splashing]

[Drew] Mexico is the third largest octopus producer in the world.

The octopus is legally fished from August 1st to December 15th.

This protects the females in the months when spawning is at its peak.

Most octopi release thousands of small fertilized eggs

from which larvas sprout and float for weeks.

The Maya octopus is different.

The female generates 1,500 to 2,000 large eggs

that she shelters, fertilizes and guards while they incubate.

During this time, she does not eat, nor does she leave the cave.

When the Mayan octopus babies are born,

they are fully developed without going through a larva stage.

It's estimated that for every female that is caught during the closures,

eight hundred juvenile octopi are left without the possibility of life.

[bubbling]

[waves splashing]

[Drew] Thank you. Thanks for taking me down.

-[Karim] Yeah, of course. -There's no such thing

-as a bad dive, in my opinion. Uh… -[laughing]

Here in, in the Yucatán Peninsula,

it's, it's very unique, you know, because, yeah, we are next to Chicxulub,

which is where the… the meteorite, uh, crashed and killed the dinosaurs.

So, um, it, uh, compressed the, the soil in a very a unique way.

So we have different mineral concentrations,

different, um, nutrient.

So the plants, everything, it's, it's unique to here.

The octopus we see, that's the Octopus maya.

You can just find that in here.

So, Karim, how, how do octopuses mate?

Okay, it's very simple.

-When-- -They go to a movie, they go to dinner.

The male octopus feels something about her, you know?

-They… speak slowly. -Huh. The octopus' Tinder?

Yeah. No, no Tinder. No Tinder.

No, I'm kidding. Uh…

Okay, the males, the octopus,

produce the, the, the sperm in, in a, a little bags

and the third arm

has a modification named gonadopodius.

-And she came with the female… -[chuckling]

…and just stay here.

Like this. No, no, but don't feel bad.

No, no, it's okay. We're not we're not gonna reproduce, I'm guessing.

And put the, the bags with the s-- sperm, you know.

After that, the female look a cave,

come there, clean everything,

and when she's ready, they put the eggs

and they use the sperm that the male put before inside of his body.

So the female is actually manually…

-[mumbling] -…fertilizing the egg.

-Almost. Something like this. -Wow!

And put the eggs in the, in the cave like, uh, like, uh, grapes.

-Like a vine, yeah. -Okay.

And they close the egg.

When you are diving, you, you can see the cave

and only see the, the eyes of the female looking outside.

And how does it take to return from egg to, uh, like, proper octopi?

Uh, they, they, they put the eggs

and spend, uh,

a couple months before born,

and grow a-- along the year, until next season.

-[Luis] Okay. -Okay?

Yes, the live span is very short. It's a year to a year and a half.

So they, they are born, they develop,

and they reproduce in-- sometimes in…

-[Luis] One year. Less than a year. -…in less than a year.

A little bit over a year. Yeah.

-Mm. -All this life is…

-The maximum life is 18 months… -Months.

…but all of its life is an average of one year.

The babies that born this, this year

-is the catch for the next season. -Yes.

And the survivors are reproducing for the next season, you know.

-[Karim Jr.] Yeah. -[Drew] Okay, so the female…

-Dies. -…dies after

-laying the eggs and the eggs hatch. -Yes. Exactly.

And the male then continues…

-The male continues-- -…to be male.

And until he die or,

-or some fishermen catch. Mm-hmm. -Or we make a ceviche.

We've been even a, a separate, uh,

state or country or entity

for a longer period than we've been in Mexico.

Okay.

So, we didn't have the proper conquest

that Mexico had with the Spanish people,

with the Spanish monarchy.

-Um, the Spanish monarchy-- -Yes. Capitanería, right?

Yeah, yeah, it was the Capitanía General de Yucatán.

So, it was, uh, occupied or, or…

they established in here, not conquering,

about 50 to 60 years after conquering Mexico,

but they came in a very peaceful, peaceful, peaceful way.

So the Mayan culture and the Spanish culture,

they grew together.

So they, they never get the Mayan culture out of--

they didn't banish the Mayan culture.

And in the Mayan culture, we had,

uh, in our beliefs, a lot of gods.

It's-- it was polytheist, and most of them were in nature,

like the sun, in the plants, in the ocean.

So they-- all their, um, catching, or growing,

or living ways, um, fishing techniques,

everything is very respectful with, uh, nature…

-[Drew] Sure. -…with environment because it's like

religion for, for us, for, for them.

