JULIAN MEDINA
Toloache

Julian Medina, chef-owner of Toloache, Yerba Buena, Toloache Taqueria, and now, Coppelia, has been creating refined Latin cuisine for nearly 15 years. As a young boy in Mexico City, Julian was inspired by his father's and grandfather's authentic home cooking. After training at Hacienda de Los Morales and Les Celebrites, in Mexico City's Hotel Nikko, Julian earned his culinary stripes at New York City's French Culinary Institute. In 2007 he opened Toloache, forging a meeting between authentic dishes and contemporary discourse. Julian and his recipes have been featured in, among many publications, The New York Times, New York Post, Nation's Restaurant News, and on television shows, such as The Early Show, Good Morning America, Extra, WNBC, to name a few.

JULIAN MEDINA

Toloache

MEXICAN

Recipes

How do you characterize your cuisine?

Urban Mexican using traditional and seasonal ingredients.

What region or ethnicity most influences your cooking?

All over Mexico.

What is your signature dish?

Huitlacoche and truffle quesadilla.

What kind of food were you exposed to as a child?

Street food from the markets in Mexico City.

Is there an exotic spice or ingredient that you particularly enjoy using?

Grasshoppers.

Does the design and style of your restaurant evoke a particular place? If so, where?

Centro in Mexico City.

When you cook for yourself, what do you make?

Comfort food, ceviche, quesadillas, braised short ribs, roasted chicken.

Where are places you've found inspiration?

Paris, London, Argentina, and Guadalajara, Mexico.

What are your thoughts on global cuisine?

Cooking has no borders. I like to see chefs using ingredients from all over the world.

What's the benefit of participating in New York Taste?

The exposure and to see my chef friends and colleagues.

Follow on Twitter:
@ChefMedinaNYC