Globetrotting chef makes San Miguel his new home
By Kathleen Mulligan June 20, 2008 San Miguel de Allende

In the distance, I see my long-time friend beckoning me to join him on the knoll overlooking the vineyard.

Like a matador, he’s unfurling a white cloth and laying it across a simple wooden table with such panache and flair that I find myself actually applauding his almost theatrical style. In that very moment it all comes back to me—this is what I want the people of San Miguel to know; this is the art and the passion that is Chef Juan José Gomez.

As newly appointed director of gastronomy of the Los Senderos project, Gomez is responsible for the development and operations of both El Bistro restaurant, opening sometime in early July, 2008, and of a diverse range of culinary and cultural offerings to be made available to the future visiting clients of the spa and film studio complex. One can add private catering to future residents, consulting with the owners of the vineyards and enology of the wines and overseeing the organic gardens and farmer’s market which will be open to the public. Seemingly a daunting level of responsibility, but one that this chef is quite accustomed to.

Prior to moving to San Miguel, Gomez enjoyed a very fast-paced and remarkable career. He spent the past four years as director of gastronomy for the Plácido Domingo Restaurant Group in Mexico. He collaborated on the concepts and oversaw the openings of several multimillion dollar projects. But when the Plácido Domingo management team decided they wanted Gomez to open their newest signature facility in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, this multitalented and energetic chef said, “Thank you, but no thank you.” In coming to that decision, Gomez had realized that what he truly wanted was to finally put down roots and to create a “signature” of his own.

I met and worked with this young man years ago when I first moved to Baja California Norte from my home in the Northern California wine country. I had moved to Ensenada and opened a culinary tour company that hosted both culinary professionals and recreational food and wine enthusiasts who wanted to explore the newly emerging wine region that was being touted as the “Napa Valley of Mexico.” 

I’d heard a lot of buzz about Juan José, had eaten at Baja Norte’s favorite restaurant, Punta Morro, where he was executive chef, but I had not yet had the pleasure of meeting him. One Saturday, while enjoying a casual wine-country afternoon in the beautiful Valle de Guadalupe, we were finally introduced. He and several of his friends from neighboring wineries went racing by—quite literally—astride the backs of some of the ranch’s more cooperative ostriches…a local sport and pastime I had not previously experienced. Admittedly, this was not quite what I had expected given the very high-end ambience of the chef’s popular restaurant.

But, this is what I’ve come to admire about Juan José and I sense that it is precisely this delightful and unexpected abandon, flexibility and multiplicity of talents combined with his impeccable professionalism that will make Juan José and Los Senderos an absolutely perfect match. This chef is equally at home racing ostriches through the vineyards, working behind his stove, or tending his organic garden as he is standing in his starched white chef’s coat orchestrating the hum of a multimillion dollar inaugural event for an elite crowd of 500.

El Bistro will become a place where people will gather to enjoy this chef’s world class, yet completely unpretentious food in the relaxing, natural setting that makes Los Senderos unlike anything in San Miguel. Enjoy a languid afternoon of bocce, “watch the carrots grow” in the adjacent organic garden, challenge a friend to a game of backgammon or chess or listen to an impromptu jam session with local and celebrity musicians from time to time.

I, for one, can hardly wait to once again enjoy those casual wine-country afternoons right here in San Miguel. See you on the bocce courts. Until then, buen provecho.

Kathleen Mulligan is originally from Napa Valley, California and is the founder of Epicurean Escapes.

House & Garden Tour
By Jennifer Hamilton

House & Garden Tour
Sun, June 22, noon
Biblioteca Pública
Insurgentes 25
US$15 or 150 pesos
Breakfast at Café Santa Ana starting at 9am

Fun & whimsical, Raku torsos, Yemeni wedding necklace


1. After living in Hawaii, this multitalented artist saw the possibilities of a dilapidated house in a very Mexican neighborhood and turned it into a colorful and inviting home. Colorful walls abound, blending effortlessly into each other from room to room, filled with beautiful artwork, Mexican folk art and delightful objets d’art, giving the entire home a fun, whimsical feel. A charming back patio/garden was created with high walls, steppingstones, abundant vibrant plants and a cemento pulido bar. The upstairs was opened up into one large bedroom with its own patio overlooking the garden and another terrace on the opposite side.



2. One of San Miguel’s hidden surprises is concealed behind a century-old mesquite door on a quiet, narrow callejon just a few steps from the Jardín. This home is filled with eclectic furnishings and artwork. The exceptional paintings and all of the outstanding photographs are the owners’ handiwork. The intimate rooms easily accommodate a diverse collection of art, antiques, glassware and silver. Soft colors are used on the walls, furnishings and carpets. The cantera columned living and dining areas with their eye-catching collection of etchings and lithographs by Amado Peña flow smoothly out into a comfortable outdoor sala and lushly planted stone patio surrounding a custom fountain. Special touches include a unique back wall with a circa 1840 mesquite door and a turn-of-the-century cantera frame. The owners commissioned artist Leslie Bergeron to create the Raku torsos in staircase niches. The master bedroom contains multicolored columns supporting the fireplace and a papel amate design framed over the bed.  The rooftop offers a 360° view overlooking San Miguel including the back of Las Monjas. The rooftop has colorful plantings and flowers, and a de rigueur indoor/outdoor entertainment area with barbecue, refrigerator and wet bar.



3. This home in the Ojo de Agua neighborhood lies on a tiny cul-de-sac. Built on several levels, the house reflects the owners’ countless travels and their love of handcrafted items. The entry houses a beautiful doll from Indonesia and a hand painted cloth from Zimbabwe. The guest bedroom features colorful Suzani curtains from Uzbekistan. The roof garden’s Arab-style entertainment room contains a dramatic glass table covered in old Bedouin jewelry and daggers. A statue over the fireplace wears a Yemeni wedding necklace. The rooftop terrace is a serene area to enjoy San Miguel sunsets and appreciate the view over the town and its church domes. The master bedroom is decorated with an antique door found in Saudi Arabia and stained with natural pigments of henna and charcoal. Stone sculptures from Zimbabwe are placed on countertops, nichos and on cantera stands. An eminent potter from Jordan created most of the clay pots seen in the living room, which also contains a superb table from India made from an old door covered in carvings from the Koran. An old Omani chest serves as a side table and the cantera fireplace was made and carved locally to give the appearance of being centuries old. The dining room contains an Indonesian Ikat weaving, as well as a mirror (which was originally an old Indian window) that reflects the cantera stone fountain in the adjoining atrium.