01x01 - Panama's Cloud Forest Kitchen

[bunniefuu]

KRISTEN: Here I am in sunny
Panama, and we are going to a

little region up in
that mountaintop.

I got my trusty Jeep.

I'm going to start on
this stick shift that I just

learned how to use.

(engine revving)

Aha, yes.

Every...

everything is fine.

(laughs)

Where we're going is a
restaurant, but ultimately,

it's a family home.

They have a gorgeous farm.

They have beautiful
produce and great ingredients.

It's going to be pretty awesome,
and I'm like beyond excited.

(shifting gears)

Oh, nope.

(laughs)

Well, if we didn't stall
one time, we wouldn't be

in a stick shift
with Kristen Kish.

Okay, give me one second.

(car starts)

DIRECTOR: Oh, that was smooth.

KRISTEN: Oh, that
was like a (bleep)

hot knife through butter.

Throughout my career,

I've worked in all
kinds of kitchens.

And every challenge I've faced
has made me a better chef.

So now, I'm headed
out on a journey.

I'm literally in the
middle of nowhere.

To places like
this, this and this.

Wow.

Look at that.

To restaurants so remote
that their chefs face more

challenges in a day...

(screams)

GISELA: See what it
takes to get a good product?

KRISTEN: Then most
chefs face in a lifetime.

Oh, my God.

And yet, they turn
these obstacles into

once-in-a-lifetime meals.

I got a fish!

CAROLYNN: Oh, yeah.
Looking good.

KRISTEN: Now, they're welcoming
me into their kitchens.

Cheers.

GISELA: Welcome.

KRISTEN: Oh, yum.
Wow. Wow.

It's a chance to up my game.

ERIN: I'm just blown away.

KRISTEN: That's good.
ROGIER: I know.

KRISTEN: While having the kind
of adventure that can only be

had at the very
end of the world.

I've got it.

(theme music plays)

Today, I'm on my way to the
highest mountain in Panama

where I'm meeting the
owner of Hacienda Mamecillo,

a restaurant perched on
the fertile slopes of the

Panamanian cloud forest in
the district of Boquete.

The owner of the restaurant
asked me to meet him at the

end of this road, so he could
guide me up the last leg

of this journey.

ROLANDO: You going all
the way to the farm?

KRISTEN: I think I did.

Hi. Hi.
How are you?

ROLANDO: Welcome.
Welcome to Panama.

KRISTEN: Oh my God, my seatbelt
just popped off I'm so excited.

We're getting out.

ROLANDO: I've been there.
It's safe.

KRISTEN: Hi! Hi.
How are you?

ROLANDO: Good!
KRISTEN: Where are we?

ROLANDO: We're, we
are, good question.

ROLANDO: Well, we're in Boquete.

This is like the
highlands of Panama.

And we're heading to
Hacienda Mamecillo.

KRISTEN: That's up there?

ROLANDO: That's actually
up there. So, there.

KRISTEN: We're going up.
ROLANDO: We're going up.

KRISTEN: Okay.
ROLANDO: But not driving.

So, the best way is hiking.

Actually, we need to
pick some flowers

that we need for the service.

KRISTEN: You're going to
test my legs right now.

ROLANDO: Yes,
let's see, let's see.

KRISTEN: Okay.

I apologize in advance
for anything that happens.

ROLANDO: That's okay.

(honking)

KRISTEN: We're ready.

Rolando tells me there's a
rutted dirt road that reaches

his restaurant.

But given my skills
with a stick shift,

I'm more than happy to
take the scenic route.

This is gorgeous.

Seeing how breathtaking it
is here, I can understand why

Rolando chose this area to
build his dream restaurant.

What I find fascinating about
Rolando is that he's a city boy.

He grew up in Panama City and
worked as an airline pilot,

but his heart was
always in the cloud forest.

So, one day he made
a major life change.

Without any experience or
support, he and his wife

bought a remote farm with a
plan to live off the land.

The challenges ahead would
push them to their limits and

show them what they were
truly capable of achieving.

You know, uh, I am horribly
out of breath right now,

which confirms the fact that
I'm horribly out of shape.

Is it raining?

ROLANDO: No, that's mist.

That's a lot of
the microweather.

It's all coming
from the Caribbean.

KRISTEN: That's kind of nice.

ROLANDO: This region definitely
is unique for growing produce...

...because that mist,
it keeps everything lush.

KRISTEN: We're also really
close to a volcano which

produces very fertile soil.

So that soil, along with the
mist, means this region is

basically like the greatest
outdoor grocery store on earth.

ROLANDO: This one, we
call it the electric flower.

ROLANDO: We use that flower when
we're gonna serve the dessert.

And it helps them to
clean their palate a bit.

KRISTEN: Oh, yum.
Wow. Wow!

ROLANDO: In the forest,
you feel it now? It's coming.

KRISTEN: It's like that Szechuan
kind of vibe happening.

ROLANDO: Yes. Yes.

This is like a wild berry.

So, you try it, it's almost
like sugar cotton, you know?

The texture, it grow wild.

You will never see it
like in a plantation.

KRISTEN: Oh.

ROLANDO: You start
mixing all that berries.

