Down Mexico way

‘Food made with love and music’

“Soy un hombre muy honrado,
Que me gusta lo mejor
A mujeres no me faltan,
Ni al dinero, ni el amor

... en mi caballo
por la sierra yo me voy
las estrellas y la luna
ellas me dicen donde voy

ay, ay, ay, ay
ay, ay mi amor
ay mi morena,
de mi Corazon…”

By Lakna Paranamanna
This Mexican hit, Cancion Del Mariachi by Los Lobos, is a favourite among many of us Sri Lankans even though the words might not seem familiar just at a glance. With the mention of Mexico, its cuisine - the mouth watering enchiladas and tacos would be the next first thought in our minds.
Recently, a pair of Mexican Chefs that not only excel in their culinary skills but also in their singing and entertaining skills, visited Sri Lanka. The Nation met these wonderful personalities, the ‘Mexican Singing Chefs’, Master Chef Sryden and Master Chef Roberto Treves to have an insight about their interesting lives and their unforgettable experiences over more than a decade since beginning their interesting careers.

Multi-tasking: A coincidence in life

The story of the multi-tasking careers of these two chefs begins in India, to be precise in 1994. During that time, the Mexican Ambassador in India had been a very jovial character that was very enthusiastic about food and music. “He was very good with the guitar,” recalled Chef Sergio. One day, after a gala evening and a few shots of tequila he had invited the chefs to sing a few Mexican favourites while he accompanied them with the guitar. “The singing was a new experience for the audience and they enjoyed the music immensely while enjoying the Mexican delicacies,” said Chef Roberto, laughing heartily.
Having entertained the crowds wholly, everyone had suggested that they continue the singing sessions. “So that was when we decided to continue singing in a more appropriate manner. Therefore we began dressing in traditional costumes because we felt that it would be appealing,” asserted Chef Sergio, pointing at their attire. The pair was dressed in black overcoats that were intricately worked with a design in gold, strikingly striped rebozos (a traditional Mexican shawl) on their shoulders and beautiful black sombreros.

“Life is full of coincidences. So as you see the incentive that led us to sing was also another one of those coincidences,” says Chef Sergio.
These ‘Mexican Singing Chefs’ mostly perform traditional Mexican folk songs and a few modern Mexican hits. “We have a selected list of songs. We believe that it is important not to bore the audience. So we choose songs that even the people of other nationalities are familiar with,” said Chef Roberto. Their performances had gradually earned fame among the locals as well as other countries.

Their journey of cooking cum singing over a period of more than a decade has led them into more than 82 countries including India, South Africa, Holland and England. They say they tour at least eight countries annually and their most favourite destinations are India and Sri Lanka. “This is our 10th visit to Sri Lanka,” remarked Chef Sergio looking pleased. They say that they love to visit Sri Lanka as the locals are very receptive of Mexican food as well as the music. “People are very enthusiastic about the food as well as our performances. This level of eagerness is not seen among some other locals,” he pointed out.

They always begin singing after the cooking is over. Chef Sergio said that usually their singing sessions continue for only one hour but if the crowds urge for an encore, it continues for nearly two hours. They remarked that the days spent in Sri Lanka have been very enjoyable. “We start cooking at 5.30 p.m. and continue until 6.30 p.m. Afterwards we change into our costumes and return to perform to our lovely guests,” they said, explaining their daily routine to me.

They are wonderful cooks, brilliant musicians and entertainers. Which one of these careers do they like best? “Cooking by all means!” asserted both Chefs, adding that cooking has always been the first on their list of favourites.

Similar ingredients, different characteristics

They claim that they admire and enjoy food with character. “We love to cook food with strong flavours such as Sri Lankan and Indian, apart from Mexican. The characteristics that they portray are quite similar to Mexican cuisine as it includes a lot of flavour and lots of spice and therefore carry similar vibes.”

Upon travelling to many counties and trying out various types of cuisine, these chefs say that more than differences, they see similarities between these various gastronomies. “Everywhere in the world, mostly the same ingredients are used to cook. But it is the characters of the food that makes one different to another,” explained Chef Sergio adding that he believes that the reason for the varying flavours in food is the different climates in each country. “The food is simply used as a method of maintaining a balance between the inner temperature of the body and the outer temperature through using various spices and flavours.”

This pair of wonderful chefs has walked all parts of this world while entertaining and delighting various types of crowds, ranging from the common public to royal families. They claim that all these experiences are unforgettable. Among such experiences they list the performance in Brunei where the Royal family graced one of their performances as one of the most unforgettable. “Especially the Royal Princess was immensely enjoying our singing as well as cooking. We have also cooked for the Dalai Lama during one of his visits to India, Kofi Annan, and for the grandson of the last emperor of China,” they related proudly.
This food plus music connoisseurs are performing at the Mexican Food Promotion held in Cinnamon Grand which will come to a close today. As I bid farewell to these two interesting gentlemen, they had a request for all Sri Lankans. “Memory is a very beautiful part of food and eating. If you ask me what the most delicious type of food is, my reply would be ‘food made with love’. If you do not venture you would not know so gather as many memories as you can.”

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