Amner Castellanos: Culinary Innovation at Haven Riviera Cancún

Haven Riviera Cancun opened its doors in 2018, seeking to establish itself from the very beginning as a master of haute cuisine in the Riviera Maya. Envisaged as an adults-only luxury resort, guaranteeing complete relaxation, Haven houses four specialty restaurants and seven unique bars. In May of this year, chef Amner Castellanos rejoined the Haven Riviera Cancun staff as Executive Chef, ready to respond to the resort's new management and the goal of catapulting Haven to the forefront of culinary excellence in the region.

MEET THE CHEF

“My name is Amner Castellanos. I was part of the Haven Riviera Cancun family since the project’s beginning. I’ve had the honor in being involved in the gastronomic concepts for all our restaurants,? and I’ve worked in luxury hotels for more than 10 years. In 2020, I took a break from my career at Haven Riviera Cancun to pursue a project in Mexico City during which I continued to develop my passion and talent for creating luxury restaurants.

While I value talent and creativity, what truly motivates me is being part of a hospitality culture that always strives to go the extra mile. I believe that to achieve great goals you have to sacrifice great things and have complete faith in your capabilities.

Now that I’ve returned to the resort, one of my main goals is to bring the individual personalities of each of our restaurants to the foreground.

Satsu is where I believe my essence most resonates. I’m very proud of my Mexican roots, but I have always identified with Japan and its gastronomic culture. I find the treatment given to each ingredient, and the respect that the Itamaes show to each element of the dish, captivating, whether it be vegetable or protein-based. This treatment reflects our dining philosophy at Haven. We believe that giving that value to each ingredient is the best way to create dishes that guarantee expressive flavor; the kind of dishes that make guests say, “This is amazing!”

Satsu, in Japanese, means seal and this is what our guests are given… a gastronomic experience that will stay with them forever. Inspired by an Izakaya concept, all dishes are served family-style, served at the same time and placed in the middle of the table. We delight guests with authentic Japanese flavors, some prepared on a robata, a traditional Japanese grill. In fact, Haven was one of the first resorts in the region to install a robata.

Satsu also stands out for its exquisite sushi bar, offering the freshest seafood ingredients of the season and the Hibachi table; our innovative linear teppanyaki. No other resort in the region prepares and serves its teppanyaki like we do. Unlike the typical horseshoe-style design, our teppanyaki is linear, offering a more organic and authentic experience and one that’s become a real favorite among many of our guests.

Agua Bendita

is a SteakHouse-Mexican-fusion concept. Guests at Haven can enjoy a selection of premium cuts, all Certified Angus, and even delight in the intense flavor of meat that has been aging for 30 days. A factor that characterizes our hotel is the level of technology and equipment that we have in our kitchens. Agua Bendita houses a Josper oven; an elegant combination between oven and grill that means we can reach temperatures of 300°C in seconds, brining out the very best of the flavors, textures, and properties of each cut.

Flavours

is our international buffet restaurant in which we seek to create the experience of a traditional market: face-to-face service and detailed explanations about each dish as you browse through the offer. The cuisine is highly varied and undoubtedly on a par with our specialty restaurants. A common mistake is to downplay the buffet experience, but I believe it’s where we should inject our most impressive display of gastronomic skill.

Flavours Marketplace offers fresh fish grilled to order, tacos of every kind, fresh salads and home-baked breads. Also, we love bringing initiatives to Flavours that take our guests’ expectations of the regular buffet to another level. For breakfast this month, we’re inaugurating a mobile station, the Croissant Bar, where you can savor a delicious croissant that has been resting for more than eight hours and is baked at the moment. Made using Anchor butter, it arrives to your table with the filling of your choice—hazelnut spread, peanut butter, cheese, crispy bacon or organic honey, taken directly from the natural honeycomb that we have at Flavours.

