DISTINCTIVE DINING
The culinary delights of a typical Yucatecan kitchen come from a mouth watering mixture of European and Mexican flavors (Mestizo Cuisine). A bit of history will explain this strong European influence. Once upon a time the Yucatecan peninsula was considered to be too far away and too difficult to reach from the rest of Mexico. Mountainous terrain and very poor roads kept the peninsula isolated. Having ports with commercial and cultural contacts with Europe, (especially France), New Orleans, Cuba and Arab immigrants, the Yucatecans were easily influenced by many aspects of these countries and cultures, such as dress, architecture and cooking, which explains why there is a lot of European flare in its cuisine.
Much of the ingredients used in the menu is organic and comes from the gardens of hacienda San Jose or any of the other haciendas of the group. Fresh-baked bread is "made at the haciend" and the fresh fish comes from the different coastal villages you can find at the coast of the state of Yucatan only 45 minutes from the hacienda.
Ingredients first used by the Maya include corn, beans, tomatoes, chiles, squash, chaya (a Spinach-like plant), avocado and achiote (annatto). The Spaniards introduced citrus fruit-limes and Seville oranges feature in many dishes, chicken, beef, dairy products, coriander, garlic, olives, oregano and rice. Pork, chicken and turkey are widely used in Yucatecan recipes, usually in conjunction with "recados", which may contain "achiote", Seville orange juice, pepper and chiles.
The hacienda San Jose features the Restaurant, overlooking the breathtaking main gardens and located within the old factory buildings. The menu proposes a blend of regional and international cuisine. With our master chef, Reyes Santos, your culinary knowledge and skills will blossom under his guidance.
Special Events
Imagine a uniquely creative event. From an elegant dinner with twinkling candles and antorches in the old machine room to a dinner in the middle of a Mayan Community hold in the magnificent main gardens of the hacienda.
Add our sales executive with the imagination and innovation to ensure the event exceeds all expectations. People who can collaborate with you in planning the ideal incentive experience.
Then picture all this in the luxurious surroundings of one of The Haciendas in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Each a prime location with it`s own distinctive style, offering a wide range of ideas for your special events and incentive travel. A colonial city or a historical resort, the choice is yours. And with every hacienda from Hacienda San Jose in Yucatan to Hacienda Puerta Campeche in the city of Campeche you are guaranteed superb Luxury Collection standards of service.
At The Haciendas the range of ideas and the variety of locations means every event taste can be catered for.
We believe that you deserve much more than just another ordinary event. So you can be sure that whichever Hacienda you choose, with whatever extraordinary event you ask us to stage, your stay will be characterized by just that little bit extra.
OUR COMMUNITY
The Henequen Haciendas were subjects of complex disputes over ownership. Over time, they were broken up and gradually abandoned, leaving many of the families of the hacienda communities who depended for so many years on the "green gold" economy, without work. The result was a high rate of unemployment leaving the following generations without a chance for a better future in the rural area of the Yucatan.
One of the most note-worthy aspects around the reconstruction and opening of the Haciendas as hotels was the social implications of hiring and training of local workers, first in the construction work and later on in hotel positions. These were permanent positions offering better conditions than other employment in the area and gave concrete opportunities for advancement for the inhabitants. Currently 90% of the employees working at the Hacienda San Jose are inhabitants from the villages nearby like Calcalchen, Euan and Tixkokob.
The revitalization of the Hacienda has also resulted in the development of a series of social projects. The main purpose of these projects was to create new activities for the local inhabitants that for different reasons were not able to work in the hotel. These projects were primarily focused on the rich cultural traditions that can still be found in most of the Mayan communities in the peninsula such as handicrafts and other manual arts.
The inhabitants of the villages who volunteered to participate in the project were not only trained in producing goods but were encouraged to use regional natural elements and traditional methods. They also received support with the construction of workshops from the foundation that started the project. The majority of their produce is purchased by the Hacienda for different purposes such as turn down gifts, amenities for the bathroom and items to sell to guests in the Hacienda store.
Another very important initiative completed early in 2004 was the employment and training of local inhabitants to become therapists and offer their services at the Hacienda San Jose, several of them with ancestors who were authentic Mayan "sobadoras" or "bone healers". Again, this was a way of creating opportunities for locals, especially women, who would never have had the chance to do this type of work and earn a living.
The foundation that today is responsible for the coordination, financing and supervision of all the social projects is called "Fundacion Haciendas del Mundo Maya".
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