Selfridges partners with Mexico Tourist Board for 'Welcome to Mexico' culinary partnership

Modern Mexican gastronomy has arrived at Selfridges for “Welcome to Mexico”, an exciting culinary partnership. As part of the ‘Year of Mexico’ in the UK celebrations, there will be a series of taste tantalising demos,  samplings in the Foodhall and guest appearances.

From April, a select group of these chefs, representing Mexico’s vibrant restaurant scene, are coming to Selfridges for a series of gastronomic events at the store’s Corner Restaurant between the 14th April and 12th May.  Chefs Benito Molina, Daniel Ovadia, Miguel Angel Guererro, Javier Plascencia and Manolo Banos will all be making guest appearances. 

A limited number of tickets priced at £80 per person for a tasting menu with paired wines and spirits are now available: Selfridges.com/Mexico.

Event schedule

14th April: Miguel Angel Guerrero 

Widely regarded as the pioneer of Baja Mediterranean cuisine, Miguel owns four acclaimed restaurants in Baja California (El Taller, La Querencia, Almazara and El Colegio).

21st April: Javier Plascencia
Javier is regarded as one of the most prominent chefs in driving Baja Mediterranean cuisine - a combination of Mexican and Mediterranean styles, using local ingredients and has five restaurants (Misión 19 and neighboring Bar 20, Erizo Cebicheria, Hotel Caesar's, Villa Savieros, Casa Plascencia, and Via Mercado).

28th April: Daniel Ovadia
One of one of Mexico’s most famous young chefs.  He is chef-patron of three critically acclaimed restaurants (Paxia, Morablanca and Pewter) 

12 May: Benito Molina and Manolo Banos
Benito Molina is founder of Manzanilla.  Benito Molina together with wife Solange Muris founded Manzanilla (ranked 25 on Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2014), named after the olives that the region is known for.  

The restaurant is famed for using only the best sustainable local ingredients – from seafood to wine, olive oil to chillies. Manolo Banos grew up inspired by his grandmothers cooking in his native in Oaxaca.  Banos’ dishes provide a gastronomy tour around the state; from the Central Valleys, La Costa where he grew up, through to the Mixteca.  Banos is chef-patron of the acclaimed Pitiona Restaurant.

An authentic taste of Mexico will also come to life in the Selfridges Foodhall with leading Mexican 
restaurateurs and suppliers sampling some of their signature dishes.  Participants range from 
acclaimed London based Mexican restaurant Lupita to Gringa Dairy, an artisan dairy making 
authentic Mexican cheese based in Peckham.  Tastings will take place daily between 12pm and 
8.30pm at the Oxford Street store in a pop-up stand featuring an arresting design inspired by
modern Mexican architecture.

Schedule of events 

• w/c 6th April: Café Cobalto’s Mexican coffee - The brand started as a secret speciality coffee club for many years, their beans are grown on the slopes of the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean

• w/c 13th April: KanKun Sauces salsa sampling- The secret recipe has been guarded fervently by generations of grandmas, aunties, and mamas from the Cardenas family

• w/c 20th April: Lupita – This award-winning taqueria that has its roots in Mexico City’s Condessa district, will be offering  bite sized morsels of their signature dishes 

• w/c 27th April: Chilango – These “Mexican food missionaries” will be spreading some of the finest tastes of the country with delectable tostadas 

• w/c 4th May: Benito’s Hat – Selfridges Foodhall’s resident Taqueria will be offering bite sized tasters of some of Head Chef’s Felipe Fuentes Cruz’s most popular dishes 

To keep up to date with the latest gastronomic events and for further information about the Year of Mexico in the UK, please see the official micro-site: http://mexicouk2015.mx/en/dual-year.


A.A. Miln