Chilean-born Cristóbal Alexis first joined Awasi in 2016 when he formed part of Chef Federico Ziegler’s team in the Awasi Patagonia restaurant (Federico has since left Awasi to open his own restaurant in Santiago).
Then, in 2017, he headed to Northern Argentina for the opening of Awasi Iguazu, alongside Chef Aaron Castillo, who also previously worked at Awasi Patagonia and now heads up the Awasi Iguazu kitchen.
As well as being a talented pastry chef, Cristóbal is also a formidable photographer. Here are some of his images taken in and around Awasi Iguazu, our 14-room lodge nestled in the Atlantic Rainforest, 20-minutes from the famous Iguazu Falls. You can also see his work on his Instagram account @Subesbrot.
“Experiencing the Atlantic Rainforest was one of the best experiences I have ever had, both as a pastry chef and as a photographer. The colours and scents hugely influence us in the pastries and desserts we create, and as luck would have it there is a rich pool of incredible local ingredients that are very seldom used.”
Cream of maize, coriander, lime and orange with maize palomitas accompanied by lime, salt and cocoa.
“There is a huge variety of fruit and colours. For me, the most interesting was working with endemic ingredients like yacaratiá bark (it’s edible!), hibiscus flowers, kumquat, yerba mate and the huge range of mangos and papayas. Some of these are tastes you very much associate with the jungle; others are completely surprising.”
“As a lover of photography, Iguazu was an utterly gratifying destination. The pure exuberance of nature and amount of life everywhere you look is quite something – I can never stop looking for the next object to photograph.”
“The region of Misiones in general, and Iguazu in particular is a place filled with colours and sounds that will stay with me forever.”