-The, the way they do it in here… -[Luis] Mm-hmm.

…it's a very ancient Mayan technique,

and it's very important how they do it.

They would use a, a bait like this.

It's an empty crab.

It's reusable, so there's no waste in there,

so you can use it again and again.

And this would go attached to a bamboo branch,

and the bamboo branches will go off the boat.

And then, since it's very shallow,

we cannot use the engine for the boat.

-We have to move with the wind. -Okay.

Because that, that way you won't make sound that would…

-Uh, alert the octopus. -…uh, scare the, the octopus.

The wind, uh, will move the boat, and that-- the movement of the boat

will simulate the…

-[Drew] The crab moving. Okay. -…the crab moving, so…

-…the octopus will think it's alive. -[man] Yeah.

[Karim Jr.] You're only catching the males that have reproduced already…

-[Drew] Incredible. -…and are, like, ready to eat

-or ready to be caught. -Wow.

Um, and then the population continue to, to increase, and--

-And everybody fish like that in here? -In Yucatán, yes, they do.

Uh, we've been able to keep doing this over the years and over the decades.

-Yeah. -Because it's, it's very respectful

-and friendly with, um, with the species… -The environment.

…with the environment, with the octopi population in, in general,

because it lets them keep reproducing,

keep growing at, at, uh, at their own rate.

It's urgent, I think, to create awareness

on this kind of sustainable fishing.

[uplifting music]

[cheerful music]

BEST RESTAURANT IN YUCATAN

[Vidal] What's going on, brother?

[Drew] Thanks for having me in your kitchen, man.

-[Vidal] My pleasure, man. -[Drew] So we've had

a couple of cool days this week.

-We're learning about the octopus. -[Vidal] Exactly.

[Drew] Um, and, we're gonna do a, a dish with that same Mayan octopus.

A lot of my favorite cooking method…

-[Vidal] Wood fire. -Which is… fire.

Curious enough, when we started the restaurant,

we thought that our wine list is gonna be, like, a lot of whites,

but we didn't take in count the smoke.

-When we start making dishes… -Okay.

…the smoke asked for red wine.

-So it was very curious that we have-- -[cross talk]

Almost 70% of our sales are red wines.

-We're gonna do the octopus. -All right.

Okay, so, now we have the, the Octopus maya.

This one is the, the one that we are using.

Uh, what I love about this octopus is that

normally, uh, the… common octopus

has longer, uh, legs and shorter head.

This one has shorter legs, bigger head.

But the fact that the legs are shorter, that means that the, the meat on it,

it has a little bit more of a bite.

So the texture is much, much, uh, beautiful. [mimics biting]

It has even like a steaky bite whenever you bite it.

So that's the, the, the part that I actually love about this one.

So what we're gonna do is

we're gonna use this guajillo sauce.

[thudding]

So this one, what we do, it's--

whenever we cook the octopus,

uh, all the…

all the collagen that comes from the octopus,

uh, we take it and we use it to make the… this paste.

We have garlic, we have guajillo chili that has a very smoky flavor,

and, uh, and the octopus flavor by itself

because of the juice, we mix it and that's it.

It's as simple as that.

And from here, we go to the grill.

[cheerful music]

Okay, so, now we go to this grill.

It's called Vesuvio.

It's actually a Mexican brand. Very good one.

It goes really, really hot.

It goes around 550 Celsius.

That's around 900 Fahrenheit, so it's very, very hot.

SEA AND FIREWOOD

So I, I really like this oven because the-- well, it's a charcoal oven,

so we have the-- all the mix of the charcoal,

of, of, of the smokiness of the, the wood fire.

[sizzling]

[Drew] The octopus is your number one seller.

[Vidal] Yeah.

-[Drew] Without a doubt. -I-- like, by far.

So we have avocado purée. Just a little bit.

We have the camote.

I love the burnt part of it.

Some people don't wan-- don't like it, but I,

I think that's beautiful flavor to have.

-This is a miso sauce. -Okay.

-[Vidal] That we make from corn. -Uh-huh.

[Vidal] So it's a corn miso

-and, uh, fermented garlic with honey. -Okay.

Are you adding koji to it to--

-[Vidal] Yeah. -Okay.

[Vidal] And, uh…

With honey-- local honey…

-[Drew] Okay. -…fermented with garlic.

