Michelin star chef 'bringing the spiciness of Mexico to Barcelona'

After the closure of his first restaurant Punto MX in 2020 in Madrid, Roberto Ruiz brings the flavor of Mexican cuisine to Barcelona with Jaiba MX.  

Roberto Ruiz is the first Mexican chef to win a Michelin star in Europe, and he has chosen Barcelona as his next culinary venture on this continent: Jaiba MX, located inside the hotel NH Collection Constanza, near L’Illa Diagonal. 

Ruiz told Catalan News that Jaiba MX is an extension of the Pacific coast Mexican food which started with his restaurant Barracuda MX, located in Madrid. "The main claim of our restaurants is 'we bring a spicy taste to Spain,' in this case we are trying to bring the spiciness of Mexico to Barcelona."  

"Jaiba MX is a cousin of Barracuda MX, which is the restaurant where I started to explore the food of Mexico's Pacific coast," Ruiz told this media outlet. "The big difference between Jaiba MX and its cousin Barracuda MX is that we try to take advantage of local produce to make our food. Both restaurants have the same kind of food, but they are not the same."  

Barracuda MX was the first restaurant Ruiz opened after the pandemic, which Ruiz used to explore different styles of Mexican food, ultimately leading to the creation of Jaiba MX.  

The opening of Barracuda MX came with the growing popularity of Mexican food. 

"We wanted to do something different after the pandemic. That's how we came up with the idea of exploring the food of Mexico's Pacific coast," Ruiz said. "When we opened Barracuda MX the Pacific coast cuisine wasn't well known, now there are more of those restaurants opened, including Jaiba MX which is an extension of what we have learned." 

Roberto started his journey as a chef in Spain in 2005 when he was invited by Plácido Arango Arias, founder of the company behind VIPS restaurants and the former president of Madrid's Prado Museum, to cook Mexican food for three months. At that time, the VIPS group owned 700 restaurants across Spain, Portugal and France. 

The initial visit to Spain was only for three months, but Roberto's cooking skills led to a longer stay. "They liked what I did, and I got a longer stay in Spain, and those three months turned into 20 years here," Ruiz told Catalan News.  

After that experience, Roberto started his restaurant Punto MX in Madrid to bring the real flavor of Mexican food, amid the challenge of the post-2008 economic crisis.  

Despite the crisis, Ruiz said he didn't want to wait to open his Mexican restaurant, "In Mexico we don't wait for things be resolved. I wanted to face the challenge." 

Punto MX opened for the first time in the summer of 2012.  

"When I started Punto MX, I knew I couldn't make traditional Mexican food because there are a lot of ingredients we don't have in Spain. Instead of adapting the food, we use the local products to our advantage to make the food taste like Mexico," Ruiz said. "I also tried to increase the quality of products. For example, instead of shrimp I would use carabineros, or instead of Oaxaca cheese I would use Arzua cheese. All these were similar ingredients but increasing the quality of the food." 

Punto MX brought a first Michelin star for Ruiz, making him the first Mexican to win a Michelin star in Europe.  

Ruiz told Catalan News it was an unexpected award, "We weren't looking for the first Michelin star at all, but we were so happy when we got it. We are not looking for the second one at all, but I won't say no if it comes!" 

Despite the success of Punto MX, it ended up closing for multiple issues including the pandemic. Ruiz is still happy with the work he did in his first restaurant. 

"It was hard to close down Punto MX, but it was also the best decision. We were having a lot of issues not only with the pandemic, but also partners and instead of suffering, I decided to close it," Ruiz said. "I already had other restaurants and projects in mind, so I held onto those, and I am happy." 

The chef born in Mexico City currently is focused on his three restaurants, Jaiba MX, located in Barcelona, and Barrancuda MX and Can Chan Chán, both located in Madrid.