Flor de Maiz Aims for Oaxacan Gold

Carlos Luna’s Latest Endeavor Serves Mole and More on the Santa Barbara Waterfront

Flor de Maiz general manager Hector Arellano presents a plate of mole-soaked enchiladas. | Credit: Matt Kettmann

A massive state on the southern coast of Mexico, Oaxaca extends from the mountainous, mezcal-making valleys that surround its colorful capital to the tropical jungles of Huatulco. That range allows a breadth of fruits and vegetables to thrive, making modern Oaxacan cuisine as fascinating as any on the planet. Today, visitors can lunch for $3 on wood-fired tlayudas in a shaded plaza and then head to a garden courtyard to spend $100 on a tasting menu dinner from Mexico’s best chef, whose mind-bending dishes manage to honor tradition. 

But, like California, another land blessed with a bevy of meats, fruits, and vegetables, it’s impossible to pigeonhole Oaxacan cuisine into a tidy box — aside from the preponderance of mole, although that too can readily be found elsewhere today. At its best, Oaxacan cuisine is vast, seasonal, and ingredient-driven, providing cooks and consumers alike more of a rough outline than a paint-by-numbers protocol. 

Embracing that framework is Flor de Maiz, the latest restaurant by Carlos Luna, who founded the first Los Agaves on Milpas Street in 2008. A dozen years later, Luna’s empire includes five locations in both Santa Barbara and Ventura counties as well Santo Mezcal on Lower State Street.

As a free community newspaper, we must evolve to thrive in the digital space. If our reporting on Santa Barbara County matters to you, we hope you will support the Independent through a digital subscription to Independent.com. Breaking news, critical content, and our print publication will always remain free.

Transact payments script could not be loaded

Transact.io respects your privacy, does not display advertisements, and does not sell your data.

To enable payment or login you will need to allow third party scripts from transact.io.

Cookies are disabled

Transact.io respects your privacy, does not display advertisements, and does not sell your data.

To enable purchase or subscriptions you will need to enable cookies.

Login

Please note this login is to submit events or press releases. Use this page here to login for your Independent subscription

Not a member? Sign up here.