From Adobo Grill to Zapatista, chef Dudley Nieto’s resume reads like a survey of Chicago’s best Mexican cuisine. Yet despite the stellar reviews his regional Mexican cuisine generates, he never seems to stay at one place very long. We caught up with this stove-hopper as he was preparing for the Day of the Dead celebration at his latest home, Zocalo, to find out why.
Your last restaurant, Xel-Ha, got great reviews, but closed abruptly. What happened?
It had some problem with the owners. I was only the associate, [but] they wanted me to be part owner, and we were in the process of doing that, [but the owners had a falling out] — nothing to do with restaurant and food.
But you tend to leave so many restaurants? Why?
I like my food to be respected … by the owners — that’s most of the cases — [or] I don’t like to be there. I prefer to go somewhere where I can do what I love to do. And to me cooking is the essence of the essence. It has to be respected. It’s a way of life. …Growing up Mexican and having Spanish roots, we’re emotional. We’re sentimental about what we’re doing.
So what’s the secret of a great comeback?
To believe in yourself more than anyone else. To believe in what you’re doing every single day. To make sure you have the same energy and the same challenge every day.
Isn’t it also about reinvention?
Yes, you have to reinvent yourself every so often so your ideas will be even better than when you started.
So how have you reinvented yourself at Zocalo?
What I’ve been trying to do, slowly but surely, is fusion. To refresh the old flavors and come back with new flavors from other places. I do a roll with salmon I cure with margarita, like a lox. And then I roll it up with grilled pineapple, add some chile de arbol salsa, and roll it up with a jicama sheet. It’s Asian influence, but then again, you realize we’ve been doing that for years and years in Mexico — we have Asians in Mexico in parts of Chiapas and Cancun.
With Day of the Dead upon us, do you believe spirits visit us?
I’m a big believer. I was actually part of the program on PBS called “Food for the Ancestors,” a program we did on the Day of the Dead on my home town, Puebla (Mexico). We truly believe your soul can pass through so many things and come back and enjoy and feel and be there, so you can talk to the dead. You can speak your mind because they listen to you.
If someone builds an altar for you when you’re dead, what should they leave?
I would love to have a book that I love called “La Cocinera Poblana.” It’s great book of cooking — an old book, 1887. It’s got everything — a recipe for headaches. It goes beyond cooking. That’s how you know cooking is not just cooking. It’s a way of life.
Is there a particular recipe you would want to see?
Oh, yes, I love moles. Particularly my hometown moles, Mole Poblano. … I would love to see, also, a good tequila. And also, all my memories from different kitchens — the photographs of the great cooks. And, of course, my mom and father, who were a great inspiration. … And, of course, you know, my knives. You gotta have good spoon and a good knife in your hand.
Dead heat
Spend Halloween at Zocalo when Dudley Nieto kicks off a monthlong salute to the cuisine of Oaxaca with a Day of the Dead special. The celebration includes appetizers, dinner, two cocktails, a mezcal tasting and raffle. $40. 358 W. Ontario St. 312-302-9977.
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CLAMORTE@TRIBUNE.COM
