In Spanish, the phrase “ni de aquí ni de allá” translates to “neither from here nor from there,” and it describes the feeling of living in a liminal space between two cultures as part of the immigrant experience. Implicit in that discussion is the feeling of a lack of belonging in either one’s country of origin or one’s current home.
It’s a condition that chef Julio Hernandez grapples with at his restaurant Maíz de la Vida, but he also explores the friction as a form of culinary inspiration. In his Ni de Aquí Ni de Allá guest chef series, Hernandez has invited four chefs whose cooking is deeply rooted in their communities but also in their home countries to join him in the kitchen at Maíz to share in the discussions through their food.
On Monday, April 20, Maíz will welcome chef Gustavo Romero Veytia of Oro by Nixta out of Minneapolis, named as a semifinalist for Best Chef: Midwest in the 2026 James Beard Awards. Chef Romero shares Julio’s respect for heirloom corn, and he opened his own Nixta Tortillería in 2020 like Julio did to bring great traditional tortillas to Minneapolis.
You can only imagine how great the food will be when these two masa maestros work together to create a special menu for one night only. Actually, you don’t have to just imagine it. You can make reservations here on Open Table and experience for yourself.
Yeah, I’d definitely do that!
