MEET PUERTO RICO’S CHEF PAXX CARABALLO MOLL Royal Caribbean

 

A chef and his top-ranked eat changing more than cuisine.

THE LOCAL: MEET PUERTO RICO’S CHEF PAXX CARABALLO MOLL

Update: Our guests’ safety is what matters most, which is why we’ve chosen to pause all of our cruises. We know everyone is focused on their health and loved ones but also dreaming of their next vacation. That’s why we’re still thinking of ways for you to escape the every day, and when the time is right, we look forward to welcoming you back on board. Until then, we’ll be here with inspiration in all forms whenever you need it.

Meet Chef Paxx Caraballo Moll, one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs of 2019. Royal Caribbean sat down with Paxx to discuss life as head chef at the popular Jungle BaoBao in San Juan, Puerto Rico and his 19-year journey of pursuing his passion to create not only something delicious, but beautiful.

That’s not surprising, considering he attended art school until he discovered his love for cooking, saying: “I thought this was much better. It’s still art, it’s just that you eat it.”

With a focus on precision cuts and inventive, ever-changing fare (perhaps best seen at the restaurant’s Instagram @junglebirdbar until you can see it firsthand) like his enoki bloom dish, it’s easy to understand why Paxx was recognized by Food & Wine, which he describes as “something you dream about.”

But for Paxx, restaurant life has meant more than incredible and tasty food. Running a supportive, inclusive kitchen for LGBTQ cooks has been a priority. He’s proud to have fostered a safe work environment where others can be themselves while doing what they love. The Puerto Rican chef has also taken a hyper-local focus for sourcing ingredients, so he can sustainably create dishes and help Puerto Rico’s farmers still recovering from life-changing events like Hurricane Maria.

Take a look at how Paxx is breaking barriers in and out of the kitchen: Watch Chef Paxx Here