FOOD
PHIL REID PHOTOS
53
Renowned Treasure Coast chef continues
his passion in the mountains of Mexico
Chef Ian Greenwood still conducts cooking classes for local foodies and budding gourmands at home in his self-designed kitchen.
BY BARBARA REID
As a food writer, I am regularly asked about restaurants,
recipes and chefs. But the most oft-asked
question has to be, “Whatever happened to Ian
Greenwood?”
Chef extraordinaire and renowned owner of a dozen
Florida restaurants, Greenwood raised the bar in dining
excellence, drawing on flavors from around the globe for
his inspiration. In 2010, he hung up his toque and headed
to Mexico.
I finally caught up with him in the small 16th-century village
of Ajijic, Ah-hee-heek, where charming cobblestoned
streets lined with brightly colored storefronts echo with the
clip-clop of horses’ hooves. It’s a place where past and present
live amicably side-by-side and mañana is a way of life.
The neighborhood where Greenwood chose to build his
home sits high in the Sierra Madre Mountains overlooking
Ajijic and the sparkling waters of Lake Chapala, the largest
lake in Mexico.
Conveniently located less than an hour from Guadalajara
Airport, a half-day drive to the Pacific coast and close to the
birthplace of tequila, the stunning views, soft breezes and
ambient year-round temperatures attract an eclectic potpourri
of year-round expats.
PERFECT RETIREMENT PLACE
Greenwood says he loves the laid-back lifestyle and the
people.
“The Mexicans don’t have a great deal, but they manage to
be happy with the life they have,” he remarks. “I originally
thought I’d retire to the Caribbean, but I’d been to Mexico a
lot and decided it had to be near the water and mountains
and have a ggood wine, a grocery store and a fishmonger.”
Ajijic fit the bill perfectly.
As we sit chatting on his terrace, a sweet rescue pup, Izzy,
and a cat named Sweet Pea circle our feet. He says the cat
was abandoned when a storefront shuttered its business, so
he scooped her up and brought her home. Relaxed, goodnatured
and cordial, Greenwood’s demeanor seems like a far >>