Food has a way of bringing cultures closer, even when they are thousands of miles apart. For Mexican chef Elena Reygadas, bringing Panadería Rosetta to Doha is an opportunity to explore the connections between Mexican and Qatari traditions, from their shared appreciation of hospitality to the spices, flavours and everyday rituals that bring people together around the table. **media[512198]**Named The World’s Best Female Chef in 2023 by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, Reygadas believes food offers an immediate way to understand a culture, its history and the people who shape it. Her decision to bring Panadería Rosetta, her celebrated Mexico City bakery, to Qatar was driven by more than the opportunity to introduce Mexican breads and pastries to a new audience. It was also an invitation to discover another culture through its culinary traditions. “It’s a Mexican cultural year in Qatar, and I feel it’s very important to understand other cultures in order to understand yours,” Reygadas told Gulf Times. “And that’s why I wanted to come to Doha and do this culinary experience here.” The residency, running from November 5 to 15 at Mihad Café in Doha Design District, forms part of the Qatar, Canada and Mexico 2026 Year of Culture, a year-long initiative promoting connections through art, heritage, creativity and shared experiences. One of Reygadas's most interesting discoveries has been the similarities between Mexican and Qatari approaches to hospitality. She said people in both countries take pride in welcoming visitors and sharing their traditions, with food playing a central role in bringing people together. **media[512200]**“Mexicans and Qataris share a hospitable relationship,” she said. “They like to welcome people, they like to show people their country, their culture.”She has also found common ground in ingredients and flavours, particularly spices and certain fruits. Coffee, for instance, offers an interesting comparison. Qatar's traditional spiced coffee and Mexico's café de olla both celebrate aromatic spices and sweetness, although each has its own cultural identity and preparation. “We also have a similarity in our sweet tooth in Mexico and Qatar and also with spices,” she said. These familiar flavours, she believes, could help her bakery's offerings resonate with local customers. Among the selections are the guava roll, a Panadería Rosetta staple, and tres leches cake, a popular Mexican dessert made with three kinds of milk. Served chilled, the latter is particularly suited to Qatar's warm climate.The menu introduces traditional Mexican flavours while considering ingredients and tastes that might appeal to people in Doha. It includes products made with Mexican honey, alongside pastries that showcase the country's culinary heritage. **media[512201]**But Reygadas sees the exchange as a two-way experience. Equally interested in discovering local ingredients, she has already visited souqs, spice shops and cafes, where she encountered different varieties of dates and combinations featuring saffron, pistachio, lemon and coconut. Dates, in particular, have caught her attention, and she hopes to experiment with them and eventually introduce a creation inspired by the ingredient to Mexican audiences. “I want to introduce and do something with dates for sure because I think the dates you have here are very impressive,” she said.She acknowledged that she still has much to learn about Qatari culture, but sees this curiosity as central to the residency's purpose: creating an opportunity for culinary traditions to inform and enrich one another. Developed by QC+, Mihad, the contemporary commercial art and design gallery is guided by the concept of “Living with Art and Design”, bringing together Qatari, regional and international creatives through exhibitions, collectible design and cultural programming. The Panadería Rosetta residency is the first initiative under its Chef-in-Residence programme, which aims to bring internationally recognised and emerging culinary talents to Doha and create encounters between food, art and design. Reygadas stressed that the combination is natural, as dining is itself a social and cultural experience. “When you see art, when you are next to design, it's always also good to stop and share your thoughts and share your feelings around the table.” Having coffee in such an environment, she added, offers another way of experiencing culture. “And in the end, food is what reflects immediately what culture is about.”The residency will also feature ceramic works by Mexican designer Perla Valtierra, whose practice explores the relationship between materials, form and function, particularly how handmade objects become part of everyday life. Reygadas, who is also the chef-owner of Rosetta, the Michelin-starred Mexico City restaurant celebrated for its approach to Mexican ingredients and culinary heritage, has built her work around local produce, traditional techniques and the stories behind everyday food. Her bakery similarly celebrates the place of bread and pastries in Mexican life, where they are part of daily routines as well as occasions for gathering.She sees the Qatar-Mexico Year of Culture as an opportunity to deepen understanding between the two countries through encounters that let people experience traditions instead of learning about them from a distance. “It's good to have these years of culture because then you get to know the culture of other regions, of other countries,” she said. “And then that brings us together.”Although Mexico and Qatar have different histories, geographical characteristics and culinary identities, Reygadas believes their shared appreciation of hospitality and food offers meaningful opportunities for connection.
