By Moose Li, as told to and translated by Micki Voisard—
My name is Moose Li. I’m a rescued Chinese Shar-Pei puppy with wonderful parents. They smell delightfully like salmon oil and sardines. But let’s be honest—my mom was 78 years old when I was born. Living with seniors is quite a lifestyle adjustment, even for a five-month-old puppy like me.
When my family moved from the United States to San Miguel de Allende, I brought my wrinkles while my parents packed the pee pads. Shar-Peis are not exactly known for being marathon runners, but I practice heavy-duty zoomies every day. I also go to weekly training, and my absolute favorite is agility. Yes, me—a bulky, wrinkly puppy—loves hurdles and climbing boulders.
Because of this training, I imagine a human parent as someone who sprints alongside me over the A-frame. My parents don’t do that. They’re in great shape for their age—walking San Miguel’s steep, uneven cobblestones with impressive skill—but they definitely do not run the agility course they created. Instead, my mom relies on hand signals. Poor thing. I also have to bark loudly in a high-pitched voice, since I don’t think either of them can hear very well.
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Sometimes I stare at her while she sits at her computer or reads a book for what feels like hours. Then I catch a glint in her eye. She stands up, closes her computer, and practices her own version of human zoomies with me. Once, I heard her tell a friend that she reminds herself every day that my time on this earth will be far too short.
On our daily walks, I hear other seniors whisper, “Oh, a dog—especially a puppy—is just too much work. That’s why we don’t adopt.” From my point of view, they have it backward—it’s the humans who are a lot of work. I’m constantly reminding my parents to drop their serious faces, stop overthinking, and play tug-of-war. Training a 78-year-old is the real full-time job.
What my older parents lack in speed, they make up for with something a dog could only dream of: time. Because my mom is home most of the day, her schedule revolves around my canine clock. If I want to spend five minutes sniffing a single leaf in Parque Juárez, there’s no rushing.
Humans are funny. They fill their homes with fragile things, yet when I manage to snag one of their treasures, they don’t even bark. They just sigh, trade it for a tasty bone—or one of Dad’s wonderfully smelly old socks—and carry on. At their age, maybe they’re happy to see a few things get shredded. I’m glad to help.
The three of us probably look like an odd match strolling toward the Jardín: two sharply dressed seniors walking a wrinkly ball of kinetic energy. Maybe my mom won’t hurdle park benches with me, but having 78-year-old parents is the ultimate luxury. I get endless love, patience, and time. They get a daily reminder that life is meant to be savored like a marrow bone buried for three months.
My best advice to you older folks? Adopt a dog. We’ll liberate you from your stuff and fill your days with fun. You give us your time and your slow, beautiful pace of life. It’s a pretty wonderful tradeoff.
My name is Moose Li, and I’m a young dog with older parents.
Support Animal Welfare in SMA:
Sociedad Protectora de Animales de San Miguel de Allende (SPA) San Miguel’s oldest no-kill animal shelter, SPA rescues, rehabilitates, and rehomes abandoned dogs and cats while also providing low-cost veterinary care, sterilization programs, and humane education. http://www.spasanmiguel.org
Few foods have enjoyed a rise to global fame quite like the avocado. Once a regional staple in Mexico and Central America, it is now celebrated worldwide on toast, in smoothies, salads, and of course, guacamole. Rich in healthy fats, fiber, and vitamins, it has earned the title of a modern superfood. But behind its creamy green flesh lies a more complicated story.
Mexico produces nearly one-third of the world’s avocados, with the state of Michoacán supplying most of the fruit exported to the United States and Canada. The industry’s success has brought prosperity to many farming communities, creating thousands of jobs and generating billions of dollars in export revenue. Yet the avocado boom has also created unexpected challenges.
As international demand has soared, forests have been cleared to make room for new orchards, threatening biodiversity and reducing habitat for species such as the monarch butterfly. Avocados are also a thirsty crop, requiring significant amounts of water in regions where water resources are already under pressure.
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Perhaps the greatest controversy, however, is economic. The enormous value of the crop has attracted organized crime in parts of Mexico, where criminal groups have been known to extort growers, control transportation routes, and profit from the lucrative trade. These security concerns have occasionally disrupted exports and prompted increased government oversight.
