Wednesday, August 11, 2010

The Modern Brit: An Irishman Who Serves Mexican Food in a Caribbean Community.

Grant Winters (above, right)prepares and sells tacos and other Mexican cuisine at his outdoor kitchen at Hootananny's, a dancehall and live music venue in Brixton.

A native of Ireland who was trained in New York City, Winters advocates for the flavors from South of the Border, usually with reggae and ska music blaring in the background.

“Man, people’s perception of Mexican food - even in the States - is horrendous,” Winters explains, excitedly thrusting his hands in the air. “You can’t just slap Mexican food with tacos. What about the soups, the stews, the way they cleverly use chilies? In our kitchen we presently have 19 different types of pepper to produce the food that we do. About three are hot, the rest are used for flavor. Americans, all they seem to know is chipotle, chilies and jalapenos. Fuck that, what about the rest of them?”

- Text and image by Grace Dickinson.

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