KRISTEN: Oh, my God.

ROLANDO: That's a
really good jam.

KRISTEN: Can we find
more of those ones?

ROLANDO: Okay.
We have to go there.

KRISTEN: Where are those?

ROLANDO: Well,
we should hurry up.

We need to reach the farm.

ROLANDO: So welcome
to Hacienda Mamecillo.

KRISTEN: Who made this?

ROLANDO: Me.

KRISTEN: That's incredible.

Oh, it's beautiful.

ROLANDO: Welcome.

(chatter)

KRISTEN: Hacienda Mamecillo
only caters to one adventurous

group each day.

Oh my God.

The diners hike up to the
restaurant, tour the farm and

then indulge in a
sit-down meal for a set price.

ROLANDO: My wife, Gabriella.

KRISTEN: Hi, how are you?
Nice to meet you.

GABRIELLA: Nice to meet you.

GABRIELLA: You arrived!

KRISTEN: Thank you.
This is outstanding, gorgeous.

First impressions on the
restaurant would be,

it's not a restaurant,
it's his home.

And I always say, when people
come to my restaurant,

they're coming to my home,

but this is quite a
literal translation.

So, it's not a restaurant;
it is much better.

GABRIELLA: I need
some help from you.

Is that okay?

KRISTEN: Yes!
Yeah. Yeah.

ROLANDO: In the middle we
put the whipping cream.

KRISTEN: Okay, great.

ROLANDO: Will you help
me with some flowers?

GABRIELLA: Oh, you found a lot.
That's good.

ROLANDO: Ready?
Okay, let's go.

KRISTEN: I'll
start on this end.

ROLANDO: Here you have a lemon
cake with a mix of berry jam

and whipping cream.

ROLANDO: What you want
to bite first...

...is going to be that yellow
flower in the middle.

ROLANDO: Try it, yeah.

It, it's good, yeah.

Yeah.

GUEST: Oh, wow.

ROLANDO: It start tingling
your mouth. Okay.

So, this is a, this a
natural anesthesia.

Okay.

Now take a deep breath.

It feels really cold, right?

ROLANDO: Okay, now
begin with the dessert.

ROLANDO: We start inviting
friends to come hanging out.

And some of my friends that
was actually chef, they came

and they was like, wow, this
is the perfect scenery for

sitting and having a meal.

And then I told Gabriella

that we should open
a restaurant here.

GABRIELLA: I was like, no.

(laughs).

You know, because
we were not ready.

We hadn't finished the house;

we didn't have a
floor in the kitchen.

We had no cooking experience
or serving experience at all.

Of course, Rolando he was
like, "Ah but let's, we start it

and then we see where
it takes us." You know?

It's like no planning
behind it, where I'm,

I'm the opposite.

ROLANDO: I'm a bit
more adventurous.

I'm diving first, you know?

I'm, then I see
what is going on.

KRISTEN: How is it with
the, the two of you

in the kitchen together?

GABRIELLA: I follow what he's
doing until get too bossy.

You know?

KRISTEN: So, technically,
she's the boss?

ROLANDO: She is the boss.
KRISTEN: Yeah, yeah.

(laughing)

It's blowing my mind a
little bit that they

just decided to do this.

He's not a trained chef;
they haven't really worked

in restaurants before.

When I think back to my own
career I had, I don't know,

15 plus years of experience in
restaurants before I decided

to open a restaurant.

And even so, I hesitated.

And so, to be Rolando
where he goes with the flow.

That's fascinating to me.

ROLANDO: So here at
Hacienda Mamecillo...

...we like to cook...

...with the stuff
that we have at the farm.

ROLANDO: Tomorrow, we have, uh,
um, a lunch and we're going to

prepare a smoked chicken with
some watercress and then a

glaze of naranjilla.

KRISTEN: For the next lunch
service, Rolando is planning a

menu of smoked chicken on
a bed of wild watercress.

The chicken will be glazed
with a jam made of a citrus

fruit called naranjilla.

Common in Panamanian cooking,
the naranjilla fruit has a

unique flavor profile,
described as a cross between

a lime and a rhubarb.

ROLANDO: Are you
ready for a challenge?

To pick a couple of
these ingredients and...

KRISTEN: No, no, I'm ready.

ROLANDO: You have
k*lled a chicken?

KRISTEN: I'm, I'm
going to do... no.

ROLANDO: That's
the first challenge.

KRISTEN: Oh, my God.

ROLANDO: Let's go
pick the chicken.

KRISTEN: I've been close to my
food for a very long time,

but never quite this close.

ROLANDO: Down here
we have our chickens.

No, we don't give any
hormones, any antibiotics.

ROLANDO: Isabella. Leonard.

ROLANDO: Let's call
my assistants.

KRISTEN: Hi.
ROLANDO: Salud.

KRISTEN: What's your name?
ISABELLA: Isabella.

KRISTEN: Isabella,
nice to meet you.

And you are?

LEONARD: Leonard.

KRISTEN: Leonard,
nice to meet you.

ROLANDO: You have
hold a chicken before?

KRISTEN: Um, I haven't,
but let's do it.

ROLANDO: Not alive, or alive?
Yeah?

