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My mother is the best cook in the world: Juan Flores

Kitchen is Juan Flores' favourite place, but not on off days. Happily married and dad to five children, all boys, when not cooking, he enjoys visiting new restaurants and experimenting with different cuisines.

What are your earliest childhood kitchen memories?
My mother is my cooking inspiration. She was always in the kitchen and filled my childhood with love for food. After school, I was offered a chance to train in a local kitchen in Guerro, my hometown in Mexico. It was a massive opportunity for me.
What's your favourite dish?
Tamales, a traditional Mexican dish - in our home, we prepare it using a secret recipe, which has been passed down over generations.
What's the best aspect about your job?
Fortunately, my job and passion are the same. Just working with an amazing team and cooking authentic dishes with the best ingredients is reason enough to be happy.
Share a culinary skill that you've mastered.
Modifying classic Mexican techniques to suit contemporary taste buds, who otherwise, might not get to sample the unique aspects of Latin cuisine.
Do you refer to any cookbooks?
For classic Mexican cooking, it's Mauricio Velazquez de Leon. I don't read cookbooks, but I follow food trends set in the US by chefs like Rick Bayless and Richard Sandoval.
A dish on your wish list?
I'd love to visit Pujol, one of the few Michelin-starred restaurants in Mexico. The baby corn and mole dishes there are legendary. I'd love to try them, and the rest of the menu!
A food destination on your wish list?
China. I'd love to spend at least a month travelling from region to another, trying the different flavours and ingredients.

What has the UAE taught you about food and cooking?
Since I first moved to the UAE, the food scene has grown to an incredible level in terms of both diversity and standard. We now compete with some of the best cities in the world in terms of our restaurants and I think that the current appetite is a reflection of people being more food literate. With that come food trends such as the current craze for clean eating. Going ahead, the burgeoning appetites for a varied food scene offering cuisines from all over the world will make people more open to trying new things.    
Describe the behind-the-scenes of a restaurant kitchen?
Busy, hot, fast, fun, and vibrant.
If not a chef, what would you have been?
A farmer, like my father.
- As told to Purva Grover
purva@khaleejtimes.com