Puerto Rico Takes Over NYC with Chefs Xavier Pacheco and Camille Becerra

Puerto Rico Meets NYC (the latest food festival in the Meets NYC franchise) is fast approaching, and with a multi-platform lineup that includes dinners pairing well-known Puerto Rican chefs with local culinary rock stars, it’s no wonder tickets are selling fast. (Two of the 5-day festival’s dinners are already sold out.)

Among the most exciting combinations is that of Chefs Xavier Pacheco and Camille Becerra, and not just because Becerra is the only female chef on the roster (though that’s a part of it). The pair share Puerto Rican roots and a passion for respecting the sources of their menus’ ingredients: Becerra, Exec Chef at Soho’s Navy, works closely with the Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op to source her produce; and Pacheco, journalism student turned chef/owner of popular San Juan eatery La Jaquita Baya, scours Puerto Rico for the freshest locally grown goods.

Their mutual passion will be on display Thursday, October 1, when they join forces in serving a menu that brings together modern and traditional Puerto Rican techniques and ingredients.

We spoke to the chefs about their PRMNYC partnership, what inspires their cooking, and where they’ll be eating in New York after the festival. Here’s what they had to say. [pagebreak]

The Latin Kitchen: Had the two of you met before? What were each of your first impressions of the other, whether cooking style or personality?

Camille Becerra: No, we had never met before. I’ve heard only great things about Xavier’s food from my foodie friends that have traveled recently to Puerto Rico.

Xavier Pacheco: We had never met before. I like Chef Camille’s simplicity and freshness in her work, and how she is inspired by a good seasonal product.

TLK: Camille, what is your connection to Puerto Rican food? 

CB: My mother’s Puerto Rican so I grew up eating Puerto Rican food every single day. I also traveled to Puerto Rico every summer while I was growing up. I’m very connected with Puerto Rican cuisine; it’s the cuisine of my childhood. [pagebreak]

TLK: As co-creators of your dinner’s six courses, what was your inspiration and process for developing the menu?

XP: Seasonal products with Puerto Rican interpretation.

CB: I submitted my ideas and he will do the same, and together we’ll sort it out and make a complete dining menu and experience.

TLK: Camille, you make the crackers that accompany your sardines at Navy in house. Will you be doing anything similar for your dinner?

CB: I don’t think so. I would really like to go to my Puerto Rican roots and do things that have been close to me throughout the years, the foods from my childhood.

TLK: What can we look forward to enjoying at your dinner in terms of food, drink, and atmosphere?

CB: My hopes are that people that come to the dinner will experience a modern take on Puerto Rican food and culture.

XP: Excellent food, nice pairings, and a good vibe in one of NYC’s hot spots. [pagebreak]

TLK: Camille, you trained under a macrobiotic chef. How did that inform your cooking?

CB: Learning macrobiotic cuisine and other cuisines that are meant to nourish the body has definitely influenced the way I cook. It also influenced my personal culinary style, my lifestyle, and the way I like to eat.

TLK: Xavier, are you spending any time in New York after the event? If yes, anything special you’re looking forward to trying?

XP: I will stay for a couple of days. I love NYC’s gastronomic scene. I’m looking forward to visiting Brooklyn’s new spots.