KRISTEN: Oh.

Ahhh!

I'm going to let go of that.

(laughing)

ROLANDO: Too much flapping?
You have to...

KRISTEN: Okay, I'm
going to try again.

I'm going to go on the wings.

ROLANDO: The wings.
KRISTEN: Ah ha ha.

ROLANDO: This is yours.
KRISTEN: Champion.

I did it.

Have your moment.
Have your moment.

GABRIELLA: Anyone that's eating
meat should experience...

KRISTEN: Yeah.

GABRIELLA: Or get to know
where the meat actually is

coming from.

KRISTEN: 100%.

Hanging a chicken upside
down ensures that it's

drowsy beforehand,

while the actual slaughter takes
only a few seconds.

That's how I test my
knives too, on the fingernail.

GABRIELLA: Yeah. Yeah.

KRISTEN: I do
that all the time.

If it drags and kind of
takes off a little layer.

GABRIELLA: It's important
to get it sharp, you know,

to get it over and done
with fast, you know.

We're ready.

KRISTEN: Great.

Oh.

GABRIELLA: There
goes the blood.

KRISTEN: That was
actually, that was swift.

That was actually quite fast.

GABRIELLA: Yeah.

KRISTEN: Faster
than what I thought.

Well done.

So now we need to get the
remaining ingredients for

Rolando's dish.

First up is watercress.

ROLANDO: You, you want
to step in between rocks.

KRISTEN: Got it.

ROLANDO: Just to get
like a good step, you know.

KRISTEN: In addition
to running this remote

restaurant, Rolando
leads adventure tours.

ROLANDO: We're almost there.

KRISTEN: Oh, Rolando, you
did not warn me about this.

On a recent rappelling trip,
he found the last remnants of

this season's wild
river watercress.

ROLANDO: We're
getting close to the fun.

KRISTEN: The only problem:

it's growing in clumps,
halfway down a waterfall.

Oh, my God.

ROLANDO: Absolutely.
Are you ready?

KRISTEN: You're going to
have me go and get it?

ROLANDO: Do you dare?

ROLANDO: Yeah,
it's the fun part.

KRISTEN: This is wild.

Whoa!

♪ ♪

ROLANDO: Okay, so, now it's
time to find the watercress.

ROLANDO: Look for
that green plant.

Keep going.

You're doing perfect.

Find your next
step before you move.

KRISTEN: Holy (bleep).

ROLANDO: When the water
start hitting your face,

don't look up, look down.

Keep going.
Keep going.

Don't look up.

Yeah, keep going, keep going.

That's the slippery part.

Remember, open the
legs and lean back a bit.

Do you see the first plant?

You have it right there.

KRISTEN: Oh, my God.

Holy (bleep).

ROLANDO: Careful
with that left hand.

KRISTEN: Oh,

(grunting)

I got it.

Oh, my God.

Holy (bleep).

ROLANDO: You ready?
KRISTEN: Ready!

ROLANDO: Okay.

KRISTEN: Oh, I
can see the ground.

ROLANDO: Lean back a bit.

Go in the water,
go in the water.

KRISTEN: Woo hoo.

ROLANDO: Nice.

Nice job, Kristen.

KRISTEN: Listen, I don't carry
purses, but if I have to carry

a purse of watercress I will,
because it is peppery,

it's fresh and, honestly,
I think it's probably the,

the closest thing I'll ever
get to farm to my mouth.

This is so good.

♪ ♪

Good morning.

A lot of stuff kind of comes
up and I reflect a lot more

after a good night's sleep and

I have time to digest
the day before.

And with Rolando and his
restaurant where he's serving

his guests, everything is
coming from his property;

so, he really has to be very
flexible and creative.

My restaurant, however, is a
place where I can dream up

any kind of idea of a
dish and I can try it.

For Rolando, it's the products
that come before the dish

and if you have an
abundance of potatoes,

well then guess what?

Your menu is going to be 80%
potatoes and you're going to

find creative ways to do it.

There is something to be
said about stepping back

and allowing yourself permission

to not control the
outcome so much.

So, um, yeah, so good morning.

We'll be serving lunch
in just a few hours.

But Rolando tells me we need to
source one final item first.

The chicken dish he loves
is smoked with a very

specific type of wood.

And while mesquite wood is
common to use for cooking

chicken in the States, the
Nispero fruit tree fills the

role in this corner of Panama.

The trees grow in abundance
and can be found nearby

at a friend's farm.

ROLANDO: It's hard
to get the wood,

but it will be worth it,
believe me.

Believe me, it will.

KRISTEN: The watercress,
the wood.

ROLANDO: You will see,
that'll be the best plate.

And Juan, he has been
definitely like...

...my teacher from
farming, for sure.

And he have find that Nispero is
one of the best woods to cook.

ROLANDO: Juan!

(shouting)

ROLANDO: How are you, Juan?

(speaking Spanish)

ROLANDO: It has been amazing
having him as a guide

for all this
like farming process.

He's an older guy, that he
has not been in school,

but he have a lot of
life experience.

That's our tree.

KRISTEN: Where is it?
Oh, this one right here?

ROLANDO: That
dry one, yes, yes.

