Pati's Mexican Table

Pati visits Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa. Founded in 1531, Culiacán is the center of trade for produce, meat, and fish. Locals pride themselves on the produce cultivated from the land and nearby sea. Celebrated chef and culinary ambassador Miguel Taniyama takes Pati to the best markets, street food stands, and restaurants. In her kitchen, Pati creates recipes inspired by the experience.

Altata is a small coastal town with stretches of beautiful beaches. Pati meets locals and chefs as the town embarks on a journey to reinvent itself from sleepy fishing village to tourist destination. She takes a boat ride to sample fresh oysters right from the water and visits restaurants serving fresh seafood. At home, Pati prepares a seafood feast based on the bountiful waters of the Altata Bay.

Pati welcomes dear friend and fellow public television chef and host Vivian Howard to her kitchen. In this south of the border meets southern food experience, Pati and Vivian will cook a couple of their classic recipes for each other, looking for connections in cultures and food.

Pati heads to Los Mochis, a coastal city in the northern region of Sinaloa that was founded by Americans in the late 1800s. After learning its unique history and getting an incredibly delicious tour of the street food, Pati returns to her kitchen to create two mouth-watering taco recipes that take her right back to those street stands in Los Mochis.

Sinaloa’s premiere resort town has 13-miles of beautiful coastline and some of the best restaurants in Mexico. But Mazatlán has overcome a complicated history. Pati meets two close friends, chefs Luis Osuna and Zahie Tellez – both witnessed the evolution of Mazatlán firsthand. They each give her a personal tour of the city, and chef Luis takes Pati to his family’s restaurant, Panamá.

Pati is in El Fuerte, one of Mexico’s "Pueblos Mágicos" or magic towns. Now a quiet colonial town, El Fuerte was the most important commercial and agricultural center in northwest Mexico for over 300 years. After a walking tour and a stop at the Hotel Posada Hidalgo to try their famous cauques, a unique local shellfish, Pati creates a few lobster recipes in her kitchen.

Pati travels into the mountains of Sinaloa to the tiny village of Jinetes. The small population of barely 100 people live on whatever the land gives them. Miles and miles removed from civilization, they’ve managed to preserve their customs and recipes for generations. Pati is the first visitor to come learn from their culinary traditions and they’ve prepared a feast fit for the occasion.

The El Chepe railway is a historic passenger train offering stunning views of the Sinaloa countryside and the Copper Canyon. Pati rides the first section of the train’s journey, from Los Mochis to El Fuerte, and tastes the gourmet offerings from the train’s restaurant, Urike. Back home, the early morning train ride inpsires Pati to make a delicious breakfast based on Sinaloan classics.

Mocorito is known for one of Sinaloa’s most beloved recipes: a slow-simmered pork dish called chilorio. Pati visits Victoria Gonzalez, a cook known for having one of the best chilorio recipes. Then she goes with Victoria to see her sister, Fabiola, who specializes in another Sinaloan classic, jamoncillo: a soft candy made of sugar and milk. In her kitchen, Pati perfects her own chilorio recipe.

Celestino Gasca didn’t exist until about 30 years ago and is becoming a vacation destination due to its magnificent beaches and idyllic surfing conditions. Pati meets restaurant owner Carmen and helps her cook an iconic Sinaloan dish: pescado zarandeado. Then, she travels to the nearby fishing village Las Barras to learn how to harvest percebes, a tiny crustacean considered a delicacy.

Known as “Mexico’s Breadbasket,” Sinaloa produces about 40% of the meat and produce consumed in all of Mexico. Pati travels the countryside to get an up-close look at the wealth of resources Sinaloa has to offer. She visits a dairy farm known for its fresh cheese, tours a high-tech produce farm, and gets a fresh-water fishing lesson from a master fisherman.

Pati travels to Tucson, Arizona, which claims to have the best 23 miles of Mexican food anywhere in the world. She visits restaurants and meets local chefs to get a deeper understanding of what Mexican food in America truly is. What happens to recipes when they cross the border? How do different cultures connect and shape the food we eat? And what is this Sonoran hot dog everyone is raving about?