Lunchtime is no exception, thanks to our excellently equipped kitchen, where we house another Josper oven alongside a wood-fired oven. We’ve had fun making Italian calzones, Chicago-style deep-dish pizza, Argentine empanadas and our innovative "Pizza Burger": an almost 10-pound hamburger that we surprised our guests with on one occasion.

Olios is our crown jewel and our signature restaurant. Here you can discover southern Mediterranean dishes with gastronomic twists from other regions of the world, that delight the senses and surprise even the most well-traveled guest. The entire atmosphere at Olios is designed to immerse guests in a fine dining experience, with an open kitchen that treats guests to an unmissable cooking experience watching your dish be prepared.

My inspiration for the style that we seek to follow in Olios comes from my experience as Head Chef in San Sebastián, Spain, under the tutelage of Martin Berasategui, one of the world’s most prestigious, 3-Michelin-Star chefs.

Vora Mar is the only restaurant at Haven that has readapted its original concept to better meet the needs of our guests. Today, as an Italian trattoria, we have perfected Italian classics and Italian specialty cuisine. In the coming months, we’ll be introducing a number of contemporary touches to our dishes, making use of all the technology we have at the resort to innovate this restaurant’s menu.

Vistas is the an exclusive restaurant for our Serenity Club guests only. Here we serve both breakfast and lunch with an international à la carte menu. From eggs benedict to avocado toast, to freshly grilled seafood and your favorite hamburger, dishes are made to order. All share the spotlight with options that range from lobster paella or beef carpaccio, to classic tacos or mango and shrimp salads.

The freshness of its menu and its privileged location within the resort – overlooking Haven's flagship circular pool – come together to create a differentiating value proposition for Serenity Club guests.

Mokaccino is the cherry on the cake. We’re very proud of the level of fine pastries that we currently offer in our coffeeshop. If you're looking for something sweet, you can indulge in a gold foil dessert, or if you just want to stop for a quick bite, our home-baked bread roll sandwiches will steal your heart.

As Head Chef, my goal is to position Haven Riviera Cancun as a leading hotel in the region for gastronomic experience. Our signature cuisine will act like a compass. Together with my team, we are focused on ensuring that the essence of our culinary proposal influences all of our restaurants and concentrates in full potential in stellar gastronomic experiences, such as "The Chef's Table" at Olios. Indeed, with seasonal products and a tasting menu that rotates every six months - this season’s protagonists are king crab, a type of crab from Alaska, and New Zealand lamb - The Chef’s Table is the pinnacle of our signature cuisine. We use micro greens to create powerful flavors and Sous Vide - a high vacuum cooking style - to retain all the properties and flavors of each dish we serve. The special offer at The Chef’s Table is made possible thanks to the high quality technology and cooking equipment available.

We’re in the process of creating a second culinary experience - this time in Satsu - similar in nature to The Chef’s Table and inspired by the term Omakase, meaning “in the chef’s hands”.?

For guests with very specific dietary needs, whether due to lifestyle, religion, or allergies, we take our role seriously, giving guests dishes that fascinate: a flourless cake unlike any other, a 100% vegan hamburger with melted cheese that makes even meat lovers drool, respectfully embraced Kosher and Halal options when guests require them… everyone can enjoy haute cuisine at Haven Riviera Cancun.

I’m excited about taking on this challenge, especially as I know I have a great team to support me. I have absolute confidence in the entire kitchen team, including my Sous Chefs: Jorge Pool - recognized as one of the top 10 pastry chefs in Cancun and Riviera Maya and with whom I worked alongside previously here at Haven - and Brandon Márquez - whose experience as executive chef in a number of nationally recognized chain restaurants will be crucial for this new stage.

What I enjoy most about working at Haven is the freedom I have. My vision of taking Haven to the #1 gastronomy spot is a dream shared with the hotel’s management. It’s for this reason that I feel free in all areas to express and explore my creativity’s full potential. I feel deeply grateful for the opportunity to live out my professional dream at this resort.

The best is yet to come, great challenges lie ahead, and I am committed to giving our guests the very best that I have to give.