WORDS BY NATHAN MATISSE
As much as Austin has changed in the last 50 years, one thing has remained constant. The most beloved and authentic Mexican cuisine in town — heck, maybe even in the state or the country — comes from iconic North Loop staple, Fonda San Miguel. And for nearly the entirety of this legendary restaurant’s existence, only one chef has presided over its consistently excellent menu of regional fare. Chef and co-founder Miguel Ravago has made such a mark on the Austin food scene that when he died of lung cancer in 2017, the chef position at Fonda San Miguel remained empty for years.
Nearly five years later, Ravago’s co-founder and Fonda San Miguel owner Tom Gilliland finally determined it was time to name the second-ever chef to lead the kitchen. And given how much of culinary giant Ravago was, perhaps it’s no surprise Gilliland ultimately turned to two chefs.
Carlos Monroy and Blanca Zesati joined the Fonda San Miguel staff in December 2021, and Gilliland publicly announced the duo as co-chefs in May 2022. This spring, Monroy, Zesati and Gilliland all traveled down to Mexico to study and collaborate with renowned chefs in Oaxaca and Merida. The goal was simple: Ensure Fonda San Miguel maintains the Mexican spirit, classic traditions and restaurant culture it’s become known for.
“We have a big responsibility,” Monroy says. “We don’t want people to say, ‘Oh no, Fonda has changed. It’s not what I remember.’ Things are working here, and we don’t need to fix it.”
There’s a clear intent behind the partnership between Monroy and Zesati. Monroy brings immense knowledge of authentic Mexican cuisine. He was born and raised in Mexico City, and he earned a bachelor’s degree in gastronomy in the country while focusing on traditional foods. At one point, he even served as an executive chef of a catering company for visiting stars (Paul McCartney-level stars), meaning Monroy became very comfortable catering classic Mexican flavors to specific tastes. “Every time I got a rider (artist requirement), I had to read the dietary restrictions and what they wanted. Then I’d play with Mexican food to make a menu based on their needs,” he says. “So I have knowledge of how to make a twist on classic Mexican food.” Complementing this, Zesati is a technical whiz with great knife skills and specific expertise in developing plant-based meals. She previously worked at the Miraval Austin Resort & Spa when they were first creating their wellness-focused menu, and Zesati took about a year to immerse herself in and experiment with plant-based foods, various dietary restrictions and allergen needs. “We planned our menu so everyone could come in and have something that isn’t boring, your average portobello mushroom kinda thing,” she says. “So when I interviewed with Tom [Gilliland], I let him know that and he was interested in putting in a plant-based menu here. It’s something they never had before, but a lot of guests were coming in and asking for it.”
Before even reaching their one-year anniversary Monroy and Zesati have already lef their mark on Fonda San Miguel. Given the restaurant’s accolades, there was no reason to overhaul the menu. Rather, the duo added eight dishes in a new section titled De La Tierra (From the Earth). For the first time, Fonda now offers a regular array of plantbased dishes that are all vegan and gluten-/dairy-free. Here, customers still see familiar, beloved Mexican dishes like aguachile (a shrimp ceviche marinated in a liquid of chilies, lime, and vegetables) or Chile relleno (pepper stuffed with meat and cheese then dipped in egg), but they’ve been completely and subtly reimagined. Cauliflower serves as the star instead of shrimp for this aguachile; lentils and plantains take center stage in the Chile relleno.
Monroy and Zesati initially came up with 15 to 20 ideas like this before editing down the new menu section with Gilliland. Those additional dish ideas now rotate in among specials. (Zesati cites her vegan queso in particular as the one recipe she loves and guards like a family secret). As an example of how committed Monroy and Zesati were to merging the new and the classic with these, they even created the De La Tierra dishes while adhering as strictly as possible to the authentic Mexican cuisine ethos established at Fonda San Miguel. “We try and make sure we never add anything on the menu that isn’t Mexican, a dish that uses ingredients that can’t be grown in Mexico,” Zesati says. “At first, I was of course thinking of jackfruit, because you can use it as beef or pork — but jackfruit isn’t grown in Mexico. So Carlos helped me steer that dish so we can keep even the plant-bases as traditional as possible, too.”
“I love the vegan poblano,” Monroy adds. “One day I was talking with a friend, asking ‘How does your Mom prepare lentils?’ Oh, she adds this and this — wait, that tastes good? I tried it and it did, and it was vegan. The combo of the sweet and salty, it’s really good. The first night, the guys were like. ‘This isn’t going to happen, people aren’t accustomed to it.’ But now, the guys are like, ‘This is selling a lot. We need more, we need to prep more!”
Sales aren’t the only indication that Fonda San Miguel has found the right kitchen leadership for the restaurant’s next chapter. Veteran members of the kitchen staff, some whom have been working at the restaurant for more than 25 years, have embraced Monroy and Zesati, too. Gilliland also says he’s as excited about the restaurant’s menu as he’s ever been. And when you ask the two co-chefs themselves about their hopes and plans as year one comes to an end, it’s clear they recognize what’s special about the place they now lead.
“There are 50 years of history in this place,” Zesati says. “We just want to keep it going and keep people satisfied.”
“For us, the goal is to keep pushing Fonda San Miguel,” Monroy adds. “We want to keep Fonda San Miguel where it’s one of the staple restaurants of Austin and all of the U.S.”