KRISTEN: So, how would you
describe the flavor and the

aroma of this wood?

ROLANDO: They have like
a soft, smoky flavor.

KRISTEN: Okay.

So, it still allows the, the
product to shine through

all the flavor?

ROLANDO: Yes.
Yes, exactly. Exactly.

KRISTEN: Unlike some wood
smoke that can hide the

delicate flavor of poultry,
the beauty of the Nispero wood

is that it will enhance the
flavor of Rolando's chicken

without overpowering it.

Alright.

ROLANDO: Are we ready?
KRISTEN: She's a beaut.

Let's do it.

We won't need too much of this
Nispero wood because Rolando's

outdoor smoker oven is
really, really small,

so just a few branches
should do the trick.

Do you need my muscles?

I think you do.

(whirring)

ROLANDO: Nice, nice!

KRISTEN: Can you ask him
if I impressed him?

ROLANDO: He's saying
he don't want that you leave.

He wants to keep you.

♪ ♪

KRISTEN: How long have
you two known each other?

ROLANDO: Oh, maybe for
like 12, 13 years now.

KRISTEN: How did the
two of you come to meet?

ROLANDO: I start working in a
farm close to this house, and...

ROLANDO: I come from
Panama City...

...so I had, like, no
clue what I was doing.

And he has
been teaching me a lot.

ROLANDO: Juan see this crazy
guy from the city trying to

like start growing a big farm
and he really wanted to help us.

He was like, this is kind of
like the way you have to

breed the chickens.

And this is the way to
get that coffee to produce.

If Juan would have not been
helping us at the beginning,

I may would have go
back to Panama City.

When I met Juan, I was saying,
you know, my family all live

in Panama City...

KRISTEN: Yeah.

ROLANDO: And I was here like
figuring out what I'm doing.

And he has been like my, I call
him, he's like my grandfather.

KRISTEN: Yeah.

ROLANDO: He will
get sentimental.

KRISTEN: Yeah.
JUAN: Si.

ROLANDO: Pretty hard to
describe the, the appreciation

I have for Juan.

KRISTEN: See, you're, you're,
you're going to make me cry.

ROLANDO: Yeah, yeah, of course.
Right, well it's like...

(speaking Spanish)

ROLANDO: He said there's
a lot of Juans.

But no one like him.

(laughing)

KRISTEN: This is
amazing, thank you.

Hacienda Mamecillo wouldn't
even exist without Juan,

which I mean,
that's, that's a lot.

That's a big
thing to think about.

No one is able to succeed,
to grow, by themselves.

We all, we all need a lot
of people in our lives

to do that.

Now that we've sourced
everything we need,

it's time to start
preparing the meal.

I am here to help however I
can help you but give me the

lay of the land cause we are
still in your home kitchen.

ROLANDO: Yes, and
we have some...

...difficulties.

Some little things
not working properly.

KRISTEN: Yeah, I do
notice this gaping hole.

There's nothing there.

ROLANDO: We lost the oven.

ROLANDO: Oven got broken.

It's been gone for two months.

KRISTEN: There's no oven?

This ought to be interesting.

♪ ♪

ROLANDO: That's a new design.

That's where we hide...

...when something go wrong.

KRISTEN: Right. Right.

ROLANDO: We send it to repair,
and it never make it back.

KRISTEN: So, Rolando
hand-built his entire house,

not to mention the tables in
the dining area, the chairs

and even the plates.

But one thing he can't build
or fix on his own are the

kitchen appliances.

When those break, it can be
months until they can get

someone to fix it.

But if Rolando has taught me
anything, it's how to find

solutions to any challenge.

ROLANDO: We just say, you know,
forget about the oven.

ROLANDO: We have the
little one there.

KRISTEN: How old
is this thing?

GABRIELLA: That was like
before me, you know,

so that would be...

ROLANDO: Maybe 30?

KRISTEN: Oh, my God.
Okay so this is our oven.

ROLANDO: We can use the fire and
also, we have these burners.

KRISTEN: Okay, I recognize
that because my grandmother

had one like that.

ROLANDO: That's
one of your relics.

KRISTEN: Okay, and then
this looks also very old.

ROLANDO: The bread machine. Yes.

ROLANDO: This is
the pastry team.

KRISTEN: Okay.

Yes, we are in your home
kitchen, and we are

missing some things,
but this is, sometimes

all you really need to
create great food.

ROLANDO: That's the
nice challenges...

KRISTEN: Yeah.
ROLANDO: Of the home kitchen.

KRISTEN: Who
needs an oven anyway?

No one needs an oven!

ROLANDO: There you go.

KRISTEN: The challenges that
they have, it's, it's a lot.

I mean his pastry department
is a bread maker from 1920.

So, um, kudos to them for
being able to pull it off

night after night but I'm,
I'm excited to see kind of

how they operate with the
challenges that they do have.

ROLANDO: Guests is going to
arrive pretty soon, and we,

we really don't
have a lot of time.

KRISTEN: For this lunch,
Rolando and Gabriella will be

serving the smoked chicken and
the watercress that we sourced.

But they'll also be
complimenting it with

an appetizer and a dessert.