[Drew] Got it.

[Vidal] Then just the octopus in here.

-That's about it. That's it. -Okay, perfect.

-Let's eat it. -You got it.

[cheerful music]

At the end, food doesn't have to be very complicated to be good.

-I, I think co-- completely the contrary. -Yeah.

It's like, simple, very good ingredients, very good quality. Just…

-Yeah. -And make it with soul, you know.

It has to nourish the body, but it has to nourish the soul.

So, I'm gonna give you this plate in here, like that,

and you're gonna serve it a li-- just a little bit.

The thing-- in here, you have to put a little bit of the octopus in every bite.

You have to have a little bit of octopus, a little bit of the sweet potato,

a little bit of the avocado, and a little bit of the fresh.

[Drew] Oh, that's gorgeous. It just falls apart.

-Do you like it? -[chuckling] Yeah.

-It's so tender, man. -[chuckles]

My mouth just waters.

-[chuckling] -It's like-- wow!

But what I like, it's tender but steaky.

-It has texture. -It still has texture.

-It doesn't-- It's not pasty. -Mm-hmm.

You can cut it with a fork.

Like, you know, you can go like that, and it goes.

Wow. Well, that's great, Chef. Yeah.

-Cheers to you, brother. Nice job. -[chuckles]

[soulful music]

[Drew] One of my best friends in the kitchen world

here in Mexico is Luis Ronzón.

The friendship goes way past just friendship.

I-- I think there's a mutual respect

and he never ceases to surprise me.

The food here is heavily influenced

by the traditions and ingredients of the Mayan civilization.

His ability to innovate

through the use of traditional ingredients and modern techniques

creates a very unique dining experience.

-Hello. Hey! -[chuckling] Hey, brother.

-How are you doing? -[in Spanish] How are you?

-[in English] Welcome to my kitchen. -Yeah. Thank you for having me.

So I'm excited to cook with you today, man.

-Thank you. -Uh, what do you have planned?

Uh, we have, uh, we're gonna make some dishes,

like, uh, with traditional techniques and traditional, uh, ingredients.

We're gonna make the milpa salad. Do you remember it?

Oh, yeah. I had that when I was here. I really liked it.

-Yeah. -It's, uh, the whole, the whole…

We talked about the milpa everywhere we've been so far.

And it's interesting.

If you, if you put the word "milpa" in Wikipedia,

it says it was developed in the Mayan civilization, but--

But it's incredible how they mix these four ingredients.

-You know? And-- -And one aids the other one.

-Right. -And the corn is used as the patron

for-- the tutor, I think is the word,

for the bean stocks going up.

So, that's why I wanted to do, like, this ho-- uh, dish homage

-for the, for the milpa. You know. -Cool.

So, we're gonna use, uh, tomatoes.

-Okay. -So, we're gonna roast them.

And the other, uh, main ingredient in the milpa is corn.

-Corn. -Which you already have there.

And this is the salt from Celestún?

Yeah. So, I'm gonna put a, a little bit of the salt on the, on the pan.

But also, you don't have to season each tomato 'cause now you've--

-One by one? -The salt's there and--

Right. So, I like doing it this way, no?

So I always tell the guys here in the kitchen that,

uh, like, treat the tomato like if it was in the steak, no?

-[Drew] Okay. -So we can sear what--

actually, what we're doing is searing it.

-So all the juices stay, stay in. Yeah. -So the juice stay in the tomato.

Here, we're gonna use the pumpkin seed powder, no?

Okay, so I think we-- we're done with it.

-Those look ready. -Yeah.

We're ready for the… for, for plating the milpa salad.

-Okay. Perfect. -We're going to use these radishes.

Would you help me and just, like, slice them?

-Just slice them like half-moons? -Yeah, please. Like, very thin.

-And also the roasted, uh, baby corn. -How do you want me to cut the corn?

So, well, for the salad, we make this, like, kind of, uh, almond cheese.

So we're gonna put the toma-- roasted tomatoes.

-All right. -You know? Which is still, like, warm.

Ixi'im, roasted ixi'im.

Then we're going to put a little bit of the radishes. Just like that. No?

-The herbs that we had on the garden. -Okay

-Remember the espelón bean? -Oh, right.

So we make a recado negro vinaigrette.

-Ah, got it. -So we add the recado negro,

then just mix it with a little bit of lime juice,

-salt, olive oil, and just season it. -Okay.

