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Originally from Xalapa, Veracruz, Carmen Ramírez Degollado (1940) is an example of commitment and love of cooking. Named, along with Patricia Quintana, “The Matriarchs of Mexican flavor” by The New York Times.40
“Titita”, as her friends affectionately call her, never thought of devoting herself professionally to cooking. Her entry into the restaurant business happened when her husband, Raúl Ramírez, opened El Bajío, in 1972, where they offered carnitas and barbacoa.
Upon Don Raúl’s death, she had to take over the business, along with her five children that soon became involved. Currently, she is in charge of one of the most representative restaurants of Mexico. She is also the head of “las mayoras”, a group of cooks who have taken on the responsibility of protecting the culinary tradition of grandmothers.
El Bajío represented an opportunity for Titita to rescue recipes inherited from her family. Delicacies from Veracruz such as aniseed gorditas or tamales from Papantla were included in the menu and over time different family recipes from other regions of the country have been added, with the mission of preserving the authentic flavor of Mexican cuisine.
With 18 branches in Mexico City, El Bajío has managed to become a group of restaurants, first in the traditional food genre, which expands respecting the same philosophy and seasoning in each of its subsidiaries.
