How Olivia López’s Dedication to Corn and Community Have Guided Her Journey

As part of our partnership with Bumble in support of our Women’s Leadership Programs, the James Beard Foundation helped select women-run businesses across the country to host Bumble IRL events throughout 2023.

To help spotlight the chefs involved, we sat down with Olivia López, a 2023 James Beard Award semifinalist and emerging leader paving the way for ancient Mexican ingredients and techniques in the Texas culinary scene. López, alongside her partner Jonathan, brought the catering and pop-up concept, Molino Olōyō, to James Beard Award semifinalist Las Almas Rotas for a Bumble IRL event this past Hispanic Heritage Month.

Read on to learn more about López’s inspiring journey—from first meeting farmers in her home state of Colima, Mexico, to starting her own nixtamalization process, to getting the keys to her commercial kitchen.

James Beard Foundation: Let's start with how you got involved with Bumble IRL. Why was hosting a Bumble IRL event special for you?

OL: My partner, Jonathan, and I met through Bumble. He is the other part of [our] business—he’s the farmer and has been very supportive. The fact that [Bumble IRL] is about getting people together with the main goal to chat and experience a sense of community and sharing—that’s what we’re all about. We did the event at a small mezcalería, Las Almas Rotas, where we host events. And the funny thing is that Jonathan and I love going to that place!

JBF: What inspired you to become a chef?

Olivia López: My grandmother. I grew up in a single [parent] household with my mother raising us and I was very close to my grandmother, who loved cooking. She owned a space in the local market in Mexico, so that connection with food has always been there for me. I was the person that used to run her errands to the market each morning [after] she retired, and she was very strict. But that also engraved something important in me, which is [principles of] quality and discipline.

JBF: What sparked your interest in ancient Mexican culinary traditions, and how have they shaped your own journey as a chef?

OL: That’s what got me into cooking. I wasn’t able to afford cooking school in Mexico and ended up coming here to do my traditional French training. When I was [around] 27 and felt I had reached my goals, a mentor asked me: “what is it that you want to show?” That’s what got me thinking that I want to do Mexican food, and everyone said “no, this isn’t going to work.”

I held myself back from starting my project for about two, three years until I decided it doesn't matter if it’ll work or not—I need to do something about it. I quit the really nice job I had, sold everything, and went back to Mexico.

I was there for six months, visiting small farmers in my region and getting to know more about this community that I wasn’t aware of, and all the varietals of heirloom corn. That pushed me to [see] that these are my roots. There are 20 varietals of heirloom corn that grow between southern Jalisco and northern Colima, the state that I'm from. Being able to buy those varietals from the [local] families has been my goal since the beginning. It's very important to them that the food and the corn is utilized with respect and integrity. So, when I came back, I had a mission.

JBF: How did you decide to “make a move” and start your own business, Molino Olōyō?

OL: When I started Molino Olōyō, I was chef de cuisine at another restaurant but was already buying equipment and dedicating my days off to corn. In 2021, I got COVID, and it was really bad. I had long COVID for four months and had to stop working. During that time, I was sitting at home—seeing my mill, seeing the corn—but it was me who wasn’t capable of doing it anymore.

After taking time to recover, I was able to go back to my job, but [I] didn’t and thought: “what about this?” It was a wake-up call [to] not wait any longer. Things started lining up, like a Rising Stars Award nomination, and a commercial space that became available within days.

With our concept, it wasn’t easy to [approach] investors. We had to start proving that there was space in the market for Molino Olōyō. After selling tamales and tortillas, [we’re now] able to do restaurant takeovers and tasting menus. I’m happy that we cover the entire spectrum—yesterday we were selling tacos on the street and the day before we did a 14-person tasting dinner—and [that I can share] Mexican food and what it means to me. The best thing someone can tell me is that the food and flavors remind them of home.  

JBF: How has your local community responded to your mission?

OL: I didn’t want to start [the business] with something people were unfamiliar with. I knew that tortillas, tamales, and sauces were going to make people comfortable and that is what opened the door to everything. We have a small farm, where most of our produce comes from, and that allows us to showcase the seasonality within tamales. We bring heirloom corn and beans from Mexico and cacao from Costa Rica and have started producing our own chocolate—an ancestral tradition in South American cuisine. It was a great response and still is. We are very thankful because there were many, many “no”s, and I took the risk.

JBF: What has been your proudest moment as a chef/owner so far?

OL: Getting the keys for this kitchen and receiving the news that we were James Beard Award [semifinalists]. You never imagine that you’ll be taken into account without having a restaurant or storefront. And, that the community is enjoying our food. These are really proud moments.

Learn more about our Women’s Leadership Programs and how they help support emerging leaders like chef Olivia.

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Yasmin Hariri is branded content manager at the James Beard Foundation.