When Chef Eleazar Bonnilla set out to do The Chef?s Table tasting menu at La Zebra Tulum, he was determined to bring to its guest the joy of cooking he learned as a young child. Growing up in a large family in Querétaro, Mexico, he was surrounded by people who loved to cook. His father owned a tortilla shop and his mother and grandmother were excellent cooks, bringing traditional tastes, scents, and textures to the table every day.

Querétaro is one of the smallest states in all Mexico and the traditional food there reflects a mix of Mexican culture going back as far as the Chichimecas that inhabited this region with Spaniard influences. Some of the most famous local dishes are the traditional Queretaro enchiladas, the pambazos of Santiago de Querétaro, the corn gorditas of Colón, the barbecue of Cadereyta, the bocoles of Landa de Matamoros, all filled with rich flavors and colors and reminiscent of a forgotten love for aesthetically pleasing foods.
Food was not only something that brought his family together around the table, but it was deeply centered in tradition and a love story to Mexico itself. After he learned all there was to learn from his family, he set out to travel around Mexico and learn from trained regional chefs everything he could about various spices, textures, flavors and how to mix them to yield the most delicious Mexican foods. He wanted to be innovative and at the same time traditional in his approach to food.

Chef Eleazar was a natural talent in...