TV chef Peter Kuruvita thought Mexico was overrun with drug cartels and gangsters until he shot his latest cooking series Mexican Fiesta for SBS One.
Now he could serve as an ambassador for the north American country after falling in love with the food, the people and their customs.
Kuruvita says his perception of Mexico changed dramatically once filming started for the 10-part series for SBS One which starts on Thursday.
"My perception about Mexico was problems with border patrol, drugs, gangsters and people wearing sombreros and it's so wrong," Kuruvita told AAP.
"We stayed away from the tourist places ... I wanted to see the real Mexico and they are a wonderful warm people.
"If you travel in the right areas and stay away from the crazy party places you shouldn't see much trouble at all."
Kuruvita starts off tasting a burrito in a very suspect roadside diner which looks like it would have trouble passing Australian hygiene regulations.
But looks are deceiving as Kuruvita dissects the burrito and adds searing hot local chilli - just how he likes it.
The burrito initiation helped the SBS chef understand the local cuisine and how best to prepare and cook it for the remainder of the show.
"I knew absolutely nothing about Mexican food, I'd always thought it was such a complicated cuisine," he says.
"But when I got there and learnt the basics, you realise you can create your own dishes out of using the guidelines to their food."
Mexican food is all about the salsa, Kuravita says.
"Make yourself a few salsa and you can learn to cook Mexicans very quickly."
He said he also learnt about the nutritional value of corn, once it's cooked Mexican style.
"The biggest thing I learnt was when you eat a cob of corn it's not very nutritionally effective," Kuruvita says.
"Mexicans realised this and dried the corn and that activated it to become one of the most nourishing foods ever.
"I have a brand new respect for their cuisine."
Kuruvita will post 32 recipes from the third instalment of his Fiesta on the official website and add Mexican dishes to the menu at his Noosa Beach House on the Sunshine Coast.
He says anyone who visits the restaurant while the series is on air will be able to try some of the food prepared on the show.
"There are 32 recipes that we make available and each week at the restaurant we will prepare a few of these dishes."
* Mexican Fiesta, with Peter Kuruvita, starts Thursday, February 12 on SBS One at 7.30pm
