Take corn, beans, and chili peppers from Mexico, combine them with the finest caviar from California, and serve them with the same precision and ambition that have always been reserved for great French or Japanese cuisine. The result? A minor revolution. With Californios in San Francisco earning its third Michelin star, Chef Val Cantú has done what many still considered taboo: he has proven that Mexican cuisine can take its place at the head table of the global fine-dining scene, without compromise and without any inferiority complex.
Cover photo of the chef: Jo WeissGerber
The journey began in 2015 in the Mission District. From the very beginning, Cantú’s concept was not simply a reinterpretation of street food, but a cultural endeavor. Michelin inspectors still vividly recall the iconic early dishes, as described in a recent article by La Rossa: the “tres frijoles”—an exploration of three different varieties and textures of beans—or the surprising pairing of caramelized plantain and caviar. This boldness earned him his first star almost immediately and his second in 2018.
The real leap in quality, however, came with the move to the SoMa neighborhood in 2021. In the more spacious premises of the new location, the kitchen didn’t add frills—it stripped away the superfluous. The Guide’s inspectors also noted how the team has refined international techniques—incorporating touches of kombu or Japanese-style fish cooking methods such as matsukasa yaki—without ever losing the Mexican soul characterized by well-balanced heat and bold flavors. A prime example is their blue masa tostada with Dungeness crab, serrano cream, and smoked trout roe: a perfect balance between spicy kick and top-tier local ingredients.
Dispelling the Usual Prejudices: Val Cantú Speaks
For Val Cantú, who grew up surrounded by the aromas of his family’s tortilleria in Texas, this third star is above all a victory over the usual clichés that would have Mexican cuisine relegated to cheap food or confined to unchanging recipes. At first, it was an uphill battle. As the chef told the Associated Press, the early tasting menus took many customers by surprise: “A lot of people said, ‘This isn’t Mexican cuisine.’” The reason? “People think cuisine only exists in cookbooks and never changes.”
The third star changed the pace and the atmosphere within the team. Reflecting on the impact of the award with the Associated Press, Cantú admitted: "It was really rewarding to see the team play with a little more self-confidence... Maybe I’ve gained a little confidence myself.” Californios’ work dispels the classist notion that Mexican food must be cheap to be authentic. As Cantú often points out, we’re talking about one of the “most diverse and complex culinary traditions in the world,” and the new generation of chefs from the diaspora is simply claiming its rightful place in fine dining.
