“Vision of the Popol Vuh” by German Rojas on loan from The Sanchez Collection
Many factors go into being a great restaurant. Food quality, service and decor are obviously key elements, but giving back to the community is also a crucial part of going from good to great. At Maíz de la Vida, chef and owner Julio Hernandez definitely has the food and hospitality aspects locked down.
And as for giving back, Maíz de la Vida fits the bill, setting up this week to provide 1,800 meals to people affected by the severe winter storm.
The effort to contribute to the community can also be found in the bold and colorful decor of the restaurant. Hernandez isn't just trying to make the place look attractive; he genuinely wants to showcase local art and artists on both the interior and exterior of his restaurant. The bold mural that adorns the wall around the entrance was originally going to be just the name of the restaurant, but Julio stepped in to contract local artist Eric “Mobe” Bass to create a work of art to share with the community, including those people who aren’t even dining at his restaurant. He also preserved the popular Tess Davies mural that was already there before he moved in.
Inside, Hernandez has offered the restaurant as gallery space for other creators since he first opened. He provides free space for artists to share their work with new audiences and even sell their pieces with no gallery commission. Most recently, Maíz de la Vida hosted a 10-month residency featuring paintings by Rubén Torres, preceded by ceramicist César Pita.
Julio has partnered with Jay Sanchez, a local art curator who focuses on the community, identity and the lived realities of immigrant and BIPOC communities. As a dedicated advocate for collaboration, Sanchez works with both conventional and unconventional gallery spaces to introduce new audiences to discover works by the artists he recruits.
Jay and Julio came together over discussions about the Estamos Unidos en Nashville program. Julio was struck by the concept of “all of us” and decided it was a shame not to take advantage of the attractive space in his dining room.
“We’ve been ecouraging customers to buy art since we first opened,” he tells me. “We let them make 100 percent of the proceeds, and we’re just here to look pretty.”
For the latest Hernandez/Sanchez joint, they have recruited Mexico City-raised, Sewanee-educated and NYC-based artist Germán Rojas to display three works, hopefully for the rest of 2026. One of the paintings is on loan from Sanchez’s personal collection along with another from Rubén Torres that Sanchez has offered for display.
Sanchez describes the exhibit this way: “These paintings come from a series inspired by The Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. The paintings explore the archetypes, mythologies and stories that have appeared across different cultures for centuries suggesting that, regardless of our background, we all tell similar hero stories and are heroes of our own journeys.”
These themes fit right up Rojas’ alley. “I’m always interested in narrative,” he says. “Campbell highlights each of our narratives within his underlying structure, and Jay and Julio got my wheels turning about the concepts of mythology. I see Latinos as warriors.”
The four pieces are quite dramatic:
“Aztec Warrior” by Ruben Torres, on loan from The Sanchez Collection
“The Minotaur’s Maze” by German Rojas
“Prometheus” by German Rojas
“Vision of the Popol Vuh” by German Rojas, on loan from The Sanchez Collection
Personally, I am especially struck by the depiction of Theseus and the Minotaur in Daedalus’ maze. It’s a massive piece, 7.5-by-6-feet, stretched across three panels. The power that man and beast convey at that scale is palpable, and the bold color choices are really intriguing to me. As a diner, I think art really adds to the entire experience.
The Minotaur's Maze by German Rojas
There are also benefits to the restaurant.
“Jay and I spend a lot of time together at Maíz, because we both like talking about art and drinking mescal,” joked Julio. “But we’re not a cookie-cutter Mexican restaurant, and the vibe changes with the artists. Having the art also energizes the crew and makes them more creative!”
