Wahaca, the Mexican restaurant group founded by Thomasina Miers and Mark Selby, has announced a year-long series of events to celebrate its 10 year anniversary.
Events will include a UK-wide ‘Taco Tour’; a research trip to Mexico; guest chef dinners; an exciting new project in London, and the launch of Wahaca #TacoTuesdays.
Wahaca has kicked off celebrations of the 10 year milestone with the launch of Wahaca #TacoTuesdays. Throughout the year, every Tuesday, diners will be treated to their first plate of tacos for £1; whether people choose the legendary Pork Pibil tacos (shoulder of pork marinated overnight in Yucatecan herbs and spices and slow-cooked for hours until melting tender and aromatic), the Mexican street food favourite, Grilled Steak & Crispy Cheese, or one of their seasonal vegetarian specials like grilled Courgette & Cactus or Savoy Cabbage & Borlotti Beans with Pasilla Paste, there will be something catering to every taste.
The team is also looking back at ten years of sensational dishes and hoping to resurrect favourites: perhaps this is the year that we vote the Grilled Fish Al Pastor back on the menu, or Roasted Squash with Pumpkin Seed Pipian. Wahaca’s passion for flavour and taste has seen their fan base grow to a point where last year, they served 3 million customers.
At the heart of what they do, the Wahaca menu aims to challenge the palates of UK diners, steering them away from the clichéd ‘Tex-Mex’ of yesteryear, with vibrant fresh flavours, market specials, and the championing of unusual ingredients such as grasshopper flour in chocolate brownies, and huitlacoche, a truffle-flavoured corn-fungus that is considered a Mexican delicacy.
As with many chefs, Thomasina gathers much of her inspiration from extensive travels, not only to Mexico, but to cities like New York, Chicago and Copenhagen where the Mexican food scene has exploded in recent years. This spring, a small group of the Wahaca team will travel to Mexico, visiting the food markets and comedores of Mexico City and Oaxaca, before attending René Redzepi’s highly-anticipated Noma pop up in Tulum; a chance to experience a unique perspective on how a world class chef interprets Mexican cuisine.
Back in the UK, a national Taco Tour will see Wahaca’s trusty taco van touring locations from Brighton to Manchester throughout summer. Popping up at Wahaca restaurants and iconic landmarks, the van will hand out a mouth-watering array of tacos to Mexican food lovers across the nation. Fans should keep their eyes peeled on social media for the latest news of when the taco van will be popping up next.
In 2007 following a long stint living in Mexico City, the success of winning MasterChef, and extensive travels in North America, Thomasina and Mark opened their first Wahaca in London’s Covent Garden in a bid to bring the colourful and adventurous flavours of Mexico to the UK.
Over the last decade, they have grown slowly and organically to become a family of over 20 restaurants, with further openings planned for their 10th year in London, Southampton and Scotland. Whilst innovation is key for the duo, it is the same core values that first inspired them to launch that remain at the root of the business today.
A respect for the environment and sustainability has meant the restaurant buildings and interiors are created using reclaimed materials sympathetic to the surrounding area, a respect which last year saw them become the UK’s first carbon-neutral restaurant.
A dedication to community has seen Wahaca support local suppliers such as the Cool Chile Co and Gringa Dairy in their growth and work, and with partnerships such as Brixton Brewery who they worked with to brew Lupulo, a pale ale created for the launch of their Brixton restaurant.