Behind the curtain of Gilberto Cetina's Holbox, The L.A. Times' 2023 Restaurant of the Year

Gilberto Cetina is the chef and owner of Holbox, the Los Angeles Times 2023 Restaurant of the Year. On this episode, Cetina traces the journey that brought him to where he is today. We talk about the dreaded childhood chore that was helping his family make tamales to sell at church, his adolescence spent spearfishing with his cousins on the Yucatan peninsula, the experience that was opening the family’s first restaurant, Chichen Itza, and what he learned from a failed expansion into a second location. The story culminates, of course, with the opening of Holbox, and Chef Cetina is very generous in letting us see behind the curtain to learn more about the magic behind some of his most iconic dishes. 

Helpful links:

Holbox website https://www.holboxla.com/#/

Holbox on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/holboxlosangeles/

Chichen Itza https://www.chichenitzarestaurant.com/

LA Times names Holbox 2023 Restaurant of the Year https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2023-06-13/gilberto-cetina-holbox-los-angeles-times-2023-restaurant-of-the-year