Maíz de la Vida: Reimagining Mexican Food in Nashville

Julio Hernandez shares his journey from Mexico to Nashville, exploring the cultural and technical aspects of Mexican cuisine, and how local ingredients influence his cooking at May de la Vida.

After the Mexican corn experiment struggled in Tennessee, Julio began exploring Southern varieties. He and his team tasted corn that was milky, sweet, or reminiscent of cornflakes. They studied fat and starch content, learning which kernels could produce a pliable table tortilla and which were better suited to chips, tostadas, flautas, or quesabirria.

They eventually found a Southern variety that could respond to the local environment and the needs of the kitchen.

The result is not an attempt to reproduce Mexico in Nashville. Julio describes it as Tennessee-Mexican cooking: house-made chorizo with collard greens and smoked ham hock, Mayocoba beans, Tennessee corn tortillas, and pico de gallo that appears only when local tomatoes are in season.

What you’ll learn from Chef Julio Hernandez

Key  topics

Julio Hernandez’s background and early influences

The process and importance of nixtamalization

Differences between corn varieties and their culinary uses

Adapting Mexican cuisine with local ingredients in Nashville

The operation and concept of May de la Vida’s multiple locations

The role of technique and cultural fusion in modern Mexican cooking