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By Natalia Otero
When a relatively new restaurant closes its doors and announces it is redesigning, customers usually suspect the restaurant didn’t make it and is closing for good. So when Maximo, a restaurant in Houston that’s part of the Local Foods Group, shut its doors on December 22 after being open just seven months, customers probably wondered if they had seen the last of it.
Julie Soefer
Chef Adrian Torres
That was not the case -- the restaurant reopened on January 15 with a totally different menu, driven by the talent of young Chef Adrián Torres.
Instead of focusing on being a neighborhood restaurant offering tacos and hamburgers, Maximo is now refined Mexican restaurant that offers authentic dishes made with the progressiveness of modern cuisine.
“I want to respect the authenticity of Mexican food, and unite it with what I have learned in my experience, giving it an elevated, innovative, fresh and cool touch,” Torres says. “I want customers to know that there is a young chef who is pushing the boundaries, creating beyond barriers.”
Chef Rose Quickly in the Kitchen
Torres was born in Potosí, Mexico, and was brought to the United States by his parents when he was 5 years old. His career as a chef began by watching the program Cake Boss. He dreamed of becoming a pastry chef.
“I would say: 'I want to make those extravagant and elegant desserts,’” he says, “And, during high school I started making cakes for my cousins and friends, and they all liked what I made.”
After high school, he applied at a local culinary institute full of enthusiasm.
“They told me they couldn't accept me because of my legal status as an immigrant. It was very hard for me because all my friends already had their collages,” says Torres, recalling the pain and frustration of that rejection. “It was the first time I felt that my legal status could affect the rest of my life. But I knew I couldn't let it get me down, so I carried on.”
He looked for different community colleges in Houston until he found what he was looking for. Although he had always wanted to study baking, he decided to study culinary arts. That decision broadened his opportunities as a chef.
He soon thereafter legalized his status in the United States and he stood out as a good student to the teachers. He worked hard, stayed after class, and took on everything the teachers offered him. Eventually they made him an assistant so he could help other students.
That education led to success in restaurants.
“An example of my dedication is that for the first restaurant I worked at, I had to open oysters; the first days it took me 2 hours to open 100 and, after a month and a half, I was opening 100 oysters in 15 minutes,” he says.
He quickly rose through the ranks in the kitchen: he went from assistant to prep, from there to butcher, from there to grill and, two years later he was the head chef.
“Experience is important in this industry: it's all about wanting to learn and the places you work,” says Torres. “I've always been interested in learning and growing. I have learned from the chefs I have worked with, who have given me confidence and responsibilities.”
Now, at the age of 26, he is the executive chef at Maximo.
Focus on Masa
Carla Gomez
Masa Cornbread
Dishes made with homemade masas are the stars of the Maximo menu. The masas are used to make not only tortillas but also other dishes, such as popusas and yetes. He sources corn from Mexican farms that is imported to the United States by Masienda.
“Chefs are taking influences from other countries and we are applying the use of the masas we make to products from other places, such as gnocchi,” he says.
The most popular dish on the menu is the Masa Cornbread, served with chicatana butter, mole soubise, hoja santa oil and caviar. The mole is the one his mother used to make at home, and he liked it sweeter than normal, with extra chocolate.
Carla Gomez
Banana Pudding Buñuelo
Standout dishes also include Hamachi Crudo, which features passionfruit ponzu, xoconostle (prickly pear cactus), chile de arbol, radish and hemp seeds; and Shrimp Queso Fundido, made with shrimp chorizo, quesillo (fresh cow milk cheese), and shishito rajas with a sourdough tortilla. A favorite dessert is Banana Pudding Buñuelo, featuring vanilla custard and house-made banana ice cream.
“My father and mother are proud of me because they made the sacrifice of coming here to give us a better life. I do all this so they know it was worth it,” he explains. “I apply the same thing with the restaurant workers: I want them to know that what they do is worthwhile and that's why I recognize their work, and at the same time I listen to their comments. They, from the dishwashers to the waiters, know very well what is and what is not appreciated by the customers.”
Carla Gomez
Clockwise from bottom middle: Cochinita Pibil Sope, Masa Cornbread, Tikin Xic Papillote, Tostada de Camaron, Nixtamal Tortillas
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