Chef Diaries

Introducing 'Postcards from the Food Edge,' a New Series from Globe-Trotting PDX Chefs

In our inaugural post, Ataula’s Jose and Cristina Chesa explore churros, lap up coffee-ant mayo, and cook up a storm in Mexico City.

By Cristina Baez Edited by Karen Brooks July 25, 2018

Here We Go

We’re at the airport. What’s in all those bags, you ask? Have you ever traveled like a cook, preparing to stage dinners in another city? You overthink all that can go wrong, then bring everything under the sun. Some things we packed: spices, ñora peppers, suckling pig, caviaroli, Spanish langoustine and beautiful red Carabineros shrimp. Also, a lot of base sauces. And plates … just in case.

Photography by Cristina Baez

Casa TEO Is a Cook's Dream Home

Jose and I met Enrique at Feast Portland 2016. We cooked a meal together and became fast friends. He invited us to cook a dinner series at his new project, Casa TEO—a home run like an Airbnb, but with a kitchen lab where classes, pop-ups, and parties can happen. It’s a beautiful space, where minimalistic finishes and green tropical plants relax your eyes. The kitchen has big counters, a sound system, and a La Marzocco coffee machine, because cooks need to be well-caffeinated.

Photography by Cristina Baez

Searing for Churros in Coyoacan

Today, we snuck out from food-prepping to visit Coyoacan, a colorful little town not too far from the city center, best known as Frida Kahlo’s birthplace. First priority: find the best churros. Our favorite turns out to be in Coyoacan’s tiniest shop—a small window serving piping hot churros heavily dusted in sugar. You’ll never go hungry outside La Churreria el Moro, open 24 hours a day. As it turns out, Mexico’s churros are not so different from Spain’s. The main difference is the dipping and drinking chocolates: Mexico’s version is like a smooth, spiced hot cocoa; Spain’s are thicker and richer.

Photography by Cristina Baez

Corny Snacks at El Molino Pujol

After a beautiful walk around the local park, we ducked into El Molino Pujol, Olvera’s tortilleria for an avocado taco, tamales, elotes, and agua fresca. Corn is in nearly everything here, including the beer.

Photography by Cristina Baez

Raw Tuna Tostadas at Contramar

Though it opened nearly 20 years ago, Mexico City’s casual fresh seafood destination Contramar is still buzzing and packed. We tried most of the menu and marveled at the fresh, bright flavors; if you’re heading to Mexico, this is a don’t-miss gem. The raw tuna tostada, pristine fish to creamy avocado to salsa verde, will invade your dreams for years to come, and the red and green grilled snapper with two salsas is simple perfection.

Photography by Cristina Baez

Pujol Lives Up to the Hype

Course after course, from the perfect taco to intricate mole, Pujol is a great exploration of the deep flavors Mexico has to offer. You enter the beautiful open space, and then, just like that: you’ve been sipping and eating for five hours, hardly noticing the passage of time. We all have an idea of what a taco should be like. Then, you eat a taco at Pujol and you go “ohhhh, this is what a taco is.” Just a few ingredients, but every single one counts. The kitchen’s take on elote (mayonnaise-slicked grilled corn on the cob, a popular Mexican street food) is one of the top five dishes we will always carry in our hearts. Pujol slathers the cob with coffee-ant mayo, which is bright and tangy with coffee-bean bitterness, then infused with the earthy flavor of ant powder. All this, with the sweetness of corn. It’s pure perfection. As for the 30-ingredient-strong, “1,900 days old” mole, you must eat it slowly. Deep, rich, dark … your brain can’t keep up with your taste buds.

Photography by Cristina Baez

Spain Meets Mexico

Most of our evenings are spent getting ready for our dinners. Since Casa TEO is a home, the ambience is welcoming and very chill, with people wandering in and out to help us prep and share ideas. Ataula’s crew cooked four very intimate dinners with Enrique and his staff, all inspired by Spanish cuisine, but with local flavors from Mexico’s markets (including these carabineros and langoustines). We fell in love with this magical city and its playful flavors. We’ll be back!

Photography by Cristina Baez

Now, more than ever, Portland chefs are becoming culinary globetrotters, spreading the local food gospel while soaking in fresh ideas and old traditions to bring back home. Some travel to discover lost family recipes, or perhaps to study at the feet of masters. Others are on a mission to learn everything they can about food-rich regions. Whatever the reason, this much is clear: we want to hear those stories, from road trip snacks to ideas that could influence what we eat in Portland.

Eat Beat’s new series, “Postcards from the Food Edge,” kicks off with Jose and Cristina Chesa, owners of Northwest Portland’s Spanish darling Ataula and acclaimed Northeast churro shop 180. The duo recently made their first-ever journey to Mexico City to cook four dinners at a new cooking lab from Mexican food god Enrique Olvera, owner of the world-renowned Pujol (Mexico City) and hot spot Cosme (New York). Along the way, they reconsidered the taco, mulled the difference between Spanish and Mexican churros, and discovered the allure of ant powder. —Karen Brooks, Food Critic

Jose Chesa, Ataula, Mexican Food, Postcards from the Food Edge

Show Comments

Portland Monthly

Introducing 'Postcards from the Food Edge,' a New Series from Globe-Trotting PDX Chefs

Related Content

Postcards from the Food Edge: Departure's Gregory Gourdet in Haiti

First Look: Hoxton Hotel’s La Neta

Postcards from the Food Edge: Ava Gene’s Joshua McFadden in Copenhagen