Talking Tacos and Tequila with Timon Balloo

Timon Balloo is probably not the first chef who comes to mind when you think of tacos and tequila.

Balloo, executive chef of Miami’s Sugarcane Raw Bar Grill is better known for his tapas- and rum-centric menu. But Balloo’s nothing if not the poster chef of cross-cultural cooking, and he’s one of 30+ A-list cooks invited to the fifth annual celebration of Mexico’s iconic food and spirit at Tacos and Tequila, one of the most popular events at the New York City Wine & Food Festival.

Balloo, who was born to Trinidadian and Chinese parents in New York City, grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, staged in Belgium, and has called Miami home for the past 20 years. All of these cultural and geographical points of reference have marked Balloo, influencing his kitchen techniques and, of course, his menu. At Sugarcane, where he’s been partner and chef since 2010, you can find everything from octopus aji panca to duck and waffle, an upscale variation of chicken and waffles. Though his go-to ingredients are acid-sherry vinegar, salt, and white soy sauce, he is constantly experimenting; lately, he’s been testing two classic ingredients from the American South: okra and dandelion greens. 

There’s not a single taco on Sugarcane’s menu, but that doesn’t mean Balloo lacks an appreciation for the dish or for Mexican ingredients and the country’s rich, diverse culinary history. He loves tacos because of “the fun of eating them with your hands, and their textures.” And, of course, because they go down well with tequila.

This year, he’ll be bringing Miami’s pan-Latin flavor to his Tacos and Tequila taco stand, smoking short ribs that have been marinated in Cuban mojo and serving the shredded meat in “shells” made of boniato. At the 2012 New York City Wine and Food Festival, Balloo drew his inspiration from Indian spices, and he riffed on the taco as a concept rather than adhering to any standard interpretation or traditional recipe. His filling was mounted on “shells” made of naan. 

Balloo is excited to be returning to the city where he was born to cook alongside nearly three dozen other chefs of renown, including many who, like April Bloomfield and Alex Stupak, make their living from tacos. He doesn’t feel intimidated by the fact that tacos aren’t his specialty.

“I think the food and energy of what we do at Sugarcane is very eclectic and lively, like the Tacos and Tequila experience, which is loud, spicy, and flavorful,” he says. “I’m a big fan of all chefs and honored to cook alongside them on this great evening.” The chef, who will be joined by three or four of his Sugarcane kitchen team members, expects they’ll make 700-800 tacos on the night of the New York Wine and Food Festival event. “I love New York City,” says Balloo, who notes how influential the city’s restaurants are on the national food scene. “To cook here is an honor.”