Chef Edgar Victoria is bringing the food of his youth to pop-ups around Music City
Written For Edible Nashville
Chef Edgar Victoria has many vivid memories of his childhood in Mexico City, like his amazement watching a taquero make carnitas tacos in a bright copper pot, the fat dripping down his arm as he went in for the first glorious bite. Or summertime meals with his cousins in the Mexican countryside, waiting patiently as their grandma broke off the first piece of bread before passing it on to her twenty grandchildren.
This childhood instilled in him a deep-rooted generosity and resourcefulness. Alebrije, his Mexico City street food pop-up, is his way to give back to the community and bring people together. But Alebrije is not just tacos and burritos. Chef Edgar is making elevated traditional Mexican dishes that challenge Nashvillians to reimagine how they think about Mexican food. Pork Belly Carnitas Sope, Suadero Tacos, and homemade masa are just a few of the items coming out of his kitchen.
At the core of his dishes is authenticity. When thinking of new menu items for Alebrije, Chef Edgar often starts with a memory from his wanderings in Mexico City. On walks with his mom, he would let the smells of the city’s thousands of street vendors guide him to his next meal. Street food vendors are ubiquitous, throughout all hours of the day. On every street corner and metro stop, vendors prepare a vast array of foods, including Chef Edgar’s childhood favorite: quesadillas with huitlacoche (corn smut, or corn fungus). It is on those walks, he also discovered his love and fascination with blue masa.
For his most recent pop-up, a collaboration with Chef Evan LoJacono at Hathorne, Chef Edgar made tortas, a humble dish his family often made when times were tough. The tortas were made with high-quality local ingredients, including bread from East Side Banh Mi. A surprise addition to the event was a red pozole ramen that was perfect for the windy winter night.
Despite COVID-19 adding challenges in an already difficult industry, Alebrije’s pop-ups have been met with rousing enthusiasm. We’re not surprised.