ROLANDO: The first dish that
we will serve is going to be

bruschetta of coffee
bread with goat cheese.

So, I will make a French
press, and then we will use

that liquid to
prepare the bread.

That's our coffee bread.

KRISTEN: Do you use the butt
end, or are we going to get...

ROLANDO: Yeah, perfect.

KRISTEN: Yeah.
Like a canapé.

ROLANDO: Like a what?
KRISTEN: Um, like a...

(laughs)

Like a little hors d'oeuvre.

ROLANDO: Okay.

I don't understand that
one, either, but yeah.

KRISTEN: It's okay. Canapé.

If you want to make
it really sound fancy and then

you can, uh, charge
20 more dollars on it.

ROLANDO: Canapé. Okay.

The main dish is going
to be chicken,

that we going to smoke.

We will let it
smoke like 20 minutes.

KRISTEN: Oh, so you
just chuck it all in.

ROLANDO: I just
put it in there.

I move the fire to one side and
then we will use these bricks.

KRISTEN: Do you want me to
start anything for any of the

other courses?

ROLANDO: We should get the
watercress and start mixing it.

KRISTEN: Yeah.

ROLANDO: That'll be just a bit
of olive oil and salt, pepper.

The dessert is, uh, ice cream.

It's a homemade ice cream.

It will have a berry
jam on the ice cream.

KRISTEN: Can I taste it?

GABRIELLA: Yeah, of course.

KRISTEN: Oh yeah.

That's great.

That's delicious.

ROLANDO: So, I think
we're set. We're good.

KRISTEN: I feel good.
ROLANDO: Nice.

KRISTEN: That
was, that was great.

ROLANDO: Oh, I think
guests has arrived.

So, let me, let me get them.

KRISTEN: Why am I nervous?

It's like opening a restaurant
at day one, where you're like,

there's people.

Hi, everyone.

GUESTS: Hi.
KRISTEN: How are you?

Let me fill your glass up.

ROLANDO: This is the
Bruschetta Mamecillo.

It is coffee bread with goat
cheese on top, a bit of honey,

a mint, and then a tiny bit
of spicy paprika, and then the

skin of the lime.

GUEST: The lime on top.

MAN: Coffee
bread is amazing.

WOMAN: And the spicy
paprika is so good.

It's like the final touch.

ROLANDO: We will sit the chicken
on top so it could be...

KRISTEN: You want to
put the chicken on top?

ROLANDO: Like a tiny bed.

KRISTEN: It got quiet now.

(laughing)

ROLANDO: What you
have, it's farm chicken.

So, it's a happy
chicken that has been

living a really good life.

GUEST: He used to be.

ROLANDO: I think this is
actually, this is the best day

of that chicken, is when
we prepare it and serve it.

GUEST: Oh, my God.
ROLANDO: So...

We smoke it first.

You have watercress that

Kris help us to get it
from the waterfall.

KRISTEN: I rappelled down
a waterfall picking that

watercress, as you eat it.

ROLANDO: To get
it on the plate.

So, it's wild.

And then you have a, a, a
bit of micro greens on top, a

bougainvillea flower, uh, that
is edible, and then a jalella

of naranjilla, so
it's a naranjilla jam.

The idea is to mix
all that flavors.

GUEST: Mm.

It's almost like a sweet
soy sauce kind of back.

KRISTEN: So, how do
you feel it's going?

ROLANDO: I'm nervous.

I'm looking at people's faces
and see like how they enjoy it.

KRISTEN: Ah, okay.

GUEST: It's a good bite.

I don't know. It's a weird,
weird, delicious flavor.

ROLANDO: So, now we can
dig in on the dessert.

This is ice
cream with berries.

You have a jam of
berries on top.

You have some fresh mulberries
and a strawberry flower.

(laughing)

GUEST: It's good.

MAN: I love eating and this
is amazing.

GUEST: That was delicious.

GUEST: Absolutely amazing.

ROLANDO: Yeah.
GUEST: Yes.

KRISTEN: You guys have created
something very magical here.

It's, and look how happy
they are. It's amazing.

ROLANDO: Happy to
have you here...

...to share this experience.

ROLANDO: Thank you.
GABRIELLA: Thank you.

(laughing, cheering)

KRISTEN: Well done.

ROLANDO: Thank you.

ROLANDO: We have a
special event coming.

KRISTEN: Okay.

ROLANDO: The most famous
chef in Panama...

...he's coming with the family.

ROLANDO: A few years ago, he was
here, and he referred a lot of

people to the farm.

It's a like high-end clientele
and we really would like to

impress him.

When we open
Hacienda Mamecillo,

ROLANDO: ...we was not
getting any clientele.

That was the hard part...

...that Gabriella told me we
should stop offering the meals.

But then after we met him...

ROLANDO: We got an, an amazing
help from Charlie Collins

because then
he start talking about us.

And that help us a lot.

And it's been a lot
of word of mouth.

So, he's coming again.

ROLANDO: It would be great
to present him...

...what Hacienda Mamecillo
has become now.

KRISTEN: Charlie Collins truly
has been instrumental in

this restaurant, making it
a restaurant, even.

