Gazing out from the airy glass-walled dining room at hotel and winery Encuentro Guadalupe, it is difficult to believe that winter has ever arrived in Baja. Sunshine is draped over Ensenada’s Valle de Guadalupe like a layer of chiffon, lending a soft golden cast to the wine country’s craggy hills and rambling vineyards. The only tell-tale signs that this normally verdant valley is dormant are the vines, themselves: gnarly and naked, and waiting for spring. In the meantime, all kinds of other things are blossoming and sprouting and they are all being harvested right now, for breakfast. Today, the morning meal is being prepared by a host of great cooks led by the renowned Chef Flor Franco, owner of Indulge Contemporary Catering based in San Diego, California, and special events chef for Encuentro Guadalupe.
From left to right: Tina Luu, Flor Franco, Kelly Funes, Marisela Magoni and Becky Kastelz.
Chef Franco is doing what she does best…using fresh, natural and regional ingredients to create deceptively simple and delicious plates. From Mexican papaya to locally harvested seaweed, to home-made granola and even rich tamales, today’s breakfast offers a palate of flavors assembled with artisanal sensibility and served in an eco-friendly environment that encourages sustainability at all levels.
With its own organic garden, Encuentro Guadalupe has fresh ingredients, even in winter.
Assistant winemaker Alejandro Ceceña pitches in, bringing Chef Franco fresh-picked broccoli.
Encuentro Guadalupe’s unique accommodations, winery and wines, and its organic garden and restaurant (Orígen), are all part of a whole concept that blends function and aesthetics into an appealingly ‘eco-friendly’ package — a place where nature and culture merge.
Accommodations at Encuentro Guadalupe are called ‘eco-lofts’.
Chef Franco’s focus on ‘slow food’ is a natural fit with the Encuentro vision; as she creates her breakfast dishes, it is clear that she is preserving and highlighting the character of the region through her specific choices for menu items. Along with farm-fresh scrambled eggs, unique salsas, and a melon platter, here are just a few dishes that highlighted this special breakfast feast!
Home-made granola
Seaweed salad (perhaps the most popular dish of the morning!)
Hand-made tamales came out of the pot steaming hot, and authentically smooth and rich.
Piquant pico de gallo gives a pop to scrambled eggs and toasted baguettes.
Oaxacan chocolate, Meyer lemons, coconut…the perfect culimination to breakfast.
Encuentro Guadalupe is located at kilometer 75 on Highway 3, Tecate-Ensenada. It is a remarkable place to stay, to dine, or simply to enjoy a glass of Encuentro wine and the spectacular view from the patio. Dinner reservations and information: +52 (646) 155-2775, or toll-free from the US, (800) 450-8701.
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