To say opening Riviera Maya was difficult would be an understatement. Chef Rosalio Rojas’ interest in culinary started at a young age in his small town in the Mexican state of Puebla, known as the birthplace of the chocolate-based mole sauce. Chef Rojas was exposed to many scents and flavors from observing his mother and grandmother cook traditional dishes from the nation and he knew that one day he would want to replicate them. One of his fondest memories occurred in his youth at the local river on a fishing trip with his brothers. He had caught and cooked his first red snapper fish and he states to this day that he can still remember the smell and taste. This experience was incredibly valuable to him and has been in important part of his life.

When he moved to America, he was still young and not yet confident in his culinary abilities. He worked in many different restaurants with varying cuisines until he decided to take the leap and open his own restaurant. Chef Rojas works alongside his family in Riviera Maya and is able to use that love as a drive for his cooking. His family is the foundation that holds him and in the opening stages of the restaurant he needed them more than ever. They worked all the positions of the restaurant and this allowed him the freedom to focus on his cuisine. Chef Rojas cooks in the traditional Yucatan manner- with dishes such as Cochinita Pibil, Chile En Nogada, and Ceviche Yucateco- and still uses influences from his home state- Chile Relleno, Mole Poblano. The restaurant was aptly named for it is the region of the Yucatan Peninsula that faces the Gulf of Mexico and it is this area of Mexico that Chef Rosalio Rojas offers an authentic taste of at Riviera Maya Mexican Cuisine.