Four Seasons Punta Mita Partners with Celebrity Vegan Chef

Inspired by a commitment to fresh, local ingredients and a desire to cater to an array of healthy lifestyles, the resort is elevating its vegan dining with the addition of 25 new innovative, plant-based dishes designed by Durso, including appetizers, soups, salads, entrees and desserts.

“Through our partnership with the talented Leslie Durso we are setting a new standard in healthy resort dining with elevated vegan offerings across our entire restaurant portfolio,” said John O’Sullivan, General Manager, Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita. “Working alongside our team of chefs, Durso has created plant-based dishes that are both nourishing and delicious, infused with flavors and ingredients authentic to the paradise destination of Punta Mita.”

The locally-inspired vegan dishes created by Durso are available at the resort’s signature dining destinations, Aramara, Bahia by Richard Sandoval and Ketsi, and through in-room dining:

• Aramara: Featuring Asian influences blended with a taste of Mexico, new vegan dishes at Aramara include green coconut milk curry, stir fried quinoa with crispy tofu and sundried tomato sushi rolls; served daily for dinner.


• Bahia by Richard Sandoval: At the resort’s contemporary seafood-centric grill located on Las Cuevas beach, new inventive vegan dishes include confit cherry tomato with zucchini satay and eggplant cannelloni; served daily for dinner.


• Ketsi: Boasting breathtaking ocean views and modern décor, the resort’s casual all-day dining restaurant Ketsi will serve new plant-based additions such as crispy tofu tacos and portobello asado fajitas; served daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

“Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita is truly paradise so it was important to create dishes from locally sourced ingredients in a way that honors Mexican culture and also brings it into the plant-based world,” said Chef Leslie Durso. “I wanted to ensure the recipes would seamlessly align with the resort’s current offerings at each restaurant and worked closely with the wonderful team of chefs to create dishes that are tasty, healthy and familiar.”

A globally recognized chef and healthy living educator, Durso is known for creating cuisine that reflects a fresh plant-based movement and refuses to compromise style for sustainability. She has worked as a private chef for New York socialites, catered to the Hollywood elite and appeared on national television networks including Food Network and CBS. An avid world traveler, Durso has immersed herself in some of the most inspired kitchens in the world, from Thailand to Peru to Italy, and boasts a unique ability to create vegan dishes that are familiar, yet strikingly creative and different.

A leader in luxury wellness travel, Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita recently unveiled a multi-million dollar renovation, including a fully re-imagined Apuane Spa and new wellness and fitness programming. Notable additions to the resort’s wellness portfolio include myDNA Retreat, a revolutionary program offering individual wellness recommendations based on genetic testing, and new fitness classes include AquaForza – a functional and heart-pumping cardio and strength workout performed on a floating board in the water, and Anti-Gravity Fitness and Aerial Yoga – classes performed suspended in fitness hammocks that take guests through a series of yoga, Pilates and ballet positions.

For reservations, please contact your travel advisor, call the resort +52 (329) 291-6000 or visit www.fourseasons.com/puntamita.

Leslie's Cashew Queso from Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita

Ingredients, Serves 6

2 cups raw cashews
1 3/4 cup water
3 tbsp. nutritional yeast
1 tbsp. chili powder
1/8 tsp. cayenne
1 tbsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. sea salt
1/4 cup finely diced sweet onion
3 roma tomatoes, diced
1 jalapeño, deseeded and chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Method

Place the cashews in a bowl and cover with water. Let soak overnight. Drain and rinse the cashews and place in a blender along with the 1 3/4 cup water, nutritional yeast, chili powder, cayenne, smoked paprika, and sea salt. Blend until smooth. Set aside.

In a frying pan and heat on medium, sauté the onions until soft. Add the tomatoes and jalapeno. Reduce heat to low and add in the cilantro. Stir and serve warm. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips or for a true Punta Mita twist, plantain chips!