Authentic Mexican: It's the whole enchilada for Bayless

…. For Original Article Click Here

Rick Bayless has spent 30 years spreading his love of regional Mexican food around the United States, but the legendary Chicago chef says south-of-the-border fare has been a tough sell in South Florida.

''When our television series first started, it was not well received in South Florida,'' Bayless said in a telephone interview before a recent trip to Mexico to tape the seventh season of his PBS show, Mexico: One Plate at a Time.

``The flavors of Florida have been dominated for so long by Caribbean and Latin cooking. People just didn't think much about the flavors of Mexico.''

Bayless will try to broaden our awareness this weekend at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, where he'll cook tacos on the beach Saturday at the Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting Village.

A Bayless taco is unlike anything you'll find at Taco Bell: He makes the tortillas from scratch, fills them with freshly grilled pork and tops them with a pineapple-onion salsa spiked with chiles.

''Rick is a chef's chef,'' festival organizer Lee Schrager said. ``Other chefs respect him for what he has accomplished, and people just love his food. When people go to Chicago, Rick's restaurants are always on their lists of where they want to go.''

Bayless and his wife, Deann, opened Frontera Grill in Chicago's River North neighborhood in 1987, adding the upscale Topolobampo next door two years later. By that time, his Mexican immersion had also yielded a successful PBS series (Cooking Mexican) and cookbook (Authentic Mexican).

Bayless, his restaurants and books have won nearly every major accolade the food world bestows.

''Rick has dedicated so much of his work to helping folks understand the food of one country,'' chef Norman Van Aken said. ``When truly dedicated people with talent and intelligence apply that kind of laser-like approach to a subject as broad as cuisine, there can be much to be gained.''

Count the First Family among Bayless' fans; Barack and Michelle Obama enjoyed dining at Topolobampo and Frontera Grill when they lived in Chicago, and foodies were buzzing a week after the election when The New York Daily News speculated that Bayless was in the running for White House chef. (The Obamas proved the paper wrong by retaining incumbent chef Cristeta Comerford.)

The Chicago chef may have lost a couple of regular customers for the next few years, but he sees an upside for food lovers nationwide.

''We really need to bring people back to the table and enjoy the pleasures of a meal together,'' he said. ``The Obamas get that. That's how they like to eat.''