Maiz de la Vida Brick-and-Mortar Honors Mexico and Tennessee | Options

The long-awaited brick-and-mortar iteration of Maiz de la Vida is lastly right here, standing as yet one more testomony to chef Julio Hernandez’s expertise, creativity and ambition. Situated within the Antiques Constructing on the border of the Gulch and Pie City, the brand new restaurant pays homage to each Mexico and Tennessee — and celebrates what can occur when the 2 cultures converge.

“I don’t suppose it might be truthful to only do every little thing Mexico,” Hernandez tells the Scene. “As I don’t suppose it would strike nearly as good if we do every little thing Nashville. So we’re attempting to steadiness that act, and I feel it’s exhibiting.”

It’s. Take the gorgeous pots that beautify the constructing. Although they appear to be they may have been imported from Mexico (as is the case for the restaurant’s stone plates, that are sourced from Oaxaca), the pots are made by native artist Cesar Pita — they usually’re out there for buy. And whereas Maiz de la Vida’s heirloom corn, which is the very soul of Hernandez’s meals, is imported from Mexico, the chef has been collaborating with Caney Fork Farms to develop related varieties right here in Center Tennessee. Although the partnership is compelling, the farm just isn’t but in a position to match the demand. Hernandez says that between the brand new restaurant, the East Nashville meals truck, the Bordeaux-area commissary kitchen that sells tortillas and to-go lunches and catering providers, Maiz de la Vida goes by way of a thousand kilos of corn every week.

One other unexpectedly high-demand ingredient is duck. Although duck is served solely within the new restaurant’s mole negro, Maiz de la Vida’s demand outgrew the provision of their purveyor simply two weeks after opening. If you happen to style the dish, you’ll perceive why. Making ready it’s a four-day course of together with greater than 30 substances that require totally different levels of their very own prep, from toasting to frying to burning. The substances are then handed by way of the molino — or mill — which makes for a deeply concentrated paste. The wealthy, velvety mole negro accompanies duck breast, candy potatoes and a cracker created from sesame seeds and egg whites.

One more reflection of Maiz de la Vida’s Tennessee-Mexico union is a grits dish that includes a “three sisters” vegetable medley of corn, beans and squash. Although Hernandez had cooked grits in earlier jobs, making them from scratch offered a studying curve.

“We needed to train ourselves the right way to make grits,” says Hernandez. “Within the course of, we found polenta and cornmeal, and we determined to depart it within the grits so as to add extra physique — as a result of usually these are three byproducts.”

Hernandez has additionally been instructing a brand new technology of native cooks to excellent their tortilla-making abilities — apart from his staff from Guatemala and Mexico, who already knew the right way to put together them and have taught Hernandez a number of issues. The method presents a complete universe of ability and method, from attaining the correct degree of hydration to cooking the tortillas simply lengthy sufficient on both sides. 

Alongside the dinner service — which gives a extra elevated eating expertise with dishes like mole, salmon, hen milanesa and shrimp aguachile (and tacos, in fact) — you too can swing by the restaurant for fast, informal lunch choices like burritos. Hernandez tells the Scene his crew is planning to launch brunch service on Nov. 9.

Hernandez’s path to opening the restaurant has been a protracted one — from rising up in Tlaxcala, Mexico, the place his household harvested maize, to cooking in nation golf equipment and deciding to make and promote tortillas throughout the pandemic. Within the earliest days of Maiz de la Vida, you would need to message Hernandez on social media for a batch of his selfmade tortillas, which he would ship to anybody inside a 30-mile radius. From there he began promoting tortillas at farmers markets, which changed into a number of pop-up collaborations, after which the completely parked meals truck that also sits exterior East Nashville’s Chopper Tiki. Earlier than he even opened the brand new restaurant, Hernandez’s cooking garnered nationwide consideration: He appeared on Netflix’s Someone Feed Phil and was a 2023 semifinalist within the James Beard Awards’ Rising Chef class. Hernandez additionally received the Scene’s Iron Fork contest earlier this yr, the trophy for which is displayed in his restaurant. 

However Hernandez has on no account executed this on their own. Together with Hernandez’s enterprise accomplice Andy Mumma and common supervisor Nick Dolan, Chepe Laredo works because the chef de cocina, and Obed Vallejo is the manager sous chef. David Broomhead runs the bar, which features a bevy of cocktails and a curated number of mezcal and tequila.

Although the opening of the Maiz de la Vida restaurant is thrilling in its personal proper, it’s just the start of a complete period. It’s only a matter of time earlier than we’ll begin seeing much more intriguing strikes coming from Hernandez and firm, from weekly specials to doable collaborations, or maybe future tasting menus. No matter what lies forward, Hernandez assures us of 1 factor we are able to depend on.

“Salsas will probably be spicy, I promise.”