For consumers, these realities can create mixed feelings. Buying Mexican avocados supports the livelihoods of thousands of honest farmers who depend on the industry, yet it also raises important questions about environmental stewardship, water use, and the need for stronger protections against criminal exploitation.
Like many foods that become global commodities, the avocado is neither entirely hero nor villain. It represents the opportunities and challenges of modern agriculture in an interconnected world.
Appreciating the fruit also means recognizing the people, landscapes, and complex issues behind every harvest—and understanding that the future of avocados depends not only on consumer demand, but on producing them in ways that are sustainable, transparent, and fair.
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I’ve always known avocados to be cool. I have this memory of hearing an interview with John Lennon in which he was asked if he had tried them. I also happen to know when I first tasted them: 1986 at the World’s Fair in Vancouver, British Columbia. My own avocado story, however, is just a speck of dust compared with the fruit’s remarkable history.
Hip But Not New
Avocados are a fruit, and like most fruits, their survival has historically depended on the digestive systems of animals. Evolution’s system of seed dispersal is simple: an animal eats the flesh, carries the seed in its intestines, and deposits it elsewhere with a little natural fertilizer. But what kind of creature could swallow an avocado pit whole? Something big. Really big. Prehistorically big. Scientists have suggested that extinct megafauna, possibly including giant ground sloths and gomphotheres (prehistoric, trunked relatives of modern elephants), may once have dispersed avocado seeds. When these giant animals disappeared at the end of the last Ice Age, humans gradually took over the role of cultivating and spreading avocado trees.
By the time the Spanish Conquistadors arrived, there were already cultivated avocado orchards. The Aztec/Nahuatl word for the fruit was āhuacatl, which also happened to be slang for testicle. The Spanish mispronounced this as aguacate, which English speakers eventually warped into avocado.
But there were still centuries to go before the millennial breakfast of avocado toast was born. It took a California mail carrier accidentally cultivating the dark-skinned avocado most of us are familiar with today to truly change the game.
The Hass Accident
Rudolph Hass was a Milwaukee-born son of German immigrants. As a high school dropout seeking his fortune, he worked many jobs before becoming a mailman in Pasadena, California. Around that time, the Los Angeles Times ran an article about “the hanging gardens of Southern California,” noting that avocados could be grown on steep slopes where ordinary crops couldn’t. One magazine ad even featured dollar bills growing on avocado trees. So, in 1925, Rudolph bought into that dream by emptying his savings and borrowing money from his sister to acquire a 1.5-acre piece of land. Unable to afford established trees, he bought a handful of random seeds to start his own avocado grove, accidentally planting one that changed culinary history.
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Rudolph quickly learned what every avocado grower knows: no two avocado trees produce the exact same fruit. Like a genetic lottery, any tree might bear watery, stringy, worthless fruit. The only way to reliably reproduce the variety you actually want is to graft a new tree from a cutting of a tree with desirable avocados. That was as true in Rudolph’s time as it is today.
The desirable avocado at the time was known as the Fuerte, a fruit proven able to withstand California’s cold snaps. Originally from Puebla, Mexico, it was the variety every grower wanted, and California growers grafted all their trees with a branch from a Fuerte tree. This, too, Rudolph Hass attempted to do. But one tree wouldn’t accept the graft and instead produced black, bumpy-skinned fruit. Rudolph’s children preferred the fruit from this rebellious tree, calling them the “ugly avocados.” They had a higher oil content and a richer, creamier flavour. This was the Hass avocado, which today dominates the international commercial avocado market.
Ripening and Marketing
Not yet, not yet, not yet… TOO LATE. This is the sentiment of most people looking to find a ripe avocado. Like all hip things, whether people or produce, the avocado is kind of a snob. It will not ripen while hanging from a branch and will just sit there for a year or more, unchanged. The avocado only begins to ripen once picked, and even then, it isn’t done making you wait.
For growers, the avocado tree is like a living warehouse. Once picked, though, the ripening clock starts, and timing becomes everything. This on-branch storage helps meet calendar-based demand, chief among them American Super Bowl parties, which would be incomplete without guacamole. In fact, the combined demand for guacamole around the Super Bowl, Cinco de Mayo, and the Fourth of July produces some of the largest spikes in U.S. avocado consumption.
But whether for guacamole or other culinary delights, nobody wants an unripe or overripe avocado. Because of this, there is a highly orchestrated process for getting an avocado to your grocery store in a state you’d actually be willing to pay three bucks for.
Once picked, they are chilled within hours to dramatically slow the ripening process. This allows up to four weeks for cold transport to reach grocery store distribution centers. The final ripening stage is then triggered by exposure to ethylene gas at the distribution center, ensuring the avocado reaches your grocery store primed to hit perfect ripeness within about a week.
Which leaves the last, most familiar stretch: standing in the produce section, squeezing avocado after avocado, divining each one’s readiness to eat. One final avocado factoid: once you get it home, putting it in the fridge will slow its final ripening by 80% to 90% compared to leaving it on the counter. Right to the end, the avocado does what it wants, when it wants.
The Millennial Breakfast
For me and many of my non-Mexican contemporaries, the avocado was unheard of until adulthood, arriving essentially when it became more widely available to North American consumers. Interestingly, its modern worldwide popularity has a lot to do with Australia, which is about as far from its historical Mexican origins as you can get. Australians actually originated the hippest avocado terms: smashed avo, smavo, avocado toast, and the Millennial breakfast.
Avocado toast gained mainstream popularity when Australian restaurateur Bill Granger introduced smashed avocado on toast at his Sydney café in 1993. He later included the recipe in one of his cookbooks, and it is widely regarded as the first published recipe for the now-iconic dish.
Gwyneth Paltrow raised its profile further with a recipe in her 2013 cookbook, and food bloggers and Instagram did the rest. Avocado toast got permanently tied to Millennials in 2016, when an Australian newspaper column went viral scolding young people for ordering $22 smashed avocado on toast instead of saving for a house deposit. This meme permanently solidified avocado toast as the definitive Millennial breakfast.
Hardly an early adopter, I had my first avocado toast years later in Huatulco, inadvertently bringing my personal avocado history full circle back to its Mexican roots. And how fitting that, as I finish writing this story from cooler northern lands, far from the nearest avocado tree, I’m happily munching on smavo on a toasted bagel for breakfast.
Randy Jackson blends local reporting from the perspective of a seasonal Huatulco resident with explorations of life and change in Huatulco, Oaxaca and Mexico. Email: box95jackson@gmail.com
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“Each food item in a typical U.S. meal has traveled an average of 1,500 miles….If every U.S. citizen ate just one meal a week (any meal) composed of locally and organically raised meats and produce we would reduce our country’s oil consumption by over 1.1 million barrels of oil every week.”
― Barbara Kingsolver, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
I live in a small village with a public address system where you still hear announcements like, “La señora Martínez tiene pollo a la venta.” These days there are fewer loudspeaker messages because most have moved to our community WhatsApp group. A typical post reads: “Hola, buen día. Ya les tengo a la venta los ricos tamales de frijol y chepil en el domicilio de la señora Mendoza.” It’s simply letting the neighborhood know that fresh tamales are ready and waiting at someone’s home.
Mexico is full of pop food stands. People sell bolis, sliced fruit, tacos, tamales, homemade bread, roasted chickens, and countless other foods. Economists call this the informal economy, but there is a misconception that “informal” means unregulated. As a restaurant owner, people often ask me whether businesses here need permits or pay taxes, as though selling food in Mexico is free from the bureaucracy found in the United States or Canada. It isn’t. Even street food vendors are typically required to obtain permits, licenses, and food safety training. What sets Mexico apart is not the absence of regulation—it is that we have not completely corporatized our food system.
This past May I was hiking the North Carolina section of the Appalachian Trail. The forest was magnificent, and there is no better way to reconnect with nature. But every time I left the trail to resupply, I was struck by how many hikers—and local residents—relied almost entirely on processed food. Frozen meals, convenience stores, and an endless parade of fast-food restaurants lining the highways have become the default way to eat.
