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“A good chef must always know how to improvise”
1. As one of 12 children of the farming Rosas family in Cusalapa, Jalisco, there was just one option: emigrate. Four of the family’s children left for the United States, but after completing high school, Rene followed the advice of other family members who said there was work in Puerto Vallarta. But he arrived during low season and he was advised to return later. “I didn’t want to have to return, so I opted to look until I found something.”
2. What he found was work as a kitchen helper in the restaurant at Playa Los Arcos hotel. “In the beginning, it was difficult, since I didn’t even have money to take the bus, so I would walk down from Paso Ancho. I didn’t have a watch, either, so I would always arrive early.”
3. After this initial period of hardship, René began working as a steward in the now defunct California restaurant on the Malecon. During a vacation, he went to practice at Hacienda Alemana and enjoyed it. He has now been there eight years, with four as a chef, still arriving early in order to learn more. “As a dishwasher, I had to start at three in the afternoon but would arrive at noon so I could learn more. It was very interesting for me to see how they prepared their dishes.”
4. In daily practice in the kitchen, he learned the importance of organization, hygiene and the art of working as a team. He states that a good cook is not one who knows how to prepare everything, but rather one that knows how to improvise according to circumstances.
5. René recently went to Murcia, Spain, where he practiced for four months alongside a Spanish chef. He was invited to stay there, but his loyalty and respect for Mike Pohl, the owner of Hacienda Alemana, was stronger.
6. With visible emotion, René comments that one of his most recent satisfactions was the preparation of a menu and the offering of a dinner for a German painter held at the Teatro Degollado in Guadalajara. “We were called by the embassy to prepare this menu.”
7. Although he hasn’t visited Germany, René easily prepares the most popular German dishes, such as schnitzel (breaded steak), bratwurst (sausages), sauerbraten (beef cooked in red wine), sauerkraut (pickled cabbage) and the famous apfelstrudel (apple strudel).
8. Oktoberfest, a traditional beer festival, will be held the second weekend in November. At Hacienda Alemana, René and his team will offer a buffet of 12 salads and 12 different dishes, which include the most typical German kitchen dishes and beer, lots of German draft beer.
Hacienda Alemana, Basilio Badillo 378. Mon-Sun 11:30am-11:00pm. Tel.(322) 222-2071. Payment: cash, MC, Visa, AE.
By Rodrigo López Becerril
edited by admin on 10/30/2008
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