The vibrant, beautiful culture of Mexico is one to be celebrated, which is exactly what JW Marriott Los Cabos’ highly anticipated Relish the Heritage festival does. This event features various live Latin music performances, wine tastings from the vineyards of Baja California and Coahuila, as well as excursions outside the resort to see sights such as El Arco, Lovers Beach, and wildlife. Every year, the festival highlights a part of Mexico, in 2025 JW Marriott choose their capital: Mexico City.
This celebration of culture extended seamlessly into the cuisine served. The way every drink and dish was carefully crafted shone through in this day-long experience. The culinary team at JW Marriott Los Cabos executed each meal uniquely while honoring traditional flavours and ingredients. One essential member of this effort, Executive Chef Pablo Hildebrando, shared some of his insight into the development of the meals served at the Relish the Heritage Festival.
Can you tell us about your early training and how it helped you develop your culinary philosophy?
“My culinary journey began with a solid academic foundation in culinary basics, which I strengthened by working in some of the most demanding restaurant and hotel kitchens in Mexico. From the very beginning, I was trained with deep respect for ingredients, discipline, and consistency. Working under chefs from diverse backgrounds taught me the importance of precision, but also how food can carry emotion and tell a story. These experiences shaped my philosophy: to cook with intention, always respecting both the product and the culture, while leaving space for creativity, evolution, humility, and the power of teamwork.”
How has your international experience impacted your work as a chef?
“Early in my career, I had the opportunity to train within Marriott Hotels, where the focus on international hospitality, global standards, and working with multicultural teams had a profound impact on the way I understand food and service. Throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate to collaborate with chefs and professionals from different nationalities and culinary backgrounds. This exposure to diverse cultures, work styles, and culinary philosophies has enriched both my technique and my leadership in the kitchen. I believe that a true global perspective is built not only by traveling but also by surrounding yourself with people who bring knowledge and experience from all over the world.”
How did this year’s theme of exploring the culture and flavors of Mexico City influence your menu and creative choices?
“Being originally from Mexico City, street food flavors have always been a part of my culinary identity. When this year’s theme—exploring the culture and flavors of CDMX—was presented, we found in El Santo José, our urban and street-style restaurant inspired by Lucha Libre, the perfect stage to bring this celebration to life during the Relish the Heritage festival. El Santo José was already a space dedicated to honoring Mexican street gastronomy, but for this project, we wanted to take the experience to another level. We conducted in-depth research and analysis of some of Mexico City’s most iconic culinary spots, like La Merced, Coyoacán, and the Historic Center, aiming to understand not just the recipes but also the social context, techniques, and stories behind each dish. The result was a menu that showcased the great classics of Mexico City street food, such as tacos de canasta, esquites, and other antojitos, all reinterpreted with a contemporary approach. To enhance the sensory and emotional experience, we created themed food stations inside the restaurant, inspired by iconic spaces like the Mexico City Metro, and incorporated visual and ambient elements like a candy cart, cotton candy stands, and urban-style graphics featuring Lucha Libre art. But the experience didn’t end at the restaurant. We wanted to surprise our guests from the moment they arrived at the hotel, so in their rooms, we presented them with a framed piece featuring a Mexico City lithograph made entirely of white chocolate. The idea was to break it open with a small spoon, revealing inside a combination of sweet flavors emblematic of Baja California Sur, such as mango, date, pitaya, and xoconostle. It was our way of connecting two worlds: Mexico City and our home, Los Cabos, blending flavors, textures, and emotions.”
How do you balance honoring tradition while adding your own culinary take on a dish?
“For me, tradition is a foundation—it’s where everything begins, not a limit. I start by deeply understanding the history and context of a dish: talking with my culinary team and engaging in creative brainstorming sessions where every idea is welcome and respected. We like to say: “Let’s go a little crazy with it”, and from there, we bring it to life.”
Tell me a bit about the team you worked with to bring these meals to life.
“Relish the Heritage is never possible without the incredible culinary team at JW Marriott Los Cabos. From line cooks and stewards to the service staff, everyone embraced the concept with passion, anticipation, and great enthusiasm year after year. It’s something we always look forward to with a lot of excitement. Creativity, emotion, and heart—those are always the three ingredients each person brings to the planning and execution of this wonderful annual event.”
Were there any specific dishes, ingredients, or flavors of Mexico City that you felt especially compelled to interpret?
“Absolutely. The true stars of the event were the suadero tacos, tacos de canasta, and a variety of classic street antojitos, all authentic symbols of Mexico City. From the start of the project, we knew these flavors had to take center stage on the menu. For the suadero, we used a slow-cooking method to achieve a rich, tender texture full of flavor, presenting it in a more contemporary style while keeping its essence intact. The tacos de canasta were another highlight: we prepared them in the traditional way but gave them a twist in presentation and plating. We even brought in a bicycle, just like the ones you see selling tacos de canasta in places like Alameda Central in CDMX.”
What do you hope guests took away from this culinary experience?
“More than simply enjoying a menu, we wanted to create a moment of emotional and cultural connection. It’s truly rewarding when an event brings together music, gastronomy, and—why not say it—friends, guests, media, and industry colleagues. The idea was always that, for those already familiar with Mexico City, this experience would help them recall those flavors, those streets, and those special moments, even from far away. And for guests who had never experienced CDMX—or didn’t know it well—we wanted this to be an open invitation and a glimpse into a city full of history, culture, and an unmatched culinary richness. Food has that incredible power to transport you, and our intention was that each bite would serve as a small journey to CDMX, full of flavor, tradition, and emotion.”
Now that the Relish the Heritage festival has concluded, what will you be working on next? Do you have any upcoming projects that you would like to share?
“Of course! From day one after this wonderful event ended, we immediately began working on the next edition of Relish the Heritage. The upcoming one is particularly special as it will be our tenth edition, a huge milestone and a very meaningful moment for the entire team. We want it to be even more enriching, emotional, and unforgettable. We’re also focusing on giving a more integral and immersive concept to our urban gastronomic space: El Santo José. The goal is to keep alive the kind of experience we created during this Relish edition, offering guests and visitors an authentic, flavorful, and culturally rich urban culinary experience year-round. Additionally, we continue to welcome all our hotel guests and local visitors at MarHumo, our restaurant in collaboration with one of Baja California’s most renowned culinary figures and Michelin-starred chef, Javier Plascencia. We will keep delivering culinary experiences that celebrate both the flavors of Baja and other regions of Mexico, always staying true to our commitment to creativity and hospitality.”
