Interview
INTERVIEW
Rick Bayless
What was your motivation
to begin cooking?
Why did you gravitate towards
Mexican cuisine?
Of any Mexican dish, which one did you
find the most challenging to master?
You might say I was born to cook—I
grew up in my family’s barbecue
restaurant, so cooking, food and
restaurants have always been in
my blood. I studied linguistics very
seriously, but food and cooking had
a stronger grip on me, so I gave in.
I fell in love with Mexico the first time
I visited, when I was a kid. Everything
about it—the colors, the music,
the people, the food—infatuated
me, and I immediately wanted to
experience and learn more about the
country, the people and the cuisine.
That curiosity has never left me.
All of them, really. To master
something you have to cook it
again and again, and you really
have to pay attention, and listen
to the food. The food will start
talking to you, telling you when
to take it off the heat, or when to
flip it—when you can start hearing
40 Food Mexico and Me Special Edition 2015
www.mexico.is