Holy mole: forget burritos and fajitas, Geno Bahena is reacquainting Americans with the culinary sensations of Mexican haute cuisine

Latino Leaders: The National Magazine of the Successful American Latino, Dec, 2002 by Anita Savio

This story starts with a little boy who would not eat his mother's dinner and ends--or rather brings us to the present--with the ruble of delights set by one of din newest apostles of Mexican haute cuisine. Generoso "Geno" Bahena. Chef extraordinaire and owner of acclaimed Windy City restaurants, Ixtapuzalco Chilpancingo; and Genero's, Bahena is starting to atract national attention for his unique interpretations of Mexico's contribution to the world of culinary culture. At Ixtapuzalco the special focus is on moles, a featured one for each day of the week, such as Wednesday's mole manchamanteles, served over slices of medium-rare duck breast, or Saturday's mole chichilo, a dark, red cinnamon mole, poured over a pair of grilled quail. At Chilpancingo, a more upscale dining experience, Bahena's signature creations reflect the regional variety of his homeland's culinary tradition, while Generoso', next door, is simpler and more affordable, featuring bocadillos, or small tastes, that invite diners to sample multiple dishes,

At Chilpancingo, diners can start with jalapeno peppers shafted with shredded pork served with black bean sauce; salted cod potato cakes covered with a salsa cruda of tomatillos and serrano chiles; or corn masa boats, with fillings such as fried plantain with ranch cheese or guacamole with onion and radish.

Entrees include what Bahena calls "the king of moles," an astounding 25-ingredient mote new over grilled chicken breast; salmon encacahuatado topped off with an amber colored peanut and guajillo chile sauce; or grilled duck breast set off by the slight fruitiness of an apricot mad red chile mole. Desserts include natilla clasica, a vanilla-cinnamon custard with a burnt sugar crust; buttery, crepes drizzled with cajeta (caramel made from goat's milk); and pecan bars drizzled with warm chocolate and served with vanilla ice cream nestled in a chocolate tulip shell cup. Finally, for those replete tummies that need a little help with their after dinner digestion, there is a show-stopping cafe Maya Xtabentun, flavored with Kahlua and D'aristi Xtabentun, a Mayan liqueur of honey, anisette, and rum. It is prepared at diners' tables, beginning with a glass containing sugar that's caramelized in flame, topped with coffee and a dollop of cocoa whipped cream. As a final touch, a warm ladle of the liqueur mix is ignited and drizzled, in a stream of blue flame, into the glass.

But as we said, this story starts with a little boy, and in the most unlikely of places for a future master chef: the macho world of the family's mountain ranch in the Mexican state of Guerrero. Bahena's family was quite well off, and the ranch was a large one. Bahena recalls there was a huge orchard and extensive fields with all kinds of tropical fruit and produce. "We had so much fruit, and I would stuff myself with mangos, plums, sugar cane. And when my mother called me to dinner, I wouldn't he hungry, and I wouldn't want to eat. But since I liked cooking, I would use the excuse that I didn't like what sire had made and wanted to make my own meal." Bahena's mother and grandmother would insist he eat what was on the table. But his father, wanting to teach him a lesson and show him how hard it was to cook for oneself, would say, "No, no, no. Let him make his oval food."

But that tactic backfired because, says Bahena, "I loved it."

Moles were an important part of the Bahena family diet, and he recalls that even as a child of seven, he would help his grandmother with them, preparing the chiles and running to the store for ingredients. And when he would accompany his father to the fields, he would make the tortillas, although "they looked more like gorditas because they wouldn't come out very thin."

When Bahena was a teenager, he started his first culinary venture. "I stole my mother's recipe for nata cake, made from the rich froth that collects on top of milk when it boils. I adapted the recipe and filled the cake with mango or pineapple, and it was an exquisite cake."

Bahena began selling his cakes, and for a good price--$25 or more. "I didn't have bases for the cakes; it would just be one layer directly on top of another. And before it was cut I would always be nervous and tense: "Is it going to fall?"

At the age of 15, while a sophomore in high school, Bahena had his first love affair. Thai turned out to be a pivotal point in his life. "She was 19, and I wasn't her first boyfriend, nor her last. Another boy stole her from me." Broken hearted, Bahena decided that he wanted to leave school and Mexico, and begged his father to help him. Although his father tried to keep him home with a promise to set iron up in the business he chose, he ultimately had to give in to the determined teenager, agreeing to send him to live with a cousin in Chicago.

Bahena, who speaks warmly of his dad as "my teacher, my father, my brother, my advisor in everything," also recalls the macho side of him. "He told me I was a sucker for letting someone else get my girl, and that's what really made me want to leave."