Fig Leaf Pumpkins in Homemade Mole Sauce – Chef's Pencil

Vallejo studied Culinary Arts and Administration at the Centro Culinario de México (Ambrosia). In 2004 he sailed with Princess Cruises and worked on voyages around the world. Back on land in Mexico he joined the team at Pujol and subsequently served as Corporate Chef at Grupo Habita overseeing the kitchens of the Hotel Condesa DF Hotel Habita and Hotel Distrito Capital. In 2010 he became Executive Chef at Restaurante Diana at the St. Regis Hotel in Mexico City a position he left for a stint at René Redzepi's renowned restaurant Noma in Copenhagen. Vallejo and his wife Alejandra Flores opened the restaurant Quintonil in 2012. In 2014 Vallejo together with chefs Mauro Colagreco (Mirazur; Menton France) and Virgilio Martínez (Restaurante Central Lima) launched the Orígenes initiative to rediscover and preserve culinary products techniques and customs that survive in small Latin American communities. Since then the chefs have traveled to small towns across the Americas to investigate customs and share experiences and teachings with locals. In 2016 chef Jorge Vallejo designed the culinary offering of Hotel Chablé in Yucatan which he based on organic and seasonal dishes. In September 2017 chef Vallejo created a menu for the restaurant Hangar 7 in Salzburg Austria which was served throughout the month. Vallejo has received numerous awards and recognitions. He was named one of the world's "Rising Stars" (FOUR Magazine 2014); Chef of the Year (GQ Hombres del Año awards 2015) and received the Premio Millesime México al Mejor Restaurante in 2015. The magazine Quién included him in the list of personalities transforming Mexico (2015). In 2016 he was added to the list of Mexico's 300 most influential leaders.