Meet the chef: Adriana Cavita of Cavita
Few restaurants attempt to fully explore Mexico’s vast and diverse landscape with their food – but Cavita is on a mission to change that
When Adriana Cavita arrived in London a decade ago, there weren’t many good Mexican restaurants in London. There were taco-serving, burrito-rolling and nacho-dipping chains scattered across the capital, but none did justice to the range of flavours, techniques and recipes Cavita grew up with in her small village outside Mexico City. “My desire is to showcase authentic yet modern Mexican cuisine, but my deeper purpose is to show that Mexico is much more than tacos and guacamole – which, in the UK especially, isn’t always sustainable,” she explains. “Mexico is a rich and multicultural country with more than 68 indigenous cultures, each with its own language and traditions, all of which influence regional gastronomy.”
Growing up in San Felipe Ixtacuixtla, food was an integral part of day-to-day life, where fresh produce such as corn, tomatoes and avocados were diet staples and days off were spent helping her grandmother sell antojitos mexicanos (Mexican snacks). It is this slice of authentic Mexican life that Adriana hoped to bring to the capital when she launched her namesake restaurant, Cavita, in Marylebone in 2022.
Adriana’s first serious role in cheffing came at age 17 when she landed an apprenticeship at Nicos in Mexico City. Here, she learned the ropes in the bakery section before moving on to her first full-time job at acclaimed restaurant Pujol at just 19. It was here that she got a taste for the world of fine dining, honing her skills further at Spain’s then-three Michelin-starred El Bulli and, later, with Eduardo Garcia at Mexico City’s lauded Lalo!.
She credits both with shaping her approach to restaurants – yet, it was her travels across Mexico that inspired the dishes on Cavita’s critically acclaimed menu today. Stand-out dishes include mole amarillito featuring corn-fed chicken, Cavita’s red mole sauce and grilled vegetables, gringa (flour tortilla, iberico pork, and pineapple) and coliflor en salsa veracruzana: a smorgasbord of cauliflower, tomatoes, olives, capers and new potatoes. The food is designed to be fresh and simple, as well as naturally vegan, vegetarian and often gluten-free.
Ready to try real Mexican food? We step inside the Cavita kitchen to meet its founder.
Food was always part of my life in many different ways. My grandmother had a food stall in Mexico City where she sold antojitos mexicanos and my grandfather was a farmer, he grew corn, beans, courgettes, potatoes and more, and he kept animals like rabbits, cows and sheep. Some of my aunts cooked a lot too, especially for special occasions.
I also loved art and at one point I wanted to be an artist, I used to paint all the time. My mum, of course, told me it would be a difficult life, so I chose to study gastronomy instead, and I don’t regret it at all.
I remember walking to the market with my grandmother, Pilar. I can still recall the smells of fresh herbs, vegetables, fish and meat. I used to play with the beans, rice and corn in the plastic containers at the dry goods shop.
After that, we would take the nixtamal (corn) to be milled and then go back home. I remember watching her work the corn dough, adding water and mixing it until it became soft and spongy, ready to make tortillas, quesadillas, tamales and huaraches. I would play with the dough, make my own small versions and, of course, eat them.
I studied gastronomy for five years at university in Mexico City. I started working very early on because my mum needed help paying for my studies, which gave me valuable experience from the beginning. After university, I went to El Bulli in Girona for eight months during its final season. When I returned to Mexico, I knew I wanted to continue working with Mexican food, so I joined Pujol as a creative chef.
After a year, I decided to move to New York to expand my knowledge. I joined Aska, a Nordic restaurant, where we earned a Michelin star. I later returned to Mexico and helped Eduardo García open Lalo!. At the same time, I travelled across Mexico researching traditional cuisine, which led me to live in Oaxaca for a year, learning from maestras cocineras.
I opened Cavita in London because it’s such a multicultural city, and I fell in love with it. I felt Mexican food was underrepresented and undervalued here. When I first arrived in the UK 10 years ago, it was very challenging to serve specific regional Mexican dishes. Even mole felt unfamiliar to many people. I think that is changing, people are more open and curious now, but it can still be difficult to communicate the work and history behind Mexican cuisine, and not everyone is willing to pay for it in the same way they might for Japanese, Spanish or French food.
There isn’t just one ‘pure’ Mexican cuisine, it’s a combination of many cuisines, preserved over time, blending techniques, processes and expressions that date back hundreds of years. That’s why Mexican cuisine is recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Mexican food is not necessarily very spicy, we use salsas to add heat if desired, and it can be incredibly healthy.
I like to share flavours that remind me of specific regions of Mexico, that’s always my starting point. From there, I adapt the dishes according to what is available seasonally and locally. I cook very visually. I love visiting farmers’ markets, it reminds me of the markets in Mexico. When I see what’s available, it inspires me. Once I have beautiful, fresh produce, I combine it with the intense, vibrant flavours of Mexico.
I also love other cuisines and don’t limit myself to purely traditional Mexican recipes. I enjoy incorporating different techniques and ingredients, especially because many Mexican herbs and products aren’t available here. Sometimes I have to find alternatives to recreate the flavours I want. Sustainability and farm-to-table cooking are very important to me, and I try to reflect that in every menu.
I love Apricity by Chantelle Nicholson. She focuses on seasonal ingredients and is deeply committed to sustainability, which I really admire.
I really admire Simon Rogan and his London restaurant, Aulis, among others. I’m so passionate about farm-to-table cooking, I think he’s doing an incredible job.
After work, I like to relax at home with my two cats. I practise yoga and I’m trying to start swimming again. I also love travelling, especially to remote places with indigenous communities – discovering different flavours, learning from them and supporting them in any way I can. I visit Mexico once a year to see my family, which is very important to me. I’m also planning trips to India and Peru – hopefully this year.
I love pescado zarandeado. I adore seafood, and this dish transports me straight to the beaches of Mexico’s Pacific coast. I also love building my own taco, that’s how we eat in Mexico. We eat everything with a tortilla; it’s our bread, just without the gluten!
Visit cavitarestaurant.com
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