The numbers are hard to ignore. The United States has an estimated 180,000 to 210,000 corporate fast-food restaurants, compared with just 35,000 to 45,000 in Mexico. McDonald’s alone has 13,706 U.S. locations, compared with only 380 in Mexico, more than 36 times as many.
Recently, I drove nearly 900 kilometers from Huatulco to San Miguel de Allende. Do you know how many corporate fast-food restaurants I passed? Not one.
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That contrast matters. The recent U.S. Cyclospora outbreak, linked to contaminated shredded lettuce and affecting more than 1,600 people across over 30 states, illustrates the vulnerability of highly centralized food systems. When a single supplier distributes food across an entire country, one contamination event can quickly become a national public health crisis. Efficiency and scale have their advantages, but they also create fragility.
A few weeks ago I watched a social media video of a woman planting dried beans from a bag of mixed bean soup. The comments were filled with people insisting it was illegal to grow them. Whether or not those claims were true almost didn’t matter—the instinctive assumption was that growing your own food had somehow become suspect.
So the next time you see someone selling fresh food from a cart, a folding table, or the front of their home, recognize that they are preserving something valuable. Every tamale, taco, loaf of bread, and bag of fresh fruit represents a food system that is local, decentralized, and deeply human. Plant a garden. Buy from your neighbors. Skip the drive-through. Real food, sold by real people, is more than a meal; it is a quiet act of revolution.
See you in October,
Jane
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The August 2026 Food Issue celebrates the people, traditions, and flavors that make San Miguel de Allende one of Mexico’s most exciting culinary destinations.
Mexico’s wine industry is enjoying a golden age, but behind the award-winning bottles and picturesque vineyards lies a challenge that is becoming impossible to ignore: water.
Historically, Mexican wines have thrived in the unique conditions found throughout the country, with lots of sunshine, patient vintners, and just enough water. But what happens when “just enough water” becomes increasingly difficult to find? Across Mexico’s wine regions, from the sun-soaked valleys of Baja California to the high plains of Coahuila and the rolling vineyards of Querétaro and Guanajuato, winemakers are confronting an uncomfortable reality: climate change is reshaping the future of wine.
Of course, wine has always depended on weather. Too much rain, and grapes become diluted. Too little, and vines struggle. Just the right combination of temperatures and precipitation is like lightning in a bottle. The famous Valle de Guadalupe in Baja California, for example, enjoys warm days, cool nights, and a Mediterranean-like climate ideal for grapes. But recent years have brought hotter temperatures, prolonged drought, and increasing pressure on groundwater supplies. Water scarcity, once a seasonal concern, has become a year-round conversation.
Baja is not alone. In Coahuila, home to some of the oldest wineries in the Americas, including the renowned Casa Madero, producers face hotter summers and shifting rainfall patterns. Central Mexican wine regions such as Querétaro and Guanajuato are also experiencing increasing climate variability, including unexpected frosts, hailstorms, and heat spikes. For winemakers, this unpredictability is becoming one of the industry’s greatest challenges. Grapes, after all, are fussy little creatures.
The good news? Mexican winemakers are famously resourceful.
Across the country, wineries are increasingly embracing sustainability, not only because it is environmentally responsible, but because savvy consumers demand it, and survival depends on it. Water conservation has become a major priority. Many vineyards now use drip irrigation systems that deliver precise amounts of water directly to the vine roots rather than wasting it through sprinklers or flood irrigation. Soil management techniques such as mulching and cover crops help retain moisture, reduce evaporation, and improve soil health.
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Some wineries are experimenting with dry farming, allowing vines to survive largely on natural rainfall once they become established. Others are investing in water recycling systems, treating and reusing water from cleaning processes or landscaping. Solar energy is becoming increasingly common as well, particularly in Baja California, where abundant sunshine makes renewable power a practical choice. Sustainability, in many vineyards, has shifted from trendy buzzword to practical necessity.
Then there is the grape question. Not all varieties respond equally well to heat and drought. Some grapes suffer in extreme heat, while others are perfectly happy basking under the Mexican sun.
