It’s not easy to stand out from the crowd on a crowded restaurant row. Though, Swiss Master Chef Markus Jungo Fasel managed to do that for three and a half years in his restaurant, Justo al Gusto providing fine cuisine in a Cabo casual atmosphere at affordable prices. Today, he’s on a hunt for a new location, to make Justo al Gusto “better, bigger and stronger than ever,” as he announces with enthusiasm.
Coming from a family of hoteliers and chefs, he was born in the little Swiss town of Fribourg, not far from Geneva. Growing up he learned about meat cuts and sausage making from his father, a butcher and award-winning sausage maker. Today in Cabo, he makes his own bratwurst sausage for breakfast.
His “Swiss-class” style is grounded in French cuisine, reflecting the proximity of Switzerland’s neighbors––France, Germany and Italy. And Mexico, while not close to the borders of his homeland, is definitely close to his heart. He loves to blend European cuisine with Mexican whenever he can. One example of blending Old World cooking with New World is the Mexican national dish––Chile en Nogada, a large mild poblano chili stuffed with minced pork, walnuts and fruit; covered with a delicious cream sauce, and decorated with julienne strips of green and red chili, displaying the colors of the Mexican flag (red, white & green).
Chef Jungo worked on cruise ships as well as in American, Mexican and Colombian hotels. In Cancun’s Cesar Park Resort he supervised a kitchen staff of 65 preparing as many as 5,000 meals in a day for banquets. If you’ve ever enjoyed the local dinner cruise on the Cabo Rey, give him credit for setting up their outstanding food service operation.
Reflecting on his own kitchen in Cabo: “With my miniscule staff of eight, it felt like I was on vacation, but I often helped in the kitchen and with the table-side flambes when we got overwhelmed.” At Justo al Gusto, he used to prepare Giant Skewers Flambe of seafood and choice meats with traditional European sauces mixed with Mexican ingredients.
Chef Jungo is enamored with food, its secrets and history. He will spend his vacations traveling around Mexico learning about this country’s rich cuisine that originated with the Aztecs. According to Jungo, “The Aztecs were as sophisticated with their food as the French and Chinese.” He shares his love of food with students by teaching Regional Cooking and Nutrition classes at the Autonomous University of Baja California Sur. There, students learn about indigenous foods and spices, and how food has been prepared throughout centuries of history. Future restaurant and tour operators can then share this knowledge with appreciating visitors. Mexico has been adding European ingredients to its cultural stew for centuries and Chef Jungo continues the tradition in Los Cabos.
