Natalia Vallejo, Best Chef: South, 2023 James Beard Awards
Congratulations are in order! Two winners of the 2023 James Beard Award fall into the Mexican/Latin category: Yoli Tortilleria in Kansas City, Missouri, Outstanding Bakery; and Chef Natalia Vallejo of Cocina al Fondo in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Best Chef: South!
Yoli Tortilleria’s award is the first ever for that category, which “recognizes a baker of breads, pastries, or desserts that demonstrates consistent excellence in food, atmosphere, hospitality, and operations, while contributing positively to its broader community.”
Mark and Marissa Gencarelli, Yoli Tortilleria
The company was founded Mark and Marissa Gencarelli. According to the website, Yoli Tortilleria “is inspired by Marissa’s upbringing who was born and raised in Sonora, México. Yoli products reflect the rich diversity in Mexican cuisine. They follow traditional processes native to México, but use local and seasonal ingredients found in the Midwest. They produce stone-ground corn tortillas, Sonoran style flour tortillas, salsas, tamales, aguas frescas and recently introduced Eat Yoli zine series where story telling intersects with food. Their retail experience is located in the Westside neighborhood in Kansas City.”
Chef Vallejo of Cocina al Fondo was nominated for two James Beard Awards in 2020: Best Chef: South and Best New Restaurant.
“I receive this award with humility and gratitude, understanding it, on the one hand, as recognition that vindicates the work of women in kitchens," Vallejo said upon winning the award. "I say this because beyond the name of chef, I consider myself part of a long tradition of cooks, of women in front of the fire —of mothers, aunts, grandmothers preparing dishes based on intuition, tradition, memory and affection. On the other hand, I celebrate this award as a historical, very important and more than deserved recognition of the excellence, diversity and wonderful complexity of Puerto Rican cuisine.”