Traditional French varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Grenache continue to perform well in parts of Baja California, particularly when growers carefully manage irrigation and canopy cover. Mediterranean grapes, however, are gaining increasing attention for their resilience. Varieties such as Mourvèdre, Tempranillo, Carignan, and Italian grapes like Nebbiolo tolerate heat and water scarcity better than more delicate varietals.
White wines are evolving too. In warmer conditions, grapes can ripen quickly, risking overly alcoholic wines with less acidity. To adapt, growers are experimenting with varieties that maintain freshness despite rising temperatures. Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Vermentino, and Viognier are showing promise in several Mexican regions.
Perhaps the clearest sign of climate change arrives during harvest season. Traditionally, grape harvests followed predictable schedules. Today, many vineyards are harvesting earlier, sometimes weeks earlier than in decades past. Rising temperatures accelerate ripening, meaning grapes can accumulate sugar faster. Harvesting earlier helps preserve balance and freshness in the finished wine.
Harvest itself is changing too. Some vineyards now pick grapes at night or during the cool hours before sunrise to protect delicate fruit from intense daytime heat. Workers equipped with headlamps gathering grapes beneath the stars may sound romantic, but it is also practical. Cooler grapes arrive at the winery in better condition, reducing energy needed for refrigeration and preserving flavor. So, what does the future of Mexican wine look like? In a word, optimistic.
Yes, climate change presents real challenges, particularly around water scarcity. But the Mexican wine industry has always been defined by adaptation and innovation. Unlike many European wine regions steeped in tradition and governed by centuries-old rules about what can be planted and where, Mexico’s wine industry has flexibility. Winemakers are free to experiment with new techniques and varietals, and to rethink old assumptions.
As the industry evolves, the wines will too. New wine regions at higher elevations may emerge. Sustainable farming practices will likely expand and take root across the country.
And consumers will increasingly value the story behind the bottle, including how thoughtfully a winery manages its land, water, and resources.
And so, fear not, wine enthusiasts! The future of Mexican wine remains bright, sustained by innovative growers who are learning to make every drop of water count.
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Mis lentes favoritos están rotos,
mi cartera guarda pocos billetes,
la libreta azul rebosa de notas,
de pequeños sigilos y ciegos poemas
que no me sirven para un carajo.
Hoy desperté pensando:
“nada para mí que no sea para los demás”.
Me sacudí la pereza de los ojos
y comencé a cantar al sol.
El canto salió torcido,
pero era mío.
El viento me lo devolvió
con un murmullo
y en él escuché a alguien reír,
como si la risa también se le contagiara.
A veces escribir es barrer el polvo,
otras, solo mirar cómo vuelve.
Pero sigo,
porque el silencio también tiene hambre
y yo tengo pan para compartir.
Repartí mis canciones
como sombra,
mis manos como promesa,
y entendí que la pobreza
no siempre está en los bolsillos,
sino en los días sin ternura.
Así que sigo,
con los lentes rotos,
la libreta llena,
viendo el mundo a través de sus grietas,
tal vez
por eso lo entiendo mejor.
Jordan Sánchez Armenta is a photographer from Cuautla, Morelos, currently based in the Riviera Maya. Passionate about storytelling, he seeks to tell stories in the simplest way possible, using whatever medium is available to him. Instagram: @jrdn.sa
I’ve spent much of my life building businesses, exploring new places, and pursuing creative challenges. That spirit has shaped both my artistic practice and the path that led me to create Allende Arts Space, an artist residency program in Santa Julia, San Miguel de Allende.
My creative journey began in Vancouver, British Columbia, where I spent nearly two decades working in digital graphic design during the early days of the technology boom. Looking for new experiences and a different perspective, I later moved with my family to Southeast Asia. Living in Sri Lanka exposed me to different cultures, architecture, traditions, and ways of seeing the world. It was there that I discovered oil painting, and what began as a creative outlet quickly became a lifelong passion.
Over the years, I dedicated myself to learning, practicing, and developing my voice as an artist. Along the way, I have been fortunate to receive recognition for my work, but what continues to motivate me most is the opportunity to keep learning, exploring, and growing creatively. In 2025, that journey led me to create Allende Arts Space in San Miguel de Allende.
