Draft:Máximo Bistrot

Máximo Bistrot
Graphic logo with the text "Máximo"
Photograph of the exterior of a building
The restaurant's exterior, 2024
Map
Restaurant information
Established2011
Owner(s)Eduardo García and Gabriela López
Head chefEduardo García
Food type
Street addressAvenida Álvaro Obregón 65 Bis, Roma, Cuauhtémoc
CityMexico City
Postal/ZIP Code06700
CountryMexico
Coordinates19°25′29.2″N 99°09′34.4″W / 19.424778°N 99.159556°W / 19.424778; -99.159556
Websitewww.maximobistrot.com.mx/en/

Máximo Bistrot is a fine dining restaurant in Colonia Roma, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City, Mexico, that serves contemporary Mexican cuisine. It is owned by chef Eduardo García and his wife, Gabriela López, who opened it in 2011.

Description

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History

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Eduardo García was born in Mexico around 1977, but his family immigrated illegally to California when he was a child. García started working in various restaurants as a dishwasher. Eventually, he began selling drugs to the staff. In the 1990s, a cousin asked him for help transporting him to commit a robbery at a liquor store. García surrendered to the police and was sentenced to four years for aggravated assault. Immigration became aware of his situation in the country and deported him in 2000. Two weeks later, he returned to the United States illegally after his father was diagnosed with cancer. During his second stay, his father died, and his son Maximo was born. He started working in a restaurant in Georgia after lying on his resume and falsifying his Social Security card, ultimately receiving promotions until he became a chef. In 2007, he was deported again and informed that if he returned to the U.S., he would be arrested and charged with federal offenses. After that, Maximo's mother has not allowed him to communicate with García.[1][2]

 
Exterior of Em (pictured in 2024), which operates in the building previously occupied by Máximo Bistrot

He arrived in Los Cabos Municipality, Baja California Sur, and later moved to Mexico City and worked as head chef at Pujol from 2007 to 2010, where he met Gabriela López, his future wife. In 2011, he requested a loan from an uncle and opened Máximo Bistrot.[1][2] García and López opened it in November 2011 with four employees at Tonalá Street, in Colonia Roma, Cuauhtémoc.[1][3] In his 2012 review for Letras Libres, Alonso Ruvalcaba compiled multiple contemporary critiques describing the food as made with high-quality, seasonal, and uncomplicated national ingredients, noting that the menu changed daily, comparing it to a fonda, a cheap restaurant. Ruvalcaba mentions that the decor, considered simple and unkempt by those reviewers, featured a tri-colored cement mosaic floor, furniture inspired by the works of architect Luis Barragán, and included an image of a tree of life, where candles replaced the biblical figures.[3]

On 27 April 2013, Andrea Benítez, the daughter of Humberto Benítez Treviño, head of Mexico's Office of the Federal Prosecutor for the Consumer (PROFECO), arrived at Máximo Bistrot without a reservation. She argued with López and insisted on being seated. López declined, explaining that there was a list of people with reservations and that she would need to wait. Benítez became upset and threatened to close the restaurant, a power that PROFECO holds. López maintained her stance and refused to comply. Later that day, PROFECO inspectors closed the restaurant, citing an unclear reservation system and not mentioning the amount of alcohol served on the menu. A video of the incident went viral, highlighting concerns about the incident's abuse of power, leading to calls for Benítez Treviño's resignation. Andrea was also given the nickname "Lady PROFECO".[4][5][6] On 3 May, PROFECO removed the suspension seals, stating that the restaurant was never closed by the authorities and had remained closed by its owners.[7] A few weeks later, Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong, Secretary of the Interior, dismissed Benítez Treviño by order of president Enrique Peña Nieto.[8] Six other public servants were sanctioned for their involvement.[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Trebay, Guy (25 February 2017). "Eduardo García's Path: Migrant Worker, Convict, Deportee Star Chef". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  2. ^ a b Guerrero, Héctor (31 August 2024). "El chef Eduardo García: 'Los mexicanos tenemos esa pinche mentalidad de que trabajamos para el de arriba'" [The Chef Eduardo García: 'Mexicans have that fucking mentality that we work for those above us.']. El País (in Spanish). Mexico City. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  3. ^ a b Ruvalcaba, Alonso (3 November 2012). "Máximo Bistrot: reseña de reseñas" [Máximo Bistrot: A Review of Reviews]. Letras Libres (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  4. ^ Cave, Damien (29 April 2013). "Bad Reviews for Patron at Restaurant in Mexico". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  5. ^ Calderón, Verónica (5 May 2013). "El caso de Lady Profeco aviva la polémica sobre el tráfico de influencias en México" [The Case of Lady Profeco Stirs Controversy Over Influence Peddling in Mexico]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  6. ^ "Retira Profeco sellos del Bistrot, 'que nunca estuvo clausurado'" [Profeco Removes Seals from Bistrot, 'which was never shut down']. Quadratin. Mexico City. 2 May 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  7. ^ "Reabre el Máximo Bristot; Profeco rechaza clausura" [Máximo Bristot Reopens; Profeco Rejects Closure]. Aristegui Noticias (in Spanish). 3 May 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  8. ^ "México: destituyen al papá de "Lady Profeco"" [Mexico: Father of "Lady Profeco" is dismissed]. BBC News (in Spanish). 15 May 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  9. ^ Avilés, Karina (26 July 2013). "Por el caso de 'Lady Profeco' se sancionó a siete funcionarios" [Seven Officials Were Sanctioned in the 'Lady Profeco' Case.]. La Jornada (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 November 2024.
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Category:2011 establishments in Mexico Category:Colonia Roma Category:Restaurants established in 2011 Category:Restaurants in Mexico City