Who Dat? Find Out Every Month as We Feature Different People From Tulum
By: Julia Stanese | November 2020
A name. What's in a name? Well, it depends on who you ask...For Ivan Fernando Angeles, from Cenzontle, the name of the place he owns, sums up all of his creative genius.
Cenzontle, an Ivan Fernando Angeles Creation
Photos by Bernardo Flores
Who Dat’? In a Town that is Both Small & Big, we Often Miss the People Who are a Large Part of Today’s Tulum.
A name. What's in a name?
Well, it depends on who you ask...
For Ivan Fernando Angeles, from Cenzontle, the name of the place he owns, sums up all of his creative genius.
Ivan Fernando Angeles has been living in Tulum for 13 years, and started his career as a waiter in El Tabano restaurant, an institution at the time. One of his regular customers that he waited on, suggested that he complete his culinary education in the states. That idea stuck with him, and the idea of opening up his own place stuck on him and when he visited Casa Cuantica, the current site of Cenzontle, his dreams began.
Since Ivan was the architect of his own dream, he decided to take on a ‘hands-on’ approach. From designing it to build out, everything was from Ivan’s mind. Cenzontle, born on December 13 2013, first opened as a cozy restaurant with jungle vibes, reminiscent of old tulum. The food was served as ‘share size’ dishes, and was reasonably priced. Sadly, Tulum was not ready for the concept at the time, and Cenzontle suffered a bit, while trying to bend with the times, while trying to maintain the jungle Tulum vibes. Not an easy feat.
Tulum has been changing with the times, and with that, people’s priorities change as well.
People prefer inexpensive restaurants and spend less money on food, so they can spend money partying, especially during high season. But that hasn’t deterred Ivan. Cenzontle remains a haven to go to, offering amazing vibes, and well designed menu by his Chef.
Tulum Eats Magazine is published 12 times a year, unless we decide to go on prolonged vacations. You can find the print magazine at select locations throughout the Riviera Maya, and in some East Coast establishments, where we will randomly place, during selective times. The website will be updated monthly, with selected materials that may or may not be the same as the print version. Look for us soon, in other states of Mexico.