The espelón bean.

So we're gonna put a little bit of the beans,

which is gonna be-- uh, give, like, a lot of acidity to the dish.

When you cook the beans, are you-- what are you putting in it?

-[Luis] Uh, just water. -Just water?

-[Luis] Salt and cilantro. -Cilantro?

Yeah, and that's it.

And onion.

[cheerful music]

[crunching]

Amazing.

[Drew] We are heading to Ixi'im's Mayan kitchen

to learn how to prepare one of my favorite dishes

and one of the most famous dishes from Yucatán, cochinita pibil,

a slow-roasted pork dish with a citrusy axiote marinade,

then cooked in an earth oven called a pib.

Luis, you know, the more I get to know you,

the more I cook with you and get to hang out…

one, one thing I really note or I enjoy about your…

-[birds chirping] -…um, about your kitchen is…

your use of very traditional ingredients,

-Mm-hmm. -…your respect for them,

but then you also apply them

in a way that is… modern.

-Yeah. -Um, like,

the press pig that we had, the lechón.

There's a lot of different ways to do it, but… pressing it, cooling.

I know that you use, sometimes, the circulator

and, and just the way that you execute it.

Like, how, how important…

I mean, you're not from the Yucatán.

-You grew up in Mexico City. -Mexico City.

-Right. -But you've become part of the Yucatán.

Uh, I-- I've watched you and listened to you talk.

-Yeah. -It's in your heart.

It's in… it's in your palate for sure.

I mean, I live here, no? So I need to--

In order to live,

uh, I think you need to understand the way the people were doing it.

-So-- -I think that's why we get along so well,

because, uh, in that sense,

we have a very similar…

very similar philosophy.

-Yeah. -I'm not here to rescue.

I'm not here to, to put Mexico City's mark on Yucatán.

I mean, I'm a-- I see myself that way in the Baja.

-I know you see yourself that way here. -Yeah.

As a vehicle.

Um, as a, as a…

-I learn every day. -Right.

I didn't grow up in Baja California.

-You didn't grow up in Yucatán. -Yeah.

But it's become part of your soul.

-It's become part of your hands. -Yeah.

And it's definitely become part of your palate.

[serene music]

[grinding]

[in English] So you can see this is, like, big effort.

Yeah, and the smell…

-Yeah. -…coming off of the metate.

[Luis] You know, doing things on the metate instead of the blender,

I think it gives a lot of flavor because, uh, of the stone.

-So every time you grind it-- -Sure. You're getting some of the stone.

You're getting some of the stone. It has, you know,

some hidden flavors in there. No?

We got the recado rojo. We have the sour oranges.

So we're just gonna mix it.

-That's a recado. Then we just pour it on… -That's, that's it?

-That goes on the pork. -On the pork, and then just bury it.

[serene music]

This is the pib where we just, uh, buried yesterday the cochinita pibil.

-Okay, so that went in last night. -No?

Yeah, that was last night. So it's been there for alm--

-more than 12 hours now. -Perfect.

Well, we're just gonna uncover it.

-Please. -[in Spanish] Let's see.

[in English] Right, so this is a really traditional Mayan way of cooking.

[Luis] Right. We are opening now

the cochinita pibil, which is pork. You know?

[in English] I see, like, the cochinita pibil is like a colonial dish, no?

It's not, like, Mayan.

-[Drew] Anything with pork, right? -[Luis] Exactly. Colony--

Really, the only thing that's Mayan is the axiote, probably.

-Right. Exactly. Yeah. -[laughs] Yeah.

-[Luis] That-- -Because the, the, the naranja agria

-is from Persia, and all the spices are… -[Luis] Right.

-…from all over the world. -[Luis] Yeah, from all over the world.

-We put the-- light it up. You know? -[Drew] Okay.

And then, just, uh, as you can see, we use rocks.

-Oh, so heating the rocks. -Right.

So it's actually cooking with the warmth of the rock as opposed to the fire.

Yeah. With the remaining heat that, uh, keep the rocks.

-Okay, so when the rocks are glowing red… -Right.

-Then you just put a metal box. -And cover it.

Right. And cover it in some branches.

-Okay. -Like from some local trees,

-jabín and roble. -Okay.

So that's gonna give it, uh, a lot of aroma.

-There's more flavor as well. -Right, exacto.

