“Creativity Is Over”: Daniel Ovadia on What Happened to Mexican Fine Dining

<p>Before Mexico City became one of the world’s most celebrated dining destinations, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/daniel_ovadia/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Daniel Ovadia</a> was helping create its modern culinary identity. He opened the groundbreaking restaurant Paxia at just 21 years old, serving ambitious Mexican tasting menus, artisanal mezcal and even an all-taco menu years before those ideas became fashionable.</p><p>Daniel joins Bill Esparza to revisit the early days of Paxia and Pujol, the resistance he faced serving tacos and pozole in a fine-dining restaurant, and why an entire generation of Mexican chefs developed such distinct culinary voices. He also explains why he eventually walked away from the awards-driven fine-dining world, why he believes social media has made restaurants more repetitive, and how he found a new purpose building Peltre in Mexico City and the Michelin-recognized Punta Corcho in Puerto Morelos.</p><p>Plus, Daniel shares his essential Mexico City markets and restaurants, the traditional techniques that shaped Paxia, and why Puerto Morelos remains one of the Mexican Caribbean’s best-kept culinary secrets. Bill also announces the return of his taco festival with Taqueando After Dark, coming to Level 8 in downtown Los Angeles on August 27 and 28.</p><p>Produced by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/robert_haleblian/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Robert Haleblian</a>.</p><p></p>