Hacienda AltaGracia in Costa Rica Offers Once-In-A-Lifetime Culinary Experience

Hacienda AltaGracia in Costa Rica Offers Once-In-A-Lifetime Culinary Experience

Hacienda AltaGracia, Auberge Resorts Collection, the brand’s picturesque Central American property centered around a holistic way of life, has partnered with acclaimed Mexico City-based restaurant group, Masala y Maiz, for a collaborative culinary experience this July 2-5, 2023. Drawing from the bounty of Costa Rica, the chef-led series brings local Latin ingredients and indigenous storytelling to Hacienda AltaGracia through the global and creative lens of husband-and-wife chef team, Norma Listman and Saqib Keval. Arno Janse van Rensburg and Liezl Odendaal, the resort’s executive chefs and husband-and-wife duo, will collaborate with Listman and Keval to curate a weekend of dinners, educational workshops and bespoke menus that highlight the intersection of tastes and aesthetics of both celebrated culinary destinations. The exclusive collaboration will celebrate the bounty found in the Talamanca foothills while providing epicurean enthusiasts and novices alike with a rare opportunity to indulge in transformative dining experiences and world-class cuisine.

“Hacienda AltaGracia is an ever-evolving culinary destination in Costa Rica and this new series offers epicureans and travelers an unrivaled experience that has not yet been executed,” says Mark Wright, general manager, Hacienda AltaGracia, Auberge Resorts Collection. “This chef series is truly about experimenting with the beautiful ingredients native to our region and presenting them with a fusion of culture and with the true collaboration between our executive chefs,  Arno Janse van Rensburg and Liezl Odendaal, and visiting chefs Norma Listman and Saqib Keval.”

Located in Mexico City, Masala y Maiz is known for exploring the migration of ingredients, culinary techniques, cultural food ways and political movements between South Asia, East Africa and Mexico. Chef-Owners Norma Listman and Saqib Keval dreamed of Masala y Maiz as a restaurant like few others. The couple found similarities among these food cultures and combined the Mexican and Indian cuisines of their families to create an exploration of mestizaje, the cultural blending that resulted from shared histories of trade, migration and colonization, through inventive foods. Masala y Maiz opened in 2019 as an independent restaurant, but has now grown to become a restaurant group in Mexico City that includes two restaurants, a worker-owned cooperative grocery store, a chef and artist residency program and a cooperative natural wine project.

The events will begin with El Cultivo Edible Garden Dinner, a chef-led experience celebrating indigenous Costa Rican life through four unique courses crafted by Masala y Maiz. Their distinctive approach translates seamlessly into a seafood-forward menu, blending Mexican flavors and East-Asian techniques with seasonal Costa Rican ingredients. The celebrations continue the following day as guests are invited to discover The Art of… Tamales. The engaging workshop will be led by the Masala y Maiz team and will include lunch served al fresco. Attendees will learn the history of masa, taste a variety of local flavors and develop the perfect tamale, infused with seasonal, Latin American zest and hand-picked herbs from the resort’s organic garden. On the final day, the resort will host Around the Table with AltaGracia: Masala y Maiz x Grano, a three-course dining experience curated between Norma and Saqib of Masala y Maiz and the resort’s executive chefs, Arno and Liezl at the resort’s signature restaurant, Grano.

Hacienda AltaGracia, Auberge Resorts Collection will welcome chef-duo Norma Listman and Saqib Keval from July 2-5, 2023. For more information or to book a stay, please visit aubergeresorts.com/altagracia.