Mexican food guru Maru Toledo and the Mujeres del Máiz became the saving grace on opening day of last weekend’s Festival Gourmet Panorama that was plagued by mishaps, including a coincidental four vehicle pile-up just inside the gateway to Chapinaya venue.
The food fest got off to sluggish start Saturday, May 14, as nearly half of the participating chefs and exhibitors were barely setting up shop two hours after the announced starting time.
Toledo and her team of traditional cooks, however, got an early start on the arduous tasks involved in concocting a huge vat of authentic Jalisco-style mole, made by grinding chiles, seeds, herbs and other sauce ingredients on stone metates. Key ingredients include homemade chocolate tablets, fresh Mexican oregano and a touch of vanilla. Samples of the mouth-watering dish were dished out in freshly griddled tortillas served on corn husk plates and with an array of hot sauces offered on the side.
Paying guests started trickling in to the beautiful Chapinaya garden grounds around noon. But just after 4 p.m., as arrivals were starting to peak, the entry road to the site was shut down following the crash of a propane delivery truck that lost brake power while traveling the steep downhill track after completing a service to a private home.
The driver of the small tanker truck was heading out of the sparsely populated Chapinaya complex when his brakes failed, causing him to plow barreled head-on into three vehicles lined up at the bottom of the road. The private vehicles were loading up passengers forced to hitch rides to the festival grounds because the hired transport bus had broken down. Scores of guests were stranded at the top of the mountain or turned away at the entrance during the two hours authorities took to investigate the circumstances, order towing of damaged vehicles and reopen the roadway.
A half-dozen people were injured in the collision, the worst among them a young woman who was crushed between two pick-ups while attempting to board the lead vehicle. After being freed by Chapala Civil Protection first-responders, Maylen Sierra was rushed to a Guadalajara hospital where she underwent extensive surgery to repair severe multiple injuries. At press time she was reportedly on the mend, though still confined in critical care.
Sierra had her beloved canine companion Rodo in tow on her way to the pet-friendly event. Spooked by the horrific crash, the dog bolted towards the mountain range. Animal protection groups rallied to mount search parties to find the lost pet. He was located a few days later in San Juan Cosala and is now under the wing of the Centro de Adopciones Avanzadas (CAAN), awaiting Sierra’s release from the hospital.