20 May 2026
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Xóchitl Valdés started Pancho Maíz in 2019 with the goal of helping conserve the native corn varieties found on the Yucatán Peninsula.
Working with farmers across the thickly jungled region, she established an annual harvest and opened a small mill in Mérida with the bounty.
“We initially only sold tortillas and masa, with a small table where you could grab a snack while waiting for your nixtamal order,” Valdés says, referring to the treated corn product that’s the basis of much of Mexican cuisine.
In the years since, the mill has become a showcase for Valdés’ cooking savvy and network of exceptional local producers. In May, Pancho Maíz was named to the MICHELIN Guide’s inaugural selection for the state of Yucatán, and Valdés was picked as the year’s MICHELIN Guide Mexico 2026 Young Chef Award winner, presented in partnership with Reserva de la Familia.
Valdés studied gastronomy and did an internship abroad, before returning to Mexico to work with some of the country’s top chefs. She spent stints in Mexico City at Guzina Oaxaca with Chef Carlos Galán and in Mérida at Nectar with Chef Roberto Solís.
Goyita, a woman from the Mayan community Maxcanú an hour’s drive from Mérida, was the “person who helped me understand and embrace corn and its processes,” Valdés says. “She was my first teacher. I worked in the afternoons and in the morning, traveled to Maxcanú to learn from her.”
The Yucatán is notoriously hot, with even the coldest months in Mérida seeing highs just shy of 90 degrees. That can make year-round farming in the region difficult.
“Yucatán has an enormous wealth of biodiversity in its flora and fauna, culture and food culture. Unfortunately, not all of it reaches Mérida,” Valdés says.
Part of Pancho Maíz’s profits, she says, go back into the countryside to help improve the farmers’ quality of work. The menu changes throughout the year as different crops become available.
“It's incredible to see how the menu changes with each season and how the produce itself transforms,” she says. “Tender corn becomes new corn and finishes its maturation as dry corn, all through the ripening process, with different ways to enjoy it at each stage.”
One of Valdés favorite dishes to make is encacahuatadas, a bright, creamy sauce made from peanuts and chiles, with local corn and different cheeses from the region. For breakfast, Valdés likes the enfrijoladas, a set of tortillas drowned in a sauce of pink and black beans, with queso fresco, chorizo and eggs.
Both are plates straight out of her winning playbook: traditional, homestyle dishes made with the best local ingredients.
It’s a signature style that seems to keep finding success. “This year we hope to move to a larger space where we can better appreciate and enjoy the project,” she says.
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Hero image: MICHELIN Guide Mexico 2026 Young Chef Award winner Xóchitl Valdés. © Pancho Maíz
