for all things good is a neighborhood cafe and boutique molino*.
This project is the result of years of interest in Mexican cuisine, culture and ultimately corn. It started with the simple desire to find a good, fresh tortilla here in NYC. In the time we have spent traveling between NYC and Mexico we have seen many stark differences between NY Mexican food and Mexican food from Mexico. The detail that always stood out the most for us was the tortilla. Most of the tortillas you can find here, both in restaurants and grocery stores, are made from corn flour. This is a not too tasty, nor nutritions derivative of corn masa. Think of wonderbread vs any loaf of bread you might find at a bakery.
In our search for these tortillas we became obsessed with the process of making them. From sourcing and selecting different landraces of heirloom corn to experimenting with different methods of nixtamalizing* it. We have spent the last few years attending talks and symposiums on corn as well as taking seminars on nixtamalization. We have had the honor of spending time in the kitchens of some of the chefs who have inspired us to start this project and saw first hand how some of the best make their masa. Our hope is to take this passion and and share it with as many people as we can, humbly, through our masa and tortillas.
for all things good aims to bring high quality masa and tortillas to Bed Stuy. Along side our tortillas we will also have a small food menu of items made with our fresh masa and a focus on ingredients that are traditionally grown along side corn in the milpa* farming system. We hope to be another good example of Mexican food in NYC that goes beyond the typical fast food offerings of tacos and burritos.
We also hope to educate our costumers on the importance of supporting and maintaining a sustainable economy for heirloom corn production and consumption. Part of learning the story of corn has been learning of the dangerous position it is in. Corn has been grown and cultivated in the Americas for literally thousands of years. It has historically been a very diverse crop grown all over and by many families of farmers but now it is not so slowly being homogenized into one GMO race of sweet yellow corn. Without the demand for heirloom corn it will eventually disappear and with it we will lose one of the greatest links to the many ancient indigenous cultures that came before us.
*molino is spanish for mill but is also the word commonly used in mexico to refer to the place where corn is ground up to make fresh masa and tortillas.
*nixtamalization is the term used to describe the process where dried corn is cooked in an alkaline solution. This helps break down and remove the pericarp and also makes the niacin (vitamin b3) more bio available. This process is necessary for making tortillas.
*milpa is a traditional farming system in mexico that dates back to pre-columbian mesoamerica that consists of a variety of crops that are planted together. These crops are most commonly maize, squash, beans, and chiles but also can include avocados, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and melons.
