Pablo Díaz

22nd Feb – 5th March

In Guatemala City, Pablo Díaz has been quietly revolutionising the country’s favourite snack: the tostada.

What started out as a bit of fun while he relocated his ever popular, produce-driven restaurant Mercado 24, pop-up Dora La Tostadora picked up a cult following almost overnight. With its fame spreading far and wide, Pablo’s innovative toppings have featured in the pages of Condé Nast Traveller and the New York Times. As Pablo explains, “the tostada is a very traditional snack in Guatemala, but it’s very conservative. We use it as a vehicle for serving pretty much any flavour we want.”

While Dora La Tostadora’s popularity shows no sign of slowing down, Mercado 24 continues to be recognised as one of Latin America’s best restaurants. Pablo has forged close relationships with growers throughout Guatemala since opening in 2014 to create an utterly delicious locavore cuisine that’s completely unique to his cherished homeland (think raw shrimp ceviche with fresh chile chocolate).

Pablo’s motto is “No hay caviar, pero hay maíz” (we don’t do caviar, but we do do corn), so we’re bringing in Tamoa heirloom corn for the occasion, to be nixtamalised and ground by hand, in-house.

It’s time to get very, very excited.