Cooking for someone that means
so much to you and has given

so much to you is a challenge

because you want
everything to be perfect.

And that's a lot of
expectation and that's

a lot of pressure to
have to deliver.

How many people is it?

ROLANDO: It will
be, maybe, 30 people.

KRISTEN: 30?
ROLANDO: 30 people.

KRISTEN: So, still with
just the three of us?

ROLANDO: Yeah.

But it will be one of the
big parties in Mamecillo.

KRISTEN: Okay.

We are going to serve 30
people with no additional help

from a home kitchen with
ingredients we can find

around the farm.

This is truly the
Hacienda Mamacilla way,

and I just hope I've learned
enough at this point

to help him pull it off.

♪ ♪

ROLANDO: As soon as the group is
more than ten persons

the wakeup call is,
like, at four...

...just to be able to
have the lunch set.

So, can you help us make
it faster and easygoing?

KRISTEN: Rolando and Gabriella
have asked me to help them

impress Chef Charlie Collins
who's coming with the largest

party they've ever served.

But this won't be easy because
we're working in a

home kitchen and not
just a home kitchen.

A home kitchen
without an oven.

So, the challenge really
becomes how you actually and

technically can cook the food,
what you can cook and then

that has to lead
dreaming up this great menu.

I think we can make like a
goat cheese flatbread that

we grill over the flames.

GABRIELLA: Cool.
ROLANDO: Sounds good.

KRISTEN: Okay.
So, we can do...

ROLANDO: Sounds
tasty and good.

KRISTEN: And...

ROLANDO: And that
would be in the fire?

KRISTEN: That'll
be on the fire.

Yup, so it'll have those
nice grill marks and

it's nice and charred.

ROLANDO: Uh-Huh.

KRISTEN: One of the greatest
tools that they have and

probably one of the most
unique and fun resources is

what was built for family fire
ambiance time and keeping the

house warm can be
used to cook food.

And make more bread
for more people

in a more efficient manner.

Thinking about the main portion,
I loved your chicken dish.

I thought it was really
well-balanced, and it was like

quite tasty, but I can show
you a way, perhaps,

to do it on a larger scale,

so you don't have to
spend so much time

plating little
individual pieces.

So, we can do a larger...

ROLANDO: I'm sure
Gabriella will appreciate it.

KRISTEN: Yeah, one larger
version of that chicken.

ROLANDO: Yes, yes.
That's good. That's good.

KRISTEN: So, we should
fill in something like

light and
refreshing in this gap.

ROLANDO: And cold?

KRISTEN: Yeah.

ROLANDO : Like a ceviche?

That will be cold.

ROLANDO: And it's, it's actually
really light flavor,

bit of like...

GABRIELLA: Yeah,
definitely refreshing.

ROLANDO: Like a
habanero spicy?

That's refreshing. Yeah.

KRISTEN: Oh, yeah. Okay.

I love Rolando's
idea to make a ceviche.

It's a dish of raw fish that's
marinated in citrus and

it will make a
perfect second course.

ROLANDO: One of the nice
things of like this region,

and Panama especially, is that
you can move really fast from

one ecosystem to
another ecosystem.

And we have great fish
in the Pacific Ocean.

So, if you are into, we can
definitely do a trip down

there and try to
catch some fresh fish.

KRISTEN: Very excited.

The microclimates in this
region are truly incredible.

In a short hour-long drive,
Rolando takes us from the

cool, foggy cloud forest

to Panama's bright and
sunny Pacific coast.

ROLANDO: Okay, we're ready.

ROLANDO: We're gonna
go spearfishing,

trying to get some grouper.

ROLANDO: It's really,
really tasty white meat.

Beautiful, beautiful fish.

ROLANDO : That one lives
just on the reef.

KRISTEN: Okay.
ROLANDO: Woo.

ROLANDO: Action starts!

KRISTEN: Spear fishing sounds
great in theory, but I've

never held a spear g*n before.

And it seems much harder than
just throwing a line into the

water, so this is
far from a sure bet.

Three, two, one.

I'm going.

ROLANDO: It's loaded
with the safe.

So, I will give it to you.

Try to go to the rocks.

Close to the rocks...

...and then dive down.

KRISTEN: I can't
see anything.

ROLANDO: There's a
fish down there.

I'll try to get that one.

I saw a cucumber.

Sea cucumber.

KRISTEN: I caught a fish.

I caught a giant tuna.

Just kidding, it's a goldfish.

(laughing)

ROLANDO: So, plan B?

KRISTEN: All right.

Not catching anything isn't
really the end of the world.

It's just really figuring
out how to pivot and make

something new since the
fish won't be on the menu.

But let's be honest, that's
not something you want to

troubleshoot this
late in the game.

We didn't get any fish.

ROLANDO: No.

KRISTEN: So, that
means there's no starter.

ROLANDO: So, I have an
idea to replace the fish.

It's this.

KRISTEN: This doesn't
look like the sea.

ROLANDO: It's chayote.

We actually want that fruit.

ROLANDO: You can
pick it, yeah.

KRISTEN: This isn't the
first time Rolando has

thrown me a curve ball.

Can you sense my doubt?

