Original subtitles

[boxing bell rings]

MAYA RUDOLPH: Tijuana's got a rep for being a tough city.

But tough is far too broad a stroke for this border town.

Natives, tourists, and transplants alike thrive.

♪ Spanish song playing ♪

Newcomers are seizing the chance to make a mark

on a community that's eager to have them.

Yes!

Locals are carrying beloved traditions into the future.

Get him, girl.

Tijuana absorbs bits and pieces of all who pass through,

like a big bowl of ceviche soaking up citrus,

all those juicy flavors melding together to make something, oh, so beautiful,

like this luchadora kicking ass.

♪ upbeat music playing ♪

[audience applauding] [speaking in Spanish]

MAYA: This is Avenida Revolución.

♪ peppy music playing ♪

As the tourist center of the city,

it's seen a lot of shit go down over the years.

JOSE: Tijuana got built on tourism,

but in the last five years, we started focusing on ourselves.

Now the tourists, they don't want to come here to La Revolución

and take their picture with a donkey.

The tourist wants to come here and do and eat and drink what locals do.

MAYA: Josė or Joe, as most people call him,

is the visionary behind El Casimiro,

an eatery inside craft beer spot, Insurgente Taproom.

If you're three craft beers deep and starting to get a little too honest,

Josė has some snacks on tap to keep you fed.

‐ Birria, it's a traditional beef stew.

We mix the stew with cheese, we make little balls,

and we bread them in powdered tortilla.

MAYA: His dishes draw inspiration from the city's many cultures.

Like, can we talk about this juicy carnitas bao bun?

‐ We have really big Asian influence.

Six blocks away from here, we have a Korean and a Chinese market.

It's your typical carnitas taco that you find on the street.

We cook the pork in its own lard. Mexican confit.

We fry it and then we lower the heat until they're fall‐off‐the‐bone tender.

We finish it off with a little bit of raw salsa verde,

salt‐cured Persian cucumber, nice and chunky,

and just some slices of avocado on top.

Sweet bao bun with the salty carnitas,

the combination of flavors, I think it's spot on.

I want to be responsible for redefining the gastronomic scene here in my city,

because our identity is the mix of cultures.

We receive every outsider with open arms, you know? Welcome to Tijuana.

♪ Spanish song playing ♪

MAYA: Part of that welcome wagon includes Alonso here.

[Alonso speaking Spanish]

MAYA: