Xrysw Ruelas – Oscar Segundo

Xokol

Xrysw Ruelas – Oscar Segundo: young, talented and promising, the Mexican chef couple at the helm of the restaurant Xokol in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Xrysw Ruelas

Originally from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Cynthia Xrysw Ruelas initially leaned towards medicine. However, in the end she decided to study gastronomy to follow her true passion. She began her career as part of great kitchens, such as that of Alfonso Cadena in La leche and that of Bety Vázquez in El Delfín.

“I think that more than rescuing Mexican gastronomy, it is about dusting it off so as not to forget it. We must value more what we have here and appreciate it. We have to think more about where each ingredient of a dish that we put in our mouths comes from in order to recognize it”.

Oscar Segundo

He is originally from the State of Mexico and was trained at the Gastronomy and Sazón school in Toluca. In search of new inspirations, he emigrated to Guadalajara where he set up his own project, focusing on the future and in the past.

“I never tire of saying it, I am very proud of my Mazahua roots. After leaving home for a long time, the fact of missing mom’s food and coming back made me reconnect with the countryside and realize that I didn’t know what I had been looking for if I have everything in the countryside: the ingredient, the techniques and my roots. That’s who I am.”

Their work is archival, artisanal and expressive

Xokol, helmed by chefs Óscar Segundo and Xrysw Ruelas Díaz, is a small, tasting menu restaurant in the Santa Teresita neighbourhood of Guadalajara, Mexico. The menu, which changes weekly, is rooted in the conservation of Latin corn and the chefs are bridging the gap between ancestral, endemic ingredients and modern dishes. Their work is archival, artisanal and expressive. Every ingredient is carefully sourced, intelligently used and delicious. Though you won’t find tacos or burritos on the menu, rather they offer food that predate the second-wave iterations of tortilla-based dishes. Here, the tortilla isn’t merely a vessel for the ingredients inside, it’s the star of the show.

The work with Xokol is to bring back to the table varieties of Creole corn and other basic elements of the Mexican diet such as beans and amaranth. A mission that advances, plate by plate.

Instagram: @xryswruelas @j_oscarsegundo @xokol_
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Xokol-120996271859334/
Restaurant address: C. Ignacio Herrera y Cairo 1392, Santa Teresita, 44600 Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico