At Oro By Nixta, cooks Kate and Gustavo Romero lean into the flexibility of humble corn. The restaurant, which opened within the spring of 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, highlights corn in almost each dish on the menu. Particularly, Mexican heirloom corn—the Romeros are on a mission to protect Mexico’s 59 heirloom varieties from being misplaced. (By comparability, the US grows solely 4 types of corn, regardless of producing a 3rd of the world’s provide.)
“There’s a bent on this nation to suppose that Mexican meals like corn tortillas needs to be low cost,” mentioned Kate. The Romeros need to change that narrative. “The distinction between business corn and heirloom corn merchandise is like Marvel Bread versus a sourdough baguette.”
{Photograph} by Graham Tolbert
{Photograph} by Graham Tolbert
{Photograph} by Graham Tolbert
{Photograph} by Graham Tolbert
On Oro By Nixta’s menu: Gorditas, tamales, chochoyotes (a sort of masa dumpling), and, after all, recent tortillas—in quite a lot of vibrant colours reflecting the variety of its sourcing, like blue Bolita corn from Oaxaca and pink Xocoyul from Yucatan. The Romeros are making the case for not solely the ability of biodiversity, but additionally the non secular significance of corn to Mexican delicacies. “The primary time I attempted Mexican meals on this nation, I assumed, This isn’t what we eat,” mentioned Gustavo, who grew up in Hidalgo, Mexico, a central state north of Mexico Metropolis. “Corn is larger than us [at Nixta], and the way in which we will defend it’s by exhibiting how versatile it’s, its many makes use of.”
BA spoke with them about their mission, why corn is such a powerhouse, and the way they’re utilizing their restaurant to coach diners about Mexican meals.
Bon Appétit: What fuels your work at Oro by Nixta?
Gustavo Romero: We realized lots of people within the Midwest by no means had a great tortilla. There was a lack of awareness for what we have been doing—and we’re in the midst of corn nation. We have been doing issues that have been new for people, even the farmers we labored with. For multicolored corn, some individuals thought we have been promoting burnt tortillas, however they have been simply product of blue corn. We realized that we’d want to coach individuals about why corn is so central to what we do.
We import most of our corn from Mexico. There are 59 Mexican heirloom varieties, and we’ve used a few third of that—some varieties are simply too tough to supply in giant portions. We course of and prepare dinner about 4 different-colored varieties for tortillas and different masa-based dishes. Our favorites are blue Bolita corn and pink Xocoyul. Their texture is delicate and pliable.
BA: How would you examine business corn to the heirloom corn you employ?
Kate Romero: The distinction between business corn and heirloom corn merchandise is like Marvel Bread versus a sourdough baguette. We wish individuals who would pay for the superior high quality of a baguette to grasp that it’s price doing the identical with heirloom corn tortillas.
GR: The value of heirloom corn tortillas is larger as a result of it’s tougher to supply and tougher to ship to us right here in Minneapolis. Nevertheless it’s a greater product. It tastes extra advanced, and also you don’t have to eat as many to really feel happy. It’s additionally extra nutrient-dense—calcium, potassium, and niacin are all additional activated by its distinct model of nixtamalization, a course of that’s been round for hundreds of years.
