Julian Medina: Ready for the New Wave of Latin Cuisine

Latin cuisine is poised for a big comeback, according to Julian Medina, the chef behind some of New York City’s most popular Latin-influenced restaurants, including Toloache and Yerba Buena. Step inside any one of them, and judging from the crowds clamoring for seats, it’s easy to see he’s got a point. As Medina gets ready for the New York City Wine & Food Festival, where he’ll be cooking at Bobby Flay’s popular Tacos & Tequila on Saturday, October 19, Medina shared how he started cooking Mexican food.

Born and bred in Mexico City, Medina was drawn to cooking from a young age, watching his father in the kitchen when he was growing up. “When I was 17 and my friends were going off to college, I decided to work in a restaurant to learn to cook professionally,” he says. At the time, it wasn’t the most popular career choice. “It was not like it is now—not that many people were competing to get into the field.”

His talent caught the attention of Mexican master Richard Sandoval, who gave Medina his start in New York City as the chef de cuisine at Sandoval’s upscale Mexican restaurant, Maya. But Medina is one of the few chefs that can cross culinary cultures, and somehow get them all right. He sharpened his classical skills at the  French Culinary Institute while working at Maya. “I love French cuisine because it is the mother of all cooking,” the chef says.

Then upon graduation, he moved on to Japanese/Peruvian hybrid spot Sushi Samba. Medina says that he “loves the simplicity and culture of Japanese cuisine. And the diversity of Peruvian cuisine.” But Sandoval came calling again, bringing Medina back to the cooking of his homeland by making him the corporate chef at all of his restaurants, which included NYC favorites Pampano and Zocalo.

In 2007, the chef struck out on his own with the first Toloache in the Theater District, starting a hot streak that saw him opening a restaurant a year. He quickly followed up with Pan-Latin Yerba Buena in the East Village in 2008; Yerba Buena Perry in 2009; a Toloache Taqueria in the Financial District in 2010; Toloache 82 on the Upper East Side in 2011; and the Cuban diner Coppelia in 2012. Not wanting to break the sequence, Julian will open another Toloache in Greenwich Village, at Bleecker and Thompson Street, by the end of 2013. He also hints that he’d like to expand beyond New York City, with restaurants in Washington D.C. and Philadelphia.

Next, Medina talks about expanding past restaurants…

Medina also somehow found the time to release a line of salsas recently. “They are made in Mexico with all natural ingredients,” he explains. The flavor profiles include mango and guajillo; fire roasted six chile asados; tomatillo salsa verde; and blackberry and chipotle, along with a hot sauce and habañero sauce. Currently, all can be purchased at the restaurants or online, but soon, the chef says the salsas will have wider distribution via gourmet grocery shops.

Medina adds that it is the growing availability of products like these that are raising the profile of Latin cuisine. “Latin cuisine has been growing a lot in the US. 15 years ago it was booming, with chefs like Richard Sandoval and Douglas Rodriguez, but then interest seemed to die a little bit,” Medina says. “I’m seeing it come back to life with more availability of ingredients, a higher profile of Latin cooking on television, more Latin cookbooks, and people getting in touch with their roots. All of these factors are helping. Think about it. Back in the day, you couldn’t get canned chipotles in the supermarket. Today, many supermarkets have entire shelves dedicated to Latin ingredients.”

Medina also attributes a heightened profile of Latin cuisine due to more Latin chefs coming to the States to open restaurants, such as his personal picks for “chefs to watch”–Mexico City native Danny Mena of Hecho en Dumbo and Sembrado, and Peruvian-born Emmanuel Piqueras of Panca, also in New York City. And Medina also feels that veterans like Mexico City’s Enrique Olvera will make a huge splash when his New York City restaurant opens within the year. “I hope his style catches on,” Medina says. “He’s a pioneer in the new style of Mexican cuisine, and I’d love to see more of that in the US.”

He also credits food festivals with Latin-themed events, such as Tacos & Tequila, with reigniting interest in Latin food. Medina will be doing his part by serving tacos de chilorio de cangrejo, tortillas filled with crab meat, chile ancho, avocado puree, and crispy chicharrones–a delicious flavor combo that exemplifies exactly why the spread of Latin cuisine in the US will endure.

For tickets and more information about Tacos & Tequila and the New York City Wine and Food Festival, visit nycwff.org.