A holiday abroad can sometimes turn into an existential crisis when those nagging questions—why don’t I live here? Could I work here? What if I started a new life here?—creep in. Most of the time these musings are wishful thinking and nothing more. For Eric Werner and Mya Henry, however, the idea of uprooting to a faraway place quickly became very real. On a vacation to Tulum, Mexico, in 2009, the husband-and-wife team decided with firm conviction that the next time they returned it would be for good. In 2010 the chefs, at the time both working in restaurants in New York City, came back and signed the paperwork that sealed the deal: They would open a restaurant called Hartwood on a 3,000-square-foot plot in the beachside jungle of Tulum.
Now, after years of amassing culinary praise from highly respected food critics and chefs like Alice Waters and René Redzepi, Werner and Henry are releasing a book today, Hartwood: Bright, Wild Recipes From the Edge of the Yucatán, that tells their story and reveals some of their most unique recipes and techniques. Using only local fare from the fisherman and farmers whom they’ve grown close with in the area, Werner and Henry create loosely Mexican-inspired dishes—though you won’t find chips and guacamole here. What you will find is beautifully plated menu items like a signature jicama salad, papaya empanadas, fresh catches of the day like mahimahi or Caribbean lobster, and pork ribs marinated in agave. They utilize traditional herbs like epazote and avocado leaf, and make their own roasted oils from garlic, chile, and onion.
Like the more simple life these chefs chose to live in Tulum, the idea of the food at Hartwood is about slowing down, appreciating the layers of taste, and understanding the origins of the ingredients in each dish. As Redzepi writes in the book’s forward, “It makes me happy and a bit jealous when I think about the fact that they did all this by leaving the big city behind and finding their own path.” Doing what you love in the middle of paradise? Anyone would be envious.
For those who can’t take off and head to the beach, here are two recipes straight from Hartwood’s new book to give you a taste of Tulum—and maybe make you feel a little inspired, too.
A holiday abroad can sometimes turn into an existential crisis when those nagging questions—why don’t I live here? Could I work here? What if I started a new life here?—creep in. Most of the time these musings are wishful thinking and nothing more. For Eric Werner and Mya Henry, however, the idea of uprooting to a faraway place quickly became very real. On a vacation to Tulum, Mexico, in 2009, the husband-and-wife team decided with firm conviction that the next time they returned it would be for good. In 2010 the chefs, at the time both working in restaurants in New York City, came back and signed the paperwork that sealed the deal: They would open a restaurant called Hartwood on a 3,000-square-foot plot in the beachside jungle of Tulum.
Now, after years of amassing culinary praise from highly respected food critics and chefs like Alice Waters and René Redzepi, Werner and Henry are releasing a book today, Hartwood: Bright, Wild Recipes From the Edge of the Yucatán, that tells their story and reveals some of their most unique recipes and techniques. Using only local fare from the fisherman and farmers whom they’ve grown close with in the area, Werner and Henry create loosely Mexican-inspired dishes—though you won’t find chips and guacamole here. What you will find is beautifully plated menu items like a signature jicama salad, papaya empanadas, fresh catches of the day like mahimahi or Caribbean lobster, and pork ribs marinated in agave. They utilize traditional herbs like epazote and avocado leaf, and make their own roasted oils from garlic, chile, and onion.
Like the more simple life these chefs chose to live in Tulum, the idea of the food at Hartwood is about slowing down, appreciating the layers of taste, and understanding the origins of the ingredients in each dish. As Redzepi writes in the book’s forward, “It makes me happy and a bit jealous when I think about the fact that they did all this by leaving the big city behind and finding their own path.” Doing what you love in the middle of paradise? Anyone would be envious.
For those who can’t take off and head to the beach, here are two recipes straight from Hartwood’s new book to give you a taste of Tulum—and maybe make you feel a little inspired, too.