And it's obviously not hot enough

to catch the leaves and everything on fire, so--

Because-- yeah, because we cover it with a metal sheet. No?

-Right. -And then just with soil, so it,

-uh-- there's no oxygen. -So there's no oxygen.

-We break a leg of the fire. -Right, exactly.

-All right, so… -Let's open it.

This smells incredible.

-All those juices. Oh, yeah. -[Luis] Yeah.

All that's, uh, sour orange juice.

-[Drew] Oh, okay. -And, well, fat.

[mumbles]

-Oh, man, that smells incredible. -Just-- yeah.

Banana leaves.

You know the red thing is coming from the axiote.

-[Drew] Axiote. -Spices.

And…

-So this is the whole animal, right? -[Luis] Yeah, this is the whole animal.

-I see legs, I see-- I see the back. -Right.

-These are the front shoulders. -Yeah, so we put everything in, you know?

The head, it gives a lot of flavor as well.

Sure. That's the best taco, huh?

-We're gonna have the best taco ever. -Are-- are you gonna do that to me?

You're going to make me have the best taco ever?

Yeah.

Freshest cochinita pibil taco in the world.

-[Drew] I like the shoulders. Yeah. -You like-- yeah.

Now you need to-- you know, dip it a little bit

so you can have, like, all the juices.

-Perfect. -You ready?

-Cheers. -[softly] Cheers.

[gentle guitar music]

[Drew] Mm. Mm!

What do you think? [Drew] Mm!

Truly amazing.

And so you, you and I are gonna eat all of that?

-Can you handle it? -We can give it a go.

[laughing]

[cheerful music]

Your name has been associated with,

sort of, the return to the earth,

return to the farm,

return to the reliance on the farm.

The market, as we see it,

I mean, the commercial farming of almost anywhere in the world now

is not sustainable.

Everything that's happening on the Earth is not sustainable.

The oceans are about to go-- I read this morning, that 1.5 degree?

Is-- we're at it.

-Yeah. -That was supposed to be…

-That was, that was the tipping point. -[mumbles]

-It was supposed to be in-- yeah. -2050 or something like that.

And the example of what sustainability really means

was proven in Gloucester, Mass, and in Western Australia with fishing.

And somebody told me the other day, you know, after the pandemic,

you know, the-- suddenly the fish stocks--

After only two years, it wasn't 20 years.

Two years, it all started, came back.

It's like the sword fish in South Florida.

There was a, a three-year moratorium, I think.

-Right. -There were no sword fish

in, in the, the Southeast United States.

-Right. -A three-year moratorium,

and all of a sudden, there're sword fish.

Solution, again, I'll mention, lies in the fishing.

Where they prove that if you regulate the fishing and cut it in half,

the visits by the fishing boats,

you've cut the catch in half

by dai-- daily catch in half.

Eat one, throw one back.

If the fishermen are only catching half of the fish,

the market's going to adjust in price.

People are gonna continue to eat fish, so their income may not even change.

Right. And that's fish.

I have to believe that that's translatable to everything else in food production.

[calm music]

[Drew] Today, I'm heading to the northern Coast of Yucatán

to a small coastal fishing village on the Gulf of Mexico called Celestún.

Both Vidal and Luis purchase fish for their restaurants

from a local sustainable fishing co-op called Costa Fish,

a group dedicated to traditional fishing techniques

such as hand lines, nets, and traps.

These artisanal techniques protect marine ecosystems

and eliminate unnecessary bycatch.

[serene music]

[Drew in English] So, Vidal, how often do you come here?

[Vidal] At least once a month.

We come to look for our fish

and soft-shell crab that we can find in here.

[Luis] Yeah, almost, like, once a month as well.

-But just for… -[Drew] Relax.

-[Luis] Relax and eating, no? -Yeah.

You know, you can find the most amazing stone crabs in here.

-[Drew] Okay. -[man] Stone crabs?

-Stone crabs. Yeah. -[Drew] Yeah.

-Soft-shell crabs as well, no? -[Drew] Sure.

And-- but the beauty is to eat with, with the fishermen.

[mumbles]

It's gonna be the best meal you've had.

[engine whirring]

[Drew in English] Luis, how many other co-ops are here, like Costa Fish,

that are fishing sustainably?

[Luis] I don't know, maybe, like, three?

-[man] Yeah. -[Luis] Not too much.

Here, the mero, the grouper, it's like the fish in Yucatán.