ROLANDO: It'll work.
Trust me.

KRISTEN: But honestly, I can't
even begin to imagine what he

has planned for the ceviche.

♪ ♪

ROLANDO: It's not the
traditional ingredient in a

ceviche but it's also white.

KRISTEN: So, it
looks like the fish.

ROLANDO: Exactly.

KRISTEN: Ceviche's typically
made with raw seafood

marinated in
citric acid like lime.

I see where Rolando's
trying to go with this.

But I'm a little worried that
replacing the fish with this

cucumber-like substitute will
leave us with nothing more

than just a fancy
vegetable salad.

So, right now it's got like a
raw vegetable green flavor.

ROLANDO: Like a,
like a green zucchini.

You know, like a
raw zucchini.

KRISTEN: How long does it take
for the acid to break down this?

ROLANDO: Once it sit
on the lime,

maybe for like a day.

Then you get an
amazing texture and flavor.

ROLANDO: But if it's like
fresh fish, normally...

...you can make a ceviche,
like in 30 minutes.

ROLANDO: So, let's try.
See what happens.

ROLANDO: We have five hours.

KRISTEN: Okay.

Chayote is quite common
in Panamanian cooking,

where it's often added
to soups and stews.

But serving it raw
isn't really that typical.

Only time will tell whether
the acid from the lime will

break down the chayote enough
to mimic the texture of fish.

So, the flatbread, we're going
to roll them out pretty thin

because the thinner
you roll them out,

the faster they cook.

ROLANDO: When, like when
she throw it on the fire,

I was like "Oh this will
melt and it will go like

through the grill".

ROLANDO: Oh, it's bubbling.

KRISTEN: Yeah.
ROLANDO: Beautiful.

But then actually, the
result, really, really great.

KRISTEN: See it
cooking a little bit?

ROLANDO: Oh yes...

ROLANDO: That's fast.

That will be fast.

KRISTEN: This flatbread isn't
only just a great work around

for their lack of an oven...

Ready for another one?

ROLANDO: Yes.

KRISTEN: But it also cooks in
less than 2 minutes, which is

a fantastic time saver.

ROLANDO: Oh, nice.
KRISTEN: Ah, that's gorgeous.

ROLANDO: I almost lost
the whole thing.

KRISTEN: Eh, the
blender's a little tired.

(bleep)

KRISTEN: That's big.

ROLANDO: Oh, that
is so beautiful.

KRISTEN: And then have that
already set at the table when

guests arrive, then it
buys you so much time.

ROLANDO: Yes, yes.

KRISTEN: And then we
can lay out the ceviche.

(thunder)

ROLANDO: You know, it
start raining, it's...

ROLANDO: It's a dirt road.

ROLANDO: And it can get
really tricky, for sure.

Like it can get
really, really tricky.

And sometimes, I need to go
rescue people because

they get stuck.

Then they start kind of
backing up and then they go

out of the edge.

KRISTEN: I don't see anyone yet.

It's just dumping rain, which
is now going to impact the

road and how the
guests get here.

At my restaurant, the biggest
challenge for the guests

coming is really traffic, not
actually if a road is going to

be stable enough to get
a car to my restaurant.

(laughs)

But then Rolando
tells me they're not

actually coming in a car.

(honking)

ROLANDO: I order some
military bus that they use

to go to the top
of the volcano...

ROLANDO: ...to bring the people.

...because if not,
they will be stuck.

But I think they
will enjoy it.

It's part of the adventure.

KRISTEN: Rolando
seems to be just fine.

He's laughing about it
saying, "Oh, it'll be fine."

We'll just put 30
people in a party bus.

We'll chuck them up this hill.

He seems to be
going with the flow

in more ways than one here.

If he's not worried, I'm going
to try not to be worried.

ROLANDO: Oh, people coming...

KRISTEN: Oh, now
they're coming?

ROLANDO: Down the hill.
KRISTEN: Uh-oh.

ROLANDO: There was
some gentlemen...

...helping the girls
that was like...

...really high heels.

ROLANDO: We may get
some grumpy faces.

ROLANDO: But I don't
see no one falling.

ROLANDO: So, I
think that's good.

KRISTEN: Are they walking?
ROLANDO: Are walking.

KRISTEN: Ay-yay.

Oh (bleep) and they're
like in like nice clothes.

Yes, this restaurant is
remote and getting there

is half the adventure.

But Charlie Collins is
a very important chef.

And trekking through the mud
for this meal isn't the best

way to create a
first impression.

♪ ♪

ROLANDO: Hola, hola. Como estan?

KRISTEN: After an
arduous journey

through the rain and mud,

Chef Charlie Collins
and his guests

have finally arrived.

But I worry the trip may have
left a bad taste in his mouth

before the meal
has even begun,

which would be a devastating
blow for Rolando.

(speaking Spanish)

KRISTEN: Hi, how are ya?
Kristen.

CHARLIE: Hi, Kristen,
how are you?

KRISTEN: Pleasure to meet you.

CHARLIE: Very
nice meeting you.

KRISTEN: He cares about what
Charlie thinks, cause Charlie

is a very important
person in his life and

is a mentor of sorts to him.

