Juan Pablo Loza, Edgar Román, and Guillermo J. Gómez explored the versatility of this ingredient through dishes that brought together Mexican tradition, diverse techniques, and creativity.
A single ingredient can tell very different stories at the table. That was the premise behind Land of Lamb, a US Meat México initiative that brought together three restaurants in San José del Cabo from October 15 through 29 to showcase distinct interpretations of American lamb.
Señora Cocina Casa & Cantina, Don Sánchez, and Limo Heritage Kitchen each participated with three dishes designed to highlight the ingredient’s possibilities through their chefs’ techniques, ingredient choices, and culinary identities.
Señora Cocina Casa & Cantina: A Journey Through Mexican Flavors
Chef Juan Pablo Loza approached lamb through the lens of Mexican cuisine. His menu featured lamb carpaccio with tomatoes, agave nectar, and herbs; a seared lamb taco with bone marrow and tomatillo-mint salsa; and lamb chops served with a yellow mole enchilada.
The selection brought together fresh preparations, vibrant sauces, and deeper flavors, offering several ways to experience the featured ingredient.
Limo Heritage Kitchen: Embers, Ashes, and Intersecting Flavors
Lamb cooked over two wood fires was served with an epazote chochoyote—a traditional masa dumpling—potatoes, smoked tomatoes, and Mexican whiskey jus. Creole-style lamb chorizo came with eggplant hummus, sweet peppers, and date chimichurri. Completing the menu was an ash-pit-cooked lamb tamal accompanied by sweet potato, beans, onion, quelites, tomatillo, and curry k’ool sauce.
Don Sánchez: Tradition Reinterpreted
Chef Edgar Román brought three creations to the table at Don Sánchez, drawing on the diversity of Mexican cuisine: a lamb chop marinated in recado negro, served with epazote-infused wild mushroom butter and xnipec salsa; a black bean–filled memelita topped with grilled lamb and ancestral black mole; and a tortita ahogada filled with lamb barbacoa.Su propuesta conectó preparaciones e ingredientes tradicionales con diferentes texturas y técnicas, manteniendo al cordero como hilo conductor.
His menu connected traditional preparations and ingredients with varied textures and techniques, keeping lamb as the common thread.
One Ingredient, Distinct Expressions
Beyond its culinary versatility, Land of Lamb emphasized the origin, quality, and traceability of American lamb—attributes that Elena González Cárdenas, Foodservice Marketing Manager at USMEF México, highlighted as central to the initiative.
Through nine creations, this culinary journey brought together the perspectives of three San José del Cabo chefs, showing how a single ingredient can take on a distinct identity in each kitchen.