But they started making, like,

I, I think that it's only five years ago

that they actually made the, the, the-- la veda,

the restriction, like really tough,

and they are starting to re-- respect the, the, the season.

[Drew in Spanish] Are there fishermen in the water?

[Luis in English] Yeah. They are, they are completely underwater.

[serene music]

[Drew in English] Making the commitment to fish and crab responsibly

totally affects the number of fish and crabs he can catch each day,

which ultimately affects his bottom line.

But as he told me, he wouldn't do it any other way.

Don Luis said that a few years back,

he was catching four to five buckets full of crabs.

Today, we only caught three crabs total.

The trawling of big boats is depleting the river

and almost making it impossible for the local fishermen to survive.

I'm really impressed with the amount of care and respect

Don Luis has for his craft.

This is no easy feat.

[serene music]

[Drew in English] It wasn't until recently

that restaurants started to source locally,

as almost all of the fish caught in Yucatán was being exported,

and the restaurateurs were importing from other areas,

which really didn't make much sense.

Two young entrepreneurial college students saw a need in Mérida

for restaurants to have access to local sustainable fresh fish,

rather than importing.

Miguel Castul and Lester Mena created the co-op

to support their community of local fishermen and families,

and have convinced many chefs to source locally.

We're heading to see how local fishermen

use the traditional method of hand line fishing

and with hookah line and spear.

They make a man-made reef by collecting debris and branches,

creating a reef-like setting to attract fish.

The small boat drops a seine net around this artificial reef area,

encircling the fishing zone.

This is done quickly to entrap the fish on this artificial reef.

The fishermen then dive with a hookah line

and only catch what is allowed during the season.

In essence, they're handpicking their catch of the day,

which eliminates bycatch.

[music continues]

[cheerful music]

[Drew] Lunch today is all things crab.

Soft-shell crab, crab salad, steam crab legs.

Luis, Vidal and I are giving Don Luis a hand in the kitchen.

And of course, Don Luis is giving us a few pointers.

[muffled chatter]

[inaudible chatter]

-[Drew in English] What a day, man! -It was fun, right?

-Jeez. I… I got underwater… -[laughs]

…which is a good thing. It's always a good day for me.

What an amazing place Celestún.

Like, just, I mean, everybody associated with Costa Fish,

and I feel honored to have met Don Ballena,

no? And be in his house.

And he didn't yell at me when I was cooking something.

-So it was good. -[laughter]

Good. It was fun.

As I go around Mexico, and I, and I talk to different fishermen,

and we talk to different farmers.

And, you know, it's, it's the same story everywhere we go.

You know, the río used to have all these fish,

and the río used to have lots of shrimp,

and the río used to have oysters, and the río used to be deep,

and the water used to be clear.

And now, it's not.

And he started naming reasons why it's not.

We're talking to the guys on the boat, and it's the same thing.

He goes, "Yeah, you know, like,

even ten years ago, we could come out and fill the boat up.

And, and now it's-- we got to try really hard to find enough fish to--"

-Sometimes they don't even get a pound. -Yeah.

Yeah, one of the guys around here said it, no?

So it's, like, boring, no?

Good thing is that this kind of company, kind of, like, Costa Fish and everything,

where they come-- came to the community and said,

"Okay, let's work on making it sustainable.

Let's start thinking at last

on doing a good way of fishing, you're not over-exploiting."

What we start to do in, in the restaurant

is that we stop putting the name of the fish.

We just put, "catch of the day."

And we actually started working with catch of the day with Miguel.

He told me, "Okay, today I have robalo, today I have a canané, today I have--"

-Uh-- -Yeah, whatever you get from the sea.

And people in the restaurant get, get mad.

They say, "Why didn't you have robalo?" "Because it's not robalo season."

So, it-- it has been a work with, with customers

to tell them that we're trying to preserve a little bit of the, of the ocean life.

But it has been a little bit difficult.

But I think that now people are starting

to be a little bit more conscious

and asking if it's sustainable.

It's, like, very new.

I still see chefs put dorado on their menu.

-Yeah? -And that's not a species

that's permitted to be commercialized in Mexico.

But… really famous chefs still do it.

[Vidal] Yeah. The thing is that there's not really someone regulating,

and that has been a very big issue.

But there's not actually a, a coastal police.

There's not enough-- or if there is it's--

There is, but they don't have enough vigils.

