Paula Pedro with Kut Gómez

Introducing Paula Pedro, a Zapotec woman from the coastal region of Oaxaca whose ancestral knowledge and intuitive command of masa, fermentation and fire offer a fascinating window into Mexico’s unique culinary past.

A former farmer and market trader, Paula first came to our attention thanks to our late friend Hugo Durán, who invited her to be maestra de maíz – ‘master of corn’ – at his jungle pop-up in Tulum, after discovering her corozo tostadas at the market in Pochutla. Hugo introduced Paula to another great friend of ours, Ernesto ‘Kut’ Gómez, and when it came to conceiving the culinary offering for his own ambitious culinary project, Casa Melina, Baja California, there was only one person he wanted to bring on board.

Returning to Carousel for a third time, Kut has long connected Mexican chefs, growers, and communities, strengthening traceability and fostering direct dialogue between the people who grow food and the people who cook it. His research-driven approach and obsession with single origin ingredients, combined with Paula’s generations-old culinary inheritance, form the backbone of what the two now call “the food of the Baja Oasis.”

On display in dishes like ‘Black Bean and Hoja Santa Tamal with Smoked Chicken Broth’; ‘Hibiscus Tinga Gordita with Medita Sheep’s Cheese’; and ‘Lamb Barbacoa, Pickled Fennel, Salsa Verde, Fresh Tortillas and Ayocotes’, their cooking is rustic yet layered, with nearly every element hecho a mano – ‘prepared by hand’ – and measured only by touch, sound and intuition.

The result is compelling, delicious and totally unlike any Mexican food you’ll find here in London.