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A Q&A with Val Cantu
Val Cantu, chef and owner of the two-star Michelin restaurant Californios, is coming to Blackberry Farm for a special food-focused event, The Stars Align! During this event, guests have the opportunity to experience his seasonal, regionally-authentic cuisine, rooted in his signature modern Mexican style. Before this event, we connected with Chef Cantu to chat about the ingredients he can’t live without, his go-to piece of advice to aspiring chefs and more!
What three ingredients can you not live without and why?
The first ingredient I could not live without would be nixtamalized corn, or as it is commonly known, masa. Masa is the foundation of our cuisine. It has so many different uses and can take on so many shapes and textures; there really is nothing better than a fresh tortilla.
Second, for me, would be a variety of salts. Our primary salt at Californios is a local sea salt that I feel like adds a terroir to our dishes. I also love a traditional Japanese seaweed salt called Amabito No Moshio, which we use in many of our sauces and stocks. And lastly, I love Fleur De Sel De Guerande. It is a chunky finishing salt that has a way of finding its way to your gums and under your tongue, and it seasons our dishes as it slowly dissolves.
The last ingredient that I could not live without is stock. We make a ton of stocks, jus and reductions, and all of them start with very clean, simple preparations. I could live on chicken stock seasoned with a little sea salt and tortilla on the side!
If I could have a fourth must-have ingredient, it would be dried chiles. With these ingredients, I could live happily forever on a deserted island.
What is your favorite piece of advice to give aspiring chefs?
The advice I gave to myself as an aspiring chef was, do not stop. I think that has been the one mantra that has led to our successes. Cooking is a very rigorous journey, and there are ups and downs. And whether you are successful or failing, it is important to never stop.
What do you think is the most underrated or underutilized spice?
I think the most underutilized spice might be saffron. Yes, it is great in rice, but it can be so much more than that. I love broths and sauces made with saffron, and you can almost always find it on our menu in some place.
What stands out as the best meal you’ve ever enjoyed?
On my last service as a stagiaire at Pujol in Mexico City, the chefs in the kitchen fired the entire menu for me, and the wine team poured the pairings for each course. I enjoyed it in a small corner in the kitchen. I could feel the emotion and generosity of the chefs that prepared the courses for me in the middle of a busy service. That hospitality, electricity and magic from the kitchen really meant something to me.
What do you hope to see change or evolve within the culinary industry in the next few years?
I hope to see more heritage cuisines being developed and chefs nurturing their own voices and identity. There is still so much room for more culture and identity in cuisine.
What is your favorite hobby or activity to do when you’re outside of the kitchen?
Outside of the kitchen, I love being with my kids. I love going to museums and trying to understand other disciplines.