-They don't have enough vigils. -There's not enough vessels.

So it's becoming a big, big issue.

It has to do with government,

it has to do with the chefs, with the restaurants.

-Yeah, of course-- -With the clients,

-with all people. -In this case, it's only us,

only the, the private initiative that starts saying, "Okay, stop it."

Man, at, at the end, I want my kids to try fish.

You know? I want my kids to enjoy what we enjoy today.

I'm glad there are guys like you out there that are fighting the good fight

and trying to practice conservation.

-[in Spanish] Hey, Don Ballena. -Ballena?

[in English] Well, gentlemen, let's toast with a crab.

-Cheers. -Cheers, man.

-Here's to Celestún and Costa Fish. -Muchas gracias.

-Thank you. -[indistinct chatter]

[gentle music]

[Drew] I'm here in the yellow town of Izamal to meet Miriam Azcorra.

RESTAURANT KINICH THE TASTE OF IZAMAL

She's been running her Mayan restaurant here for over 30 years.

She grew up in the house that is now the restaurant.

It's been her goal to preserve Mayan heritage

and educate customers through the restaurant's menu.

[Miriam in English] We just want to show how the people live in Yucatán.

How the people eat.

How the people cook. How is our life.

[Drew] Some of the ingredients that have entered into Yucatán food

are not endemic to the peninsula.

However, the cooking methods have still stayed Maya.

[gentle music]

Thanks for receiving us today in Kinich.

So what are we gonna prepare today? This is all very beautiful.

We will make the papadzul.

I will show you the pepita de papadzul.

It's a pumpkin seeds from this pumpkin.

-[Drew] From the calabaza local. -From the calabaza local.

Small seeds.

-Just ground and that's it. -Just ground and that's it.

It's not toasted? This has a little bit of salt and that's it.

[Miriam] Just a little bit.

This is, like, the best peanut butter I've ever had in my life.

We will make a tea.

-From epazote. -From the epazote and the pepita.

That's all.

Is the flavor of the papadzul.

Thirty years ago… [stutters] all that you see

is the way that we were working.

The way of doing the things is the same…

-[Drew] Okay. -…since our grandmoms,

all people from Yucatán know the papadzul like this.

Eggs, pasta de papadzul, and tomato sauce.

-[Drew] And that's done. That's how… -[Miriam] That's all.

-That's all. Yes. -…most people would eat it.

-[Drew] But you have an uncle. -[Miriam] I have an uncle.

Since 20 or 25 years ago,

he came and asked me, "I want the papadzul,

but with the longaniza de Valladolid inside."

-[Drew] Okay. -[Miriam] The people,

when see the dish, asked,

-"I want one. I want one." -"I want that."

And now it's the traditional

-Kinich papadzul. -Kinich papadzul.

Okay.

Mm!

I understand your uncle.

I-- I like it.

-Do people criticize you? For putting-- -At the, at the beginning, yes.

At the beginning, yes, until they saw you building a bigger house,

and then, then they said, "Hey, maybe she's got an idea there."

[gentle music]

[Drew] I wanted to have some deep conversations

with Gonzalo Samaranch, a former journalist

who started a tropical regenerative agriculture project

called Mestiza de Indias.

His farm is part of a movement turning to ancient cultivation methods

and equitable labor practices to retreat the earth

and provide local people with good and healthy food.

There's so many terms

-that really have lost their meaning. -Mm-hmm.

"Sustainable" doesn't have a meaning anymore.

-Mm-hmm. -I don't think.

"Natural"… I don't think ever did.

"Farm-to-table," does that still have a meaning?

It's abused a lot.

Farm-to-table, for me, it's like there's a, a short distance

between the producer and where it's consumed, no?

Right. Shorten, shorten the distance between the farm and the fork.

And a concept that I love in Spanish, I don't know in English,

but it's trazabilidad, no?

-Sure, traceability. -I mean-- Traceability. No?

I'm sure 80 or 90% of the restaurants, if you ask them,

"Where are these tomatoes that you are eating come from?",

they don't know. So you don't know if it's healthy.

-[Drew] Yeah. -One, you don't know if it's, uh…

if the farmer is, uh, treating well and paying well the workers.

And I feel like gastronomy or this industry,

it's more about show business than health, social, uh, ecology.

And it should be this way, no? You know what I mean.

We have Stars Michelin and, you know, this show business, a little bit.

