Honoured with a Michelin Green Star in June, the city’s first zero-waste restaurant rejects the idea of ‘control, efficiency and profitability,’ its owner says
Nestled in a quiet corner in Mexico City’s trendy Condesa neighbourhood sits the vine-strewn restaurant Baldio, or barren in English. It has become a draw for its zero-waste kitchen, which means that every scrap of food and leftovers is reused for other purposes.
The restaurant, which opened in 2024 and seats 52 people, is routinely packed since it was honoured in June with a Michelin Green Star for its innovative sustainability model. Baldio’s owners say it is the first zero-waste restaurant in Mexico City. Baldio offers Mexican food with a gourmet take, such as yellow corn tamal with fermented salsa and pickles, a Mexican sweet corn salad with smoked butter sauce and cured buffalo meat, and grilled sweet onions with grasshoppers and hibiscus dressing.Pablo Usobiaga, one of Baldio’s three co-founders, said the restaurant’s name is a rejection of the idea that “control, efficiency and profitability” are the most important aspects of our lives. “It is a way of challenging the status quo of profitability and absolute control.” Fish remains are crafted into a fermented fish sauce, fruit peels are fermented into a traditional Mexican fermented beverage, and onion scraps are fermented until they turn into a powderlike seasoning. All of Baldio’s ingredients are sourced within 125 miles of the restaurant in an effort to reduce its carbon footprint. The majority come from an assortment of floating farms that sit atop an interweaving network of canals in southern Mexico City. The floating farms, known as chinampas, were created a thousand years ago when Aztec farmers built fields on lakes so they could grow food year-round.Usobiaga’s brother, Lucio, started working with farmers in the area 15 years ago to help them preserve centuries-old agricultural practices, such as using special fermentation techniques and organic fertilizers. As part of their weekly routine, Baldío’s chefs travel to Xochimilco to meet with local farmers and explore the crops. Flowers are used in negronis, warm infusions and honey-based fermented drinks. The restaurant’s menu changes every week, guided by the season and harvest. Lucio said the restaurant requires a creative spirit to constantly adapt to the changing harvest. “What drives us in the end is this excitement about doing things this way,” he said.
Canada News Breaking News Video Canadian Breaking News Breaking News Globe And Mail Breaking News Globe And Mail Canada News Photos World News Local News National News Us News Foreign News Sports News Arts News Life News Lifestyle Canada Traffic Canada Weather Trudeau Government Federal Government Canada Sports Canada Sports News Politics Politics News Political News Political Opinion Environment Economy Technology Education Travel Canada Alberta Bc British Columbia Manitoba Ontario Quebec Nova Scotia Pei New Brunswick Newfoundland And Labrador Nunavut Northwest Territories Yukon Globe And Mail
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Inuit artist Surusilutu Ashoona is honoured posthumously in a solo show for the first timeFor one AGO curator, showing Surusilutu’s art is a way of addressing Wieland’s approach to the North while recognizing a neglected artist
Read more »
Madisson Cobb honoured at domestic violence symposium | Watch News Videos OnlineAn event aimed at drawing attention to intimate partner violence became even more impactful after the murder of a 23-year-old Okotoks woman. Voices Against Domestic Violence was already in the works when Madisson Cobb lost her life, July 19, 2025. Organizers say her death highlights the need for stronger laws and better supports for victims.
Read more »
Ozzy Osbourne will be honoured with a funeral procession in his hometown of BirminghamThe city of Birmingham in England announced on Tuesday that it is planning “to pay its final respects to one of its most cherished cultural icons Ozzy Osbourne as his cortege and family visit Broad Street in the city that he loved” on Wednesday, July 30.
Read more »
Ozzy Osbourne to be honoured with funeral procession in Birmingham, EnglandThe 'No More Tears' singer's body will be brought back to his hometown of Birmingham for a procession that'll make its way to the Black Sabbath Bridge.
Read more »
B.C. physician honoured for 'visionary' organ transplant workDr. Paul Anthony Keown honoured by Clinical Trials BC for decades of leadership and advocacy
Read more »
Guillermo del Toro, Jodie Foster to be honoured at this year’s TIFF Tribute AwardsGuillermo del Toro and Jodie Foster are among those set to receive special honours at the 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival.
Read more »