The Spanish Chef

We had heard the rumor a few times before we got to Salento, Colombia.  "World class chef", "Michelin rated".  Sure, Elisabeth and I thought.  We will judge for ourselves when we get there.

Supposedly an iconic Spanish chef was staying at a hostel in Salento and preparing exquisite dishes for the backpackers that made their way through the town.  It sounded a little too good to be true, but when you are traveling you sometimes go down rabbit holes like this just to see what is at the bottom of it all.  We arrived in town at about 1:00 pm on Monday (September 20th).  After dropping off our bags and relaxing for a bit we decided to hike out to the hostel where the chef was staying, La Serrana Eco Farm, and discover for ourselves what the deal was.  The walk was only about 20 minutes, but in that time it turned from bright blue skies, to a torrential downpour.  By the time we got to the hostel we were completely soaked.

As we stumbled in the hostel there were two men sitting on a bench, chain smoking cigarettes, and chatting in Spanish.  Being the gringo I am, I muttered (in English, obviously) "we heard there is an amazing chef here, do you know anything about it".  Long story short, we were talking to the chef, and yes every evening he prepared a 10 course meal for anyone who had signed up by 4:00pm.  We had just missed the deadline for tonight, and in fact he hadn't met the 6 person minimum to do the meal, but we promptly signed up for the next nights meal.

Chef Joseph, Elisabeth and our new friend Sarah.

While we were signing up, we heard the story of the chef, Joseph.  Joseph was born in Barcelona and grew up around food his whole life.  He is the nephew of Ferran Aadria, head chef of the world's #1 restaurant, and his whole family is enamored with cooking.  Joseph started cooking at high end restaurants at a young age, but soon discovered that life wasn't for him.  He started traveling and cooking for backpackers about 16 years ago and hasn't stopped since. He prepares local, organic food that reflects the area he currently resides in.  He has been in Salento for about 1 year, and nearly every night he prepares a 10 course meal for 14,000 Pesos (8 US Dollars).

Yucca and carrot stew, served in half a gourd.

When we returned the next night a feast awaited us.  The cutlery was mis mashed, the plates were reused for every course, but the food was great!
Dish #1: korean noodles (homemade) with local spices and a citrus sauce.
Dish #2: pineapple/papaya/fresh cheese with a pineapple glaze.
Dish #3: beef tartar.
Dish #4: local yellow potato, stuffed with celery/peppers/onion/garlic with a sauce made from the potato water and a special seaweed used for thickening.
Dish #5: yucca and carrot stew.
Dish #6: green beans with seaweed gravy.
Dish #7: corn soup.
Dish #8: (wine kicks in, can't remember and no photographic evidence, likely delicious though).
Dish #9: a meatball served on a potato with gravy (the main course).
Dish #10: stewed tree tomato with a sauce made from coffee beans and local fruit.

Dish #2, the pineapple/papaya/cheese combination.

We of course returned for a second night, which was equally as good.  It is worth noting that Joseph had somewhat of a mixed reputation, our hostel owner (who we REALLY liked) described him as a liar and a cocaine addict.   That being said, regardless of what half truths he told us, the meals really were exquisite!

The menu from night #2.