Uh, I don't, I don't think it's a little bit. I think it's a lot.

I think there's a lot of greenwashing.

I think there's a lot of people who understand

the power of the regenerative ag movement,

that they understand the power of the sustainability movement.

And instead of actually becoming part of the movement,

they're just using the words

and putting on their menu, and, "Hey, look, we're sustainable."

But they're not telling you why or how.

And there's scientific evidence that most of the illness that,

that we all have are related to food. I mean, so…

Don't get me started.

-So, I mean, all the, all the chefs… -[laughing]

I mean, they are-- they have a, a very important role

-in people's health in a way, you know? -Absolutely.

And, and, and as a chef or as a restaurant owner,

you're making a choice

where you're sourcing the ingredients that you're going to sell.

But I think also as a comensal, as a diner…

-I think you have a responsibility -You should-- to--

-to educate where you're going. -Completely.

And consume in responsible places.

Because you can also choose and you go to a restaurant,

"Hey, where does this fish come from?" "I don't know."

-Well, uh… you should probably know. -You should know.

It's about conscious, no? It's about the people, no?

Be conscience about this and, and take the responsibility, no?

I mean, as a citizen, as a business owner, as a… you know?

And because it's our health.

It's about our health.

I always like to talk about concentric circles.

-Mm-hmm. Exactly. -So as the, as the movement grows,

so do the number of plantations that are being planted like yours.

And the good thing is that we have

one of the most amazing markets in, in, in America.

I mean, there's-- I don't think there's another place where there's

this amount of hotels and restaurants in the world,

I mean, just in, in file, like this, no? Like…

I mean, from Cancún to Bacalar, I mean, I think there's thousands of restaurants.

-Yeah, for sure. -And they buy everything from Mexico City

that comes with trailers, no?

-Yeah. -And we are the example

that we can grow food here,

and we can help all these communities, no?

Like, showing them and teaching them how to grow food.

[serene music]

[Drew] I've invited local chefs and some of the producers

we have met over the past week

to share ingredients, cook and enjoy a meal together.

Chefs have a voice,

and it's important that we share ideas, concerns, and solutions

amongst our industry to have some kind of positive impact.

[muted]

[Drew] I would make the argument that 100% sustainable

is almost impossible in the modern kitchen.

-Yeah. -Right, but we need to start somewhere.

And going to 100%, obviously impossible today, no?

Maybe in due time, and it will be an ongoing project.

But it's, it's not talking only to your local producer, your fisherman,

and this is also talking to the client.

You know? It, it has to come from there as well, so--

But I think if you're doing it, you're gonna find the clients

that want to know more, are going to ask you.

-[Stefano] Yes. -But it's your decision as a chef

or a restaurant owner, "This is my ethic.

This is the road that I'm gonna follow."

Whether you communicate it or not doesn't affect what your actions are.

[man] No, absolutely, you know?

But, but through education, we can maybe have more people

follow those, those kind of sustainability ethic.

[Stefano] In my case, in particular, we try to buy

everything that we can local.

Some things have to be, um, you know, imported or, or, or substituted.

And so we-- right now, you know, the movement, what we're trying to do is

use the most things we can locally and keep that in season.

But I, I-- you know, it's a, it's, it's, it's a work in progress.

Some restaurants can do it. Some restaurants can't.

It doesn't matter the velocity that you move forward.

You just have to move forward.

So at the big chain restaurants, you know, to me, sometimes it's ridiculous

you know, that the fish that I'm eating, a big chain restaurant,

is coming from the other side. [stutters]

Why, when we have the exact same right here?

You know, and you could benefit a family.

You know, and sometimes, it's-- I think this-- start with anything.

You know, in life, I think, the beginning is always the hardest.

So once the ball starts moving a little bit more, you know, we can all--

But it is, as Roberto, I mean, it's a lot of work.

[Drew] You, as a team together,

have a buying power that could move the market.

[muted]

[Drew] You know, I think more and more

chefs and restaurants are sounding boards, soapboxes

for movements, ideas, important issues.

We have the ability to share a voice and use it for the right reason.

Where are we going, Roberto? What's the future for us?

I think it's about people.

It's, uh, it's about getting together and do something, move forward.

For me, it's-- people is the future, of course.

[uplifting music]

[muted]

[indistinct chatter]

[music continues]

[muted]

[music concludes]

[intense music]

[music fades]