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Maito

Panama City, Panama

A tropical fusion of Asian, Creole and Afro-Antillean cultures

On the Pass

Mario Castrellón

Pastry Chef

Jennyfer Vernice

Chef Mario Castrellón’s tasting menu runs a whistle-stop journey through Caribbean, indigenous, Asian, Creole, Afro-Antillean and American cuisine that expresses Panama’s multicultural culinary identity like no other. The casualised fine dining experience here is perfectly adapted to the hot climate, with light, exciting dishes.

Castrellón was the first to plant the seeds of a new Panamanian cuisine with a modern vision. A dynamic chef and entrepreneur, he researches native products and visits producers, artisans and indigenous communities on a regular basis and has his own organic farm. He has also started a movement of young chefs looking to foster a Panamanian identity on the plate. The chef’s diverse menu includes prawns with citrus butter, and carimañolas (a meat pie of South American origins) stuffed with steak tartare and corn gnocchi in guandu sauce with coconut and cheese.

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