Typically actor pals Diego Luna (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” “Narcos” ) and Gael García Bernal (“Coco,” “Mozart in the Jungle”) star in Hollywood movies and popular TV shows. But as their next project the two Mexican superstars have chosen a serious reality show for their production company, La Corriente del Golfo, in collaboration with Amazon Prime Video.
In seven episodes of “Pan y Circo” (“Bread & Circus”), Luna hosts discussions with politicians, activists, musicians and other personalities on topics ranging from immigration to gender violence and the climate crisis. He sets the scene at informal dinners for what Americans call kitchen table issues, known to Spanish speakers as sobremesa, conversations that occur after dinner.
Guests on episode 3 include Nobel Peace Prize winner Juan Manuel Santos, former president of Colombia, and activist Zara Snapp. Luna brings in formidable chefs to provide feasts and that’s how Enrique Olvera was called to the kitchen for the first episode, a discussion of whether certain drugs should be legalized, that begins streaming on Friday, Aug. 7. Olvera, chef-owner of Mexico City’s Pujol, ranked No. 12 on William Reed Business Media’s The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list for 2019, pulled out all the stops with dishes such as sweet potatoes, handmade tortillas and a spicy mole made with ants.
Olvera, who will bring restaurant concepts, Damian and Ditroit, to downtown LA, told us about how he got involved, why he wanted to participate and what’s in store for Angelenos at his new restaurant.
Q: So Gael García, Bernal, and Diego Luna — these are like the two “It” guys in Mexican cinema. Where did you meet?
A: I met Diego as a customer frequenting the restaurant for the past few years. Also, his children and my children are in the same school, so we see each other every now and then. Obviously I’m aware of their work big time. Not only their professional work, but also the philanthropy they’re involved in, I remember specifically after the earthquake in Mexico a couple of years ago they used their voices to help other people. So that’s why I like working with them.
Q: Why did you want to appear on the show?
A: I think on TV there needs to be more of this everywhere in the world, but specifically in Mexico where the press is sometimes more officialistic. I think that it’s important for us to have conversations that might feel uncomfortable, but they’re really important to have as a society.
Q: Do you like talking politics?
A: Yes. I’ve always kept myself informed. And even though I’m not affiliated with any party, I do have my political views on different subjects. I tend to be more liberal than more to the left. But I also understand that in politics, every opinion is important.
Q: You’re from Mexico City, but you lived in the U.S. when you attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. So you know all about us. Do you think the show will appeal to Americans?
A: I think so.These conversations are universal. A lot of people are talking about these subjects everywhere. It feels like a point in history that’s the start of a change in our society. We need to have these conversations if we want to rebuild our system and make it a better community for everyone.
Q: You’re maybe the most famous chef in Mexico. Did it feel odd that you were not part of the conversation during dinner?
A: No. I’ve always loved entertaining people. I started as a cook precisely because I love being in the kitchen, my personality is more of an introvert. I really enjoy the ambiance in the kitchen and I really like to see how people enjoy my food. I think it’s part of what I do. So, I don’t see it as servitude. I see it as an act of generosity and caring.
Q: How did you choose the menu? I think you said the recipes were more like you would have at home than in a restaurant, maybe more like your cookbook, “Tu Casa, Mi Casa?”
A: The idea was not to impress anyone with something fancy but do something that you would do at home, something that you can spend the morning cooking, but you don’t need a few days getting elaborate.
Q: Give me an example from the menu.
A: The roasted sweet potato is something that we eat a lot of home. I think most people don’t see that as the dinner, they see it as a side dish or an accompaniment to some kind of animal protein.
Q: Do homey dishes inspire people to let their hair down and to talk more?
A: Yeah, and I think that cooking has evolved. People are recognizing that the central aspect of food is the deliciousness of it, not the origin or whether it was sophisticated or beautiful. Those ideas have been challenged.
Q: How?
A: The world understands better that — not only in Mexico, but in other countries — we have what we always thought of it as delicious food, but lesser food. It’s definitely part of contemporary cuisine. And I think it’s also very important that people from those cultures, including ourselves in Mexico, realize now that our food actually has a strong history that’s sophisticated. And it doesn’t need to follow the same European rules for us to have a beautiful, elevated cuisine.
Q: And it’s stunning. Literally. It was fun to see Gael García Bernal having trouble with the heat in the mole.
A: Not every Mexican likes their sauces spicy. One of the things that I think is beautiful about Mexican food is that you should feel the spice, but it’s not overwhelming.
Q: So while Gael is at the table with the guests, the show flips back and forth between him and scenes of you and Diego in the kitchen. Was it fun cooking with a movie star?
A: There’s something beautiful about cooking together and having a glass of wine or a beer, or just a coffee.
Q: Was he a good sous chef?
A: Yeah, of course. I really enjoyed cooking with him. I think when you cook with someone, it doesn’t matter about the skill set. It’s more about the attitude, the enjoyment, and not taking yourself too seriously.
Q: OK. Before we let you go, give us the quick update on Damian and Ditroit coming to Los Angeles.
A: We’re hoping we can open the outside dining portion of the restaurant Labor Day week. Damian is very similar to Cosme in New York, actually the names, Cosme and Damian were siblings in the Catholic tradition (Cosmas and Damian were twin brothers, physicians martyred for refusing to deny their faith). And then we have a back window, which is Ditroit.
Q: Are you looking forward to being in downtown LA?
A: It’s taken us three years and we’re really excited to be there. It’s definitely a place that I personally feel very close to, California.
‘Pan y Circo’
Find it: Season 1 premiered Aug. 7, with new episodes each week on amazon.com.
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