Jose, first of all we’d like you to tell us where you come from and how your flair for cuisine ever started. I was born in Leon, Guanajato and I grew up in Puerto Vallarta where I’ve been living for 20 years. I learned gastronomy by working in different hotels in Vallarta and in downtown restaurants. I’ve been at the Cilantros with Luis Velasco for three years now and I believe we’re doing things right. My flair for cuisine comes from a long way back. I used to watch my mom cook and I used to like fixing my own breakfast since I was a kid. I started at age 16 doing the dishes and then I threw myself completely into cooking. I started out as a B-class cook and here I am now as a restaurant chef.

How can you define your cooking? My cooking is based on the things I learned in each and every place I’ve worked. My cooking is specialized. I like working with all ingredients and trends, and bove all, I like doing things right.

What major influences can be found in you now? The food I cook now is more Mexican, though I love international cuisine as well.

What’s the ingredient you like the most? My favorite ingredient us white wine because it gives food a very special and delicate flavor. I also use lots of vegetables, such as cauliflower, broccoli and carrots. Tell us a little bit about the menu card at the Cilantros.

There’s a large variety of dishes from Oriental, Chilean and Mexican cuisines because we serve fusion food. One of the most sought-after dishes is sea bass dipped in pepper sauce. I think both sea bass and tuna fish are my favorites, and the patrons’ too because they order them quite a lot.

How have you pieced this menu together? I’ve done that based on my longstanding experience, by reading and studying, so the end result is just what both the owner and the patrons want.

What’s your favorite dish? A.- I think sea bass and tuna fish are my favorite dishes, and the public’s, too. For first-time customers, I’d suggest them to try the sea bass for its delicate sauce, coupled with chocolate pudding for dessert and a bottle of Oporto, which is a superb wine. Tell us something more about your trade as a chef.

Are you the one who buys the ingredients and the products? Yes, we do all the shopping and we’re always in touch with suppliers to guarantee the best quality products. We always want the best quality ingredients and products for our restaurant. They have to be the very best because that’s what the Cilantros is up to.

What are the keys to making a restaurant succeed? Quality, fresh products and seasoning.

What are the things you like the most and the least about your job? Cooking is what I like the most and making a customer feel happy. What I like the least is when a waiter comes up to me and tells me there’s a patron out there who didn’t like the food because I think I just failed. Then, I start reviewing things, to double-check temperature, cooking time and I draw my own conclusions to try to get the job done next time.

What’s your dream as a chef? I dream of being in charge or being the chef of a large hotel, of working somewhere else, moving out of Puerto Vallarta and learning other things that will make me be in charge of a huge hotel in the future.