{"id":4088,"date":"2022-03-27T21:42:24","date_gmt":"2022-03-27T19:42:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thevisitorpanama.info\/eng\/?p=4088"},"modified":"2022-03-27T21:43:07","modified_gmt":"2022-03-27T19:43:07","slug":"chef-alexander-rojas-fresh-produce-and-direct-contact-with-the-farmer-make-boquetes-gastronomy-more-personal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevisitorpanama.info\/eng\/2022\/03\/27\/chef-alexander-rojas-fresh-produce-and-direct-contact-with-the-farmer-make-boquetes-gastronomy-more-personal\/","title":{"rendered":"Chef Alexander Rojas: Fresh Produce and Direct Contact with the Farmer Make Boquete’s Gastronomy More Personal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

His charisma, versatility and humility when preparing\nhis dishes made Alexander Rojas one of the best participants in a Panamanian\ncuisine reality show. His accent leaves no doubt about his roots from Chiriqui,\nbut his recipes reveal an influence from Bocas del Toro when seasoning some of\nhis creations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chef Rojas is an example of tenacity and perseverance\nin his professional role. He studied at the Cordon Bleu at Lima, Peru. He did internships in Spain\nand France, later he worked in Panama City with Chef Fabien Migny, with whom he\nreinforced his knowledge of French food and pastries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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He is recognized in the local gastronomy for his\nfifteen years of experience as Executive Chef at Islas Secas in the Gulf of Chiriqui, where many\ntourists who know good cuisine from around the world arrive. With more than 20 years\nin gastronomy, Rojas confesses that he always saw himself practicing this\nprofession. And if he were born again, he would not hesitate to repeat this\nexperience again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Horizons<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, ChefRojas has\nopened his own restaurant in Boquete, to give personal touches to his dishes\nwith purely local flavors. Returning to his homeland inspired him to baptize\nhis business as Raices (Roots) but in the \u201cng\u00e4be\u201d language, so a table should be reserved at \u201cNg\u00e4dri\u201d his new culinary\nproposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Among the advantages of working in Boquete is\nobtaining freshly harvested agricultural products and being able to talk\ndirectly with the farmers to create a greater human and more personal bond.\nRegarding his opinion of how local gastronomy is at an international level, he\nconsiders that Panama is at an emerging point. It places the country among the\nbest in Latin America, and considers that Panama would be among the top ten in\nterms of emerging cuisine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gastronomic Legacy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked about what legacy he wants to leave in\nPanamanian cuisine, the chef from Chiriqui replied that it is something he has\nnot thought about, because the time and the base that he will create in his\nwork will be what will best define him in the future. At the moment, his\nprofession is a tool to help the country feel proud, giving foreign diners the\nopportunity of a pleasant culinary experience so they can better understand our\nroots, and also have Panamanians feel nostalgia and pride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Influences and Preferences<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As far as the business is concerned, he is an admirer\nof the work of local colleagues such as Jorge Jurado, Cuquita and Charlie\nCollins who always strive to highlight the Panamanian culture in their recipes.\nInquiring about what his favorite recipes are, for him all his Menu is good. He\nadded that among the most desired dishes by his clientele are: \u201cThe Caramelized Octopus Half\nMoon of Pumpkin with Coffee Mayonnaise\u201d, \u201cCarima\u00f1ola stuffed with Smoked Vegan\nCheese\u201d, \u201cYucca Gnocchi\u201d, \u201cTacos del Huerto\u201d , \u201cBr\u00f3ccoli-Cauliflower in Curry\nand Coconut Sauce\u201d, the latter very popular among vegans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As you can imagine, this last answer was a barrer for\nus to write it, than it was for Chef Alexander Rojas to answer it. The taste of\nthe best agricultural products of the country prepared by the masterful hands\nof Chef Alexander Rojas await each Visitor, to serve them in one of the most\ntouristic and visited destinations in Panama, such as Boquete in the province of Chiriqui.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photos courtesy: Chef Alexander Rojas<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

His charisma, versatility and humility when preparing his dishes made Alexander Rojas one of the best participants in a Panamanian cuisine reality show. His accent leaves no doubt about his roots from Chiriqui, but his recipes reveal an influence from Bocas del Toro when seasoning some of his creations. Chef Rojas is an example of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4089,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[32],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevisitorpanama.info\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4088"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevisitorpanama.info\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevisitorpanama.info\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevisitorpanama.info\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevisitorpanama.info\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4088"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevisitorpanama.info\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4088\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4095,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevisitorpanama.info\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4088\/revisions\/4095"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevisitorpanama.info\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevisitorpanama.info\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevisitorpanama.info\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevisitorpanama.info\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}