Knowing a restaurant as loved and admired by people as it is “Marsala, Cooking with Accents"The first thing that is usually portrayed are the colorful dishes and the vision that the chef had when creating this concept, but normally nothing further is done.

At Local Guide we decided to delve into the other side of the spatula to give a voice to someone whose collaboration would not have allowed the restaurant to operate smoothly: Ximena de León Campomanes.

Coming from the audiovisual production industry, Ximena has found an excellent replacement in the gastronomic world and beyond a substitute, she found something much more significant: a new family. 

The parallels are peculiar; the waiters instead of the crew, the restaurant instead of the location, the decoration instead of the art direction, the furniture replaces the set design and the chef takes on the role of director and she repeats her role as producer. 

Despite these analogies, a happier and less stressful life is the one that takes place inside Marsala. Being surrounded by succulent dishes is no comparison with the bland catering of production. Not to mention the number of hours spent on each project, which easily exceeds 14 hours on countless occasions, while being in a restaurant is more noble for physical and emotional well-being. 

It all started when Ximena met the Chef Marcela Bolaño and they began to collaborate together. One thing that struck Ximena was that creative people often tend to neglect the operational and administrative area, as this is not their strong point. “Many times, artists themselves even go so far as to pay out of their own pockets to ensure that everything turns out according to their vision.”

 Fortunately, Ximena met Marcela in time and took charge of the operations and administration of the colorful place full of murals of exotic animals such as flamingos and apes, giving it a touch of freshness and freedom. 

The duo of both allows to balance the artistic part with the logic, resulting in an unbeatable combo. While one becomes sensitive to some artistic/gastronomic aspects, the other lands and materializes the sometimes intangible ideas. 

An activity that currently distinguishes Marsala and that Ximena greatly enjoys is the Gay Tuesdays where every Tuesday starting at 6, a Drag Queen show takes place at their facilities. 

This, in addition to entertaining attendees with a show featuring repertoires of several divas, ensures that Marsala Tuesdays are packed with this magnificent idea of supporting the LGBTTTIQ+ community. 

So the next time you visit a restaurant, don't just ask for the Chef's recommendations but also the mind behind its proper functioning.