After spending time in San Miguel and getting to know the creative community, I noticed a gap in the residency offerings available to visiting artists. I saw an opportunity to create something different: a space that combined comfortable accommodations, dedicated studio space, and a genuine sense of community. When I found the perfect building, I knew it could become the creative home base I had envisioned.
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Allende Arts Space was created for artists who need time to focus on their work while also having the opportunity to connect with other creatives. The residency offers private accommodations, dedicated workspaces, and a welcoming environment where painters, writers, photographers, musicians, and multidisciplinary artists can immerse themselves in their practice without the distractions of everyday life.
What makes the experience special is the balance between independence and connection. Artists have the freedom to work at their own pace, pursue their own projects, and shape their own experience. At the same time, they become part of a community of creatives from around the world who gather to share ideas, experiences, inspiration, and support.
Many residents arrive with a project they want to complete. Others come looking for renewal, direction, or simply the time and space to reconnect with their creativity. Some leave with finished work, while others leave with new friendships, fresh perspectives, and renewed energy for their artistic practice.
What consistently surprises people is how quickly the residency begins to feel like home. Shared meals, creative conversations, collaborations, and lasting friendships often become just as meaningful as the work created during a stay.
For me, Allende Arts Space is about creating the kind of environment I would have loved to discover throughout my own journey. A place where artists can fully immerse themselves in their work while being supported by a community that understands their creative process.
Kato Rempel, artist, entrepreneur, and founder of Allende Arts Space in San Miguel de Allende.
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While San Miguel de Allende sits high in the semi-arid highlands of central Mexico, water remains an important part of the region’s landscape and culture. Whether you’re looking for relaxation, recreation, or simply a break from the summer heat, there are several ways to connect with water nearby.
La Gruta Spa
Perhaps the region’s best-known thermal water destination, La Gruta offers a series of mineral-rich thermal pools surrounded by gardens and stone pathways. Its signature feature is a tunnel leading into a domed steam grotto where warm mineral water cascades from above. Many visitors describe the experience as both physically restorative and deeply relaxing. http://www.lagruta-spa.com.mx
Escondido Place
Located adjacent to La Gruta, Escondido Place features expansive thermal pools fed by natural hot springs. Popular with families and locals alike, it offers a more spacious setting for swimming, soaking, and spending a leisurely afternoon. http://www.escondidoplace.com
The Presa Allende (Allende Dam)
Just outside the city, the Presa Allende provides one of the area’s largest bodies of water. Birdwatchers visit for migratory species, while kayakers, sailors, and fishermen enjoy the reservoir’s calm waters. Several restaurants along the shoreline offer panoramic views, particularly at sunset.
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Charco del Ingenio
Although not a swimming destination, this botanical reserve highlights the importance of water in the region’s ecosystem. Seasonal reservoirs, wetlands, and natural springs support an impressive diversity of plants, birds, and wildlife. Walking the trails offers a chance to experience the quieter, contemplative side of water.
Temazcal Experiences
For those interested in traditional forms of renewal, several wellness centers around San Miguel offer temazcal ceremonies. Combining heat, steam, water, and guided ritual, these Indigenous sweat-lodge traditions have been used for centuries throughout Mexico for purification and reflection.
A Simple Prescription: Sit Beside Water
Not every encounter with water requires a swimsuit. Enjoying a quiet meal overlooking the Presa, listening to a fountain in one of San Miguel’s gardens, or watching summer rains arrive across the countryside may provide many of the same calming benefits researchers now associate with “blue spaces.”
As modern science continues to explore water’s effects on mental and physical well-being, San Miguel offers plenty of opportunities to experience what generations before us already understood: sometimes healing begins simply by spending time near water.
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San Miguel de Allende is not just a feast for the eyes with its cobblestone streets and stunning architecture; it’s also a culinary haven, especially when it comes to the use of spices. The history of spices in this region tells a story of cultural exchange and adaptation, revealing how local and international influences have shaped the way we experience flavor and heat in our food today.
I’ve got a lot of territory to cover in this month’s article. In researching the history and uses of both traditional and non-traditional spices in Mexican cuisine, I had the pleasure of speaking with Marco Masseroti, Owner and Executive Chef of Casa Nostra; Donnie Masterson, culinary entrepreneur and master chef behind several of the town’s dining establishments; and Chef Odin Camacho, an up-and-coming private chef and creative cooking instructor in Querétaro. All generously took time out of their busy schedules to share how they incorporate traditional spices into their cooking and how these ingredients continue to shape the evolving culinary landscape of central Mexico.
A Brief History of Spices in Mexico
Spices have played an essential role in Mexican cuisine since ancient times. Indigenous peoples, including the Aztecs and Maya, relied heavily on local spices and herbs for both flavor and medicinal purposes. Key ingredients in this early culinary tradition included chili peppers, vanilla, and cacao. When the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, they brought with them a host of spices from Europe, Asia, and Africa, including black pepper, cinnamon, and cloves. This melding of flavors helped shape what we now recognize as traditional Mexican cuisine.
In San Miguel, much of the heat in food comes from local chile varieties, each offering its own unique flavor profile.
Jalapeño: Widely recognized and used, jalapeños add a moderate level of heat to salsas and sauces. Serrano: With a sharper bite, serranos are often used in dishes such as pico de gallo. Chipotle: Smoked and dried jalapeños, chipotles lend a rich, smoky flavor to many traditional dishes.
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These peppers are frequently paired with other ingredients to create some of Mexico’s most beloved foods. One seasonal favorite is Chiles en Nogada, featuring poblano peppers stuffed with a mixture of meat and fruit, then topped with a creamy walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds. The balance of sweet, savory, and spicy flavors has made it both a local favorite and a symbol of Mexican culinary heritage.
Chef Marco Masseroti, who has been running Casa Nostra for more than eight years, specializes in Italian comfort food but has developed a deep appreciation for Mexican spices.
“I love spices like cumin and oregano that give a lot of flavor without adding a lot of heat from chilies,” he says. “Pasilla and Guajillo are two of my favorites to work with. All my spices are sourced locally. Many foreigners have the misconception that all chilies are spicy, but many are much more flavorful than they are hot. A typical mole can cook for over 24 hours, with countless ingredients and spices needed to get the flavor just right.”
Chef Donnie Masterson, who moved to San Miguel 24 years ago and is currently celebrating the 18th anniversary of his restaurant, The Restaurant, agrees.
“Two of my favorite spices are cumin and coriander seed,” he says. “I love cumin for its warmth and versatility, which work beautifully across so many cuisines. I often use it in rubs, especially for pork, because it brings a deep, earthy backbone to a dish. Coriander seed adds brightness and a slightly citrusy note that balances richer flavors. One dish where I use both is an albóndigas soup that my Mexican grandmother used to make. It’s a Mexican meatball soup layered with cilantro, jalapeños, cumin, and coriander, and it’s incredibly comforting and aromatic.”
Chef Odin Camacho sees spices as something even more profound.
“My passion stems from understanding that Mexican cuisine is deeply rooted in the intelligent use of spices, not just for their heat but for their complexity,” he explains.
“Throughout my training and professional experience, I’ve come to understand that spices are a language: each one tells a story of region, tradition, and technique. That narrative is what continues to inspire me.”
One of Odin’s favorite ingredients is smoked dried chiles, particularly Chilhuacle and Pasilla varieties.
“They add depth beyond just spiciness,” he says. “I like to lightly toast them to release their oils and then incorporate them into sauces, emulsions, or even modern applications like foams or reductions, creating multi-layered flavor profiles.”
He is also passionate about lesser-known regional ingredients such as Querétaro saffron.
“It adds a distinct earthy flavor and vibrant color. It’s fundamental in traditional dishes like Garbanzo en Amarillo, where its presence defines the dish’s identity.”
Signature Dishes Built on Spice
San Miguel’s culinary scene is rooted in traditional dishes that showcase Mexico’s remarkable spice heritage. While recipes vary from region to region—and often from family to family—certain dishes highlight the depth, complexity, and versatility of the spices that define Mexican cuisine.