And so, I definitely
understand the weight of this

dinner and what
it means to him.

I'm optimistic, but
I'm also very nervous.

How do you feel?

GABRIELLA: I feel good.
You're here!

KRISTEN: Okay!

ROLANDO: Today we wanted to
provide you guys an experience

that be like a
family experience.

We can start with the bread that
we prepared with goat cheese.

And you have pickles, eggplants
that we cook on the fire.

I think it's ready to dig in.

GUEST: This is great.

GUEST: It's delicious.

GUEST: Okay,
this one's spicy.

GUEST: Oh, yeah, super.

GUEST: I like the
one that's spicy best.

CHARLIE: This is really good.

KRISTEN: Feel good?
ROLANDO: Yeah.

KRISTEN: Great.

GABRIELLA: I think it's
going good, people are happy.

KRISTEN: That's great.
GABRIELLA: Yeah.

ROLANDO: Uh, the
second course.

This is a vegan ceviche.

No fish, no nothing, but it have
the same ingredients, okay.

You have some plantain chips.

You have cilantro.

So, enjoy it.

GUEST: That's cucumber, no?

KRISTEN: The ceviche was this
thing that I was a little bit

weary of simply because the
idea of ceviche is completely

manipulating the texture and
the flavor of traditionally

fish or seafood.

Not a vegetable.

GUEST: Chayote, no?

ROLANDO: Raw chayote.

Yeah.

CHARLIE: To serve a vegan
ceviche, um, I think is

something very unusual.

CHARLIE: Very delicious.

CHARLIE: But I think they've
been very, very creative.

And I, I, I
thoroughly enjoyed it.

CHARLIE: The combination,
it's really good.

GUEST: It's perfect.

Yes, yes the best.

GUEST: Now I love it.

GUEST: It's very good.

ROLANDO: I'm good.

KRISTEN: Good?
Aw okay, thank you.

Rolando would have never come
up with this vegan ceviche if

we had caught the fish.

It's a good reminder that
with a little ingenuity,

even the most common
ingredients can be used

in new and interesting ways.

I think we should start doing
the chickens, family style.

Right?

And then we'll find some big
trays and then put them here.

Gorgeous.

Give that to Charlie.

While it's hot
and crispy, huh?

All right.

ROLANDO: This is
our happy chicken.

We smoke it, then
you have watercress.

Enjoy it, guys.

GUEST: Oh, my God,
it's so good.

GUEST: It is delicious.

ROLANDO: It's good huh?
You're eating.

KRISTEN: Oh, it's so good.

ROLANDO:
Strawberry mountain...

KRISTEN: Sabayon.
ROLANDO: Sabayon.

This is a
strawberry mountain sabayon.

Enjoy, guys.

GUEST: It is delicious!

GUEST: It's tasty.

GUEST: I wasn't expecting
it to be this good.

KRISTEN: You good?
You feel good?

Okay, you did great.

ROLANDO: You had some
years not being here.

What do you think about
the evolution of Mamecillo?

CHARLIE: It's, it's a
whole different thing.

A lot of surprises.

ROLANDO: Yeah.
CHARLIE: Good surprises.

And I thoroughly enjoyed it,
but it's the same quality

and the same love
that you cook with,

with a heart and passion.

ROLANDO: Yes. Yes.

CHARLIE: And that's
the important part.

Here's to that, huh?

ROLANDO: Cheers for that.
CHARLIE: Thank you.

KRISTEN: It blows my mind
to see how much Rolando and

Gabriella have accomplished.

What started as a dream has
become a fully realized vision

that has Charlie
taking notice.

(tapping glass)

ROLANDO: First of all, I would
like to thank all you guys

for to join us tonight.

Charlie, definitely thank you.

We had a special guest that
help us to put together this

amazing menu tonight
and it's Kristen Kish.

ROLANDO: Definitely you
have helped us a lot and

I really appreciate it.

KRISTEN: It's been an
incredible experience to be

with both of them and

understanding the
sense of community.

And, and see, I'm
going to get teary eyed.

(laughing)

ROLANDO: I'm here
to support you,

I do feel like family and...

KRISTEN: Even though he made
me go down a waterfall,

use a chainsaw.

I've done a lot of really cool
things that I haven't ever

done in my entire
life because of them.

So, yep.

ROLANDO: More than welcome.

(applause)

(cheers)

KRISTEN: You know, Rolando
and Gabriella have taken the

challenges of living in a
remote location and

turned them into advantages.

GUEST: Rolo, thank you.

ROLANDO: No, a todos, a todos.

KRISTEN: It's not about having
every ingredient available.

It's having the freshest
of what is available.

CHARLIE: Great, great meal.

ROLANDO: Nice.
Glad you like it.

KRISTEN: It's not about having
the most modern kitchen.

It's about
embracing the basics.

Really good job.

And it's not about making things
100% perfect every time.

It's about
making things human.

ROLANDO: Salud.
GROUP: Salud!

KRISTEN: Ultimately, that's
what the guests keep

coming back for.

And it's a lesson I'll
remember long after I leave

this one-of-a-kind restaurant,

tucked away in the
shadow of a volcano,

at the very end of the world.