La Cocina de Humo

Inside Chef Thalia Barrios García’s Standout Restaurants in Oaxaca

"I had a tamal a year ago at La Cocina de Humo, and peeling away the banana-leaf wrapper revealed a steam-steaming parcel barely held together; inside were tender bites of pork seasoned with ancho and costeño amarillo chiles, oregano, fruit vinegar, clove, onion, garlic, and honey, a flavor I remembered for years and that compelled me to return. On my second visit, Barrios García set tomatillos, tomatoes, costeño chiles, and garlic on an oak-fired earthenware comal, formed blue and yellow masa by hand, pressed it into tortillas, mashed charred vegetables and the tortilla together in a molcajete, and finished the dish with queso fresco — a deeply personal, simple study composed of ingredients from her remote hometown of San Mateo Yucutindoo. La Cocina de Humo feels like pure artistic expression: a portal to the chef’s hometown and, very possibly, her heart." - Joe Ray