Mole Poblano: Often referred to as Mexico’s national dish, mole is a complex sauce made from dozens of ingredients, including chiles, chocolate, nuts, seeds, and spices such as cinnamon and cloves. Every family has its own recipe, making each mole a unique expression of tradition.
Tacos al Pastor: A local favorite, these tacos feature marinated pork cooked on a vertical spit and served with onions, pineapple, and cilantro. The marinade typically contains a blend of spices that creates the dish’s distinctive sweet, savory, and slightly smoky flavor.
Tamales: Wrapped in corn husks and filled with everything from meats to sweet ingredients, tamales are a staple throughout Mexico. The masa itself is often seasoned with spices, adding another layer of flavor to this beloved comfort food.
For Chef Odin Camacho, the quality of the spices behind these dishes is every bit as important as the recipes themselves.
“Quality is everything,” he says. “A fresh, well-preserved spice can completely transform a dish, while a low-quality one flattens it. In Mexican cuisine, where preparations like moles or adobos depend on the complexity of spices, using high-quality ingredients is non-negotiable; it defines the final result.”
Odin believes innovation works best when it begins with a strong understanding of tradition.
“I always start with respect for tradition: the basic structure of the dish. Once that base is well constructed, I allow myself to reinterpret techniques or presentations. For example, I might maintain the classic spice profile of a mole but present it through modern textures or unexpected elements, creating a bridge between heritage and innovation.”
One dish that embodies this philosophy is his deconstructed Chiles en Nogada.
“The blend of spices in the filling—cloves, cinnamon, and pepper—creates a warm, aromatic base that contrasts with the freshness of the walnut sauce. By reinterpreting it with contemporary techniques, the spices become more present and intentional in every bite.”
Technique, he says, is essential.
“Toasting is fundamental, as it activates the essential oils and deepens the flavors. Grinding spices fresh is also key. I also use infusion techniques, incorporating them into fats or liquids to extract more complex nuances and integrate them harmoniously into the dish.”Chef Marco shares a similar philosophy when it comes to creativity in the kitchen.
“Techniques like fermenting garlic versus using regular garlic really help bring out exceptional layers of flavor,” he says. “I work closely with all my chefs, experimenting with different recipes, ingredients, and spices to create new dishes. I’m always on the lookout for new spices to try, both in our restaurant and at home. Every ingredient needs a reason to be on the plate.”
For Marco, spices do far more than season food.
“Spices are storytellers. They tell us about culture, how ingredients are used, how they are treated, and how they are grown. I don’t think there’s any end to blending traditional, centuries-old Mexican techniques with modern international cuisine. My Nonna probably would have killed me for mixing Cannelloni with Mexican meats, but I think it’s important to open new doors.”
Chef Donnie Masterson believes freshness is equally important.
“I always prefer buying whole spices and toasting and grinding them myself with a mortar and pestle. Freshness is everything. Spices lose their potency over time, so I try not to overbuy. Keeping them fresh makes a huge difference in the final dish.”
For Masterson, quality spices are often the difference between a good meal and a memorable one.
“The quality of your spices can completely make or break a dish. If your spices are old or stale, you’re not going to get the depth, aroma, or intensity you’re looking for. Fresh spices bring life to food; they create layers, complexity, and balance. Without that, even a well-executed dish can fall flat.”
Whether they are preserving centuries-old traditions or experimenting with new techniques and flavor combinations, San Miguel’s chefs share a common belief: spices are far more than a source of heat. They are an essential part of the stories, cultures, and traditions that continue to shape Mexican cuisine.
For visitors interested in exploring this world for themselves, a walk through Mercado Ignacio Ramírez, a cooking class, or simply a meal at one of the city’s many outstanding restaurants offers a delicious introduction to the flavors that have defined Mexico for centuries.
Michael Solof leads SMA Adventure Hound, a group which takes locals and newcomers to brunches and dinners at different restaurants every week and he also offers classes in the art of smartphone photography. You can contact him at WhatsApp +1-443-310-9214 for more info and to reserve.
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