Galopina Casa Silvestre Hosts Chefs' Farm-to-Table Residency

A boutique retreat in Acanceh is hosting a series of international chef residencies that bring European culinary techniques to the Yucatán Peninsula’s regenerative agriculture scene.

Galopina Casa Silvestre launched its chef residency program this winter, inviting five chefs from France, the United Kingdom and Turkey to create seasonal menus at the nature-focused property. Each chef stays for three to five days, cooking with ingredients from Mestiza de Indias, a 200-acre regenerative farm that supplies many of the raw materials.

Claire Le Bret came from France to create high cuisine in the Yucatán jungle.Photo: Courtesy
Claire Le Bret came from France to create high cuisine in the Yucatán jungle.Photo: Courtesy
Claire Le Bret came from France to create high cuisine in the Yucatán jungle.Photo: Courtesy
Claire Le Bret came from France to create high cuisine in the Yucatán jungle.Photo: Courtesy
UK Chef James Sharp was featured at a previous Casa Galopina dinner.Photo: Courtesy
UK Chef James Sharp was featured at a previous Casa Galopina dinner.Photo: Courtesy
Cheff Loreena Ghalem came from France and produced amazing dishes in the Yucatán jungle.Photo: Courtesy
Chef Loreena Ghalem came from France and produced amazing dishes in the Yucatán jungle.Photo: Courtesy
Chef Loreena Ghalem came from France and produced amazing dishes in the Yucatán jungle.Photo: Courtesy
Chef Josselin Dubourg came from France and turned out impressive dishes in the middle of the Yucatán jungle.Photo: Courtesy
Casa Galopina in Ancanceh, Yucatán.Photo: Courtesy
Casa Galopina in Ancanceh, Yucatán.Photo: Courtesy
Casa Galopina in Ancanceh, Yucatán.Photo: Courtesy

The residency model represents a growing trend in culinary programming where chefs work outside their home kitchens. Guillaume and Elisa, who founded Galopina in 2022, say they specifically sought chefs unfamiliar with Yucatán.

“We wanted chefs who had never been to Yucatán before to offer us a new vision of local ingredients,” according to program materials.

The 2025-26 residency kicks off with Claire Lebret, a Ferrandi Paris graduate known for plant-forward French technique. She is followed by Loreena Ghalem, whose cuisine emphasizes terroir and sensory experience. February brings Josselin Dubourg, a finalist on France’s Objectif Top Chef, and James Sharp, who placed in the finals of MasterChef: The Professionals 2023 in the UK. Turkish chef Dilara Dogmaz wraps up the series in early March.

Each chef designs a three-course dinner served outdoors, with prices starting at 900 pesos ($45) per person. Packages that include overnight stays run 5,600 pesos ($280) for two guests. The program also offers farm-to-table lunches at 1,500 pesos ($75) per person.

Mestiza de Indias, the agricultural partner, focuses on recovering heirloom plant species through methods that avoid agrochemicals. Founder Gonzalo Samaranch Granados, a former journalist, established the farm in 2015 after noticing limited access to quality produce in nearby communities. The operation now supplies luxury hotels along the Riviera Maya while ensuring local families eat the same organic ingredients.

The farm operates on principles similar to traditional Maya milpa agriculture, which involves crop rotation and allowing land to regenerate. Recent research shows that nearly 1,000 farmers in 42 Yucatán communities have adopted regenerative agriculture practices, according to The Nature Conservancy.

Galopina positions itself between several hospitality categories. It’s not quite a restaurant, not strictly a hotel, but rather what the founders call a “sanctuary” that treats food as art-in-residence. The model echoes similar culinary experiences emerging across the region, from cooking classes at haciendas to market tours in colonial towns.

The residency program joins a broader shift in food tourism, where travelers increasingly seek hands-on experiences over traditional restaurant dining. According to industry reports, culinary tourism generates more than $1 trillion annually, with farm-to-table dining and cooking classes among the fastest-growing segments.

For the European chefs, the residency offers a creative reset. Many were ending intense restaurant seasons when Galopina issued its call for applications in July. The three-month timeline from announcement to arrival gave selected chefs enough notice to arrange the trip while their kitchens back home operated under other leadership.

The program reflects Yucatán’s evolution as a food destination. While Mérida’s restaurant scene has drawn attention for modernist approaches to regional cuisine, rural areas are increasingly hosting culinary projects that connect visitors with agricultural traditions and environmental practices.

Galopina’s location in Seyé puts it about 35 kilometers (22 miles) from downtown Mérida, on the outskirts of Acanceh. The property sits within the state reserve of the cenotes ring, surrounded by Yucatecan jungle and positioned between the convent route and Puuc route that links major archaeological sites.