Chef Rico’s love of food began at the age 10 when he cooked his family’s Thanksgiving meal. His culinary background is extensive – Craft (LA), Sqirl (LA), Son of a Gun (LA), Trois Mec (LA), and Pujol (Mexico City). Aside from his cooking chops, he’s got a legendary whistle that can command a room’s attention in mere seconds.

Hailing from Austin, Texas, Nixta is not a typical taquería. It treads a line between the super-traditional (they make their own masa & tortillas using heirloom corn from Mexico) and the unconventional (you don’t see many taquerias where duck confit stands in for carnitas). Owners Sara Mardanbigi and Chef Edgar Rico, a James Beard Award winner and TIME100 recipient, aim to transform the landscape of what Mexican-American cuisine can be by providing imaginative creations that are steeped in technique, history, and a maíz revolution.