Local Tastemaker: Gustavo Romero
Sunday, January 30, 2022 at 3:36PMArticle by Becky Fillinger
Kate and Gustavo Romero
Imagine a place where you may purchase an array of delicious, aromatic and gorgeous freshly-made tortillas – you’ve certainly arrived at Nixta! Well, you can actually purchase these treats at a number of Twin Cities retail partners (keep reading) but we went to the source to talk to the maker, Gustavo Romero. He’s our definition of a tastemaker – passionate, innovative, keeping the product authentic and making it accessible to us all.
Q: Please tell us about the history of your business, Nixta - why artisanal tortillas?
A: Necessity! COVID hit and my chef wife, Kate Romero, and I were expecting our first child, and we both found ourselves employed by an industry that was going to be hard hit. I grew up eating authentic corn tortillas and recently ran a masa program in the Bay Area at Calavera, so the seeds for the idea were always there, but the COVID shutdown allowed me the opportunity to take the plunge and see if it would work here in the Midwest. There was no other nixtamal program in the Twin Cities, and we are very committed to eating good tacos. The best way to do that is to give tacos a great foundation, and that starts with the tortilla. Fluffy, sturdy, aromatic, nutritious. We have great meat and produce here in Minnesota, so let's put that all on top of a better tortilla.
Q: How do you procure the heirloom corn varieties?
A: Currently we import all our corn from Mexico since heirloom corn is not easily procured in the United States. Mexico does not allow GMOs, which protects this ancient crop. There are over 60 varieties of heirloom corn, each offers a unique flavor and handles differently. People are always interested in seeing them at our shop display. Once the market here grows, we're confident these types of corn will be more likely to be grown locally, but that's not the reality now.
Q: You mentioned starting your business during COVID. How has COVID impacted your business?
A: We’re unique in that we were born during COVID, so our model from the ground up was built in this weird, unforgiving environment. We have a very small staff, rotating shifts, and pick up only - no dine in service. Our takeaway meal kits reheat at home, so they offer flexibility to our customers. We slowly added hot take out to go, and put up some ironing boards outside to enjoy on the warmer days, all the while slowly growing our retail and restaurant distribution of packaged tortillas. We love people and service, so one of the hard things for us has been worrying about staying on top of safety protocols for staff and customers, and having the best regulars, but not really knowing what they look like since they always wear masks (and we thank them for it!). Also, price increases. They are so real, for our business and our customers alike.
Q: Are there clear-cut customer favorites in your offerings?
A: Yes! In addition to the tortillas, it's Barbacoa and cochinita pibil. We're lucky to partner with Peterson Farms for our fantastic meats. (For the meat adjacent, we feature vegetarian and vegan options each week, in asimilar preparation). We make sikil pak, which is a "Mexican hummus" made with pepita seeds, and that's been a hit. Pozole and moles on the colder days, enchiladas and tamales. Folks are loving our quarterly tamale stock ups!
Q: What’s new at Nixta for 2022?
A: Our big goal is vacuum sealing our products, so we can increase the shelf life and our distribution range. Fresh tortillas are hyper perishable, like bread, so it would be great to impact that reality. We look forward to continuing our collaborations with our friend chefs, breweries and restaurants, and maybe the slow return of catering.
Q: I’m sold! How and where may we purchase your tortillas?
A: You can always stop by our shop at 1222 2nd Street NE on Fridays and Saturdays (and pick up some hot food on the side!).
We're also lucky to have wonderful co-op partners, and the list grows all the time. Currently, you can find us at Eastside, Seward, Lakewinds, Mississippi Markets, Lowry Hill Meats, Vivir, Golden Fig and Surdyk's. Join our weekly newsletter or follow us on Facebook and Instagram for all the latest team tortilla happenings. Stay healthy, eat well.
