Herberto Roafendo Ucan Ake was born in a little village named Kantumil Ucatan, Mexico and now lives and owns Mayan Cafe in Louisville. I had the honor of interviewing the amazing Chef Bruce Ucan of Mayan Cafe on the phone as my eighth interview. Chef Ucan tells me that his culture and background have impacted his cooking and lifestyle decisions because his culture is just like any other culture. He says,"It's all about what you learn.. your family is important, food is very important, especially how good it is." Chef Ucan has been Chef at Mayan Cafe since 1997 and first learned about cooking around 35 years ago when he was 13 or 14. In 1980 Chef Ucan moved to the Mayan Riviera and began cooking dishes and European cuisine. He has always enjoyed South American, Chilean, Spanish, Argentinian, and Mayan cuisines and his favorite cuisines to eat are Italian, Asian, and especially noodles. Chef Ucan tells me he likes to eat everything. A signature dish of Chef Ucan's is his tok-sel lima beans that are typically white beans that are roasted with very traditional Mayan ingredients. I have a recipe for Chef Ucan's lima beans in my cookbook.
Photo by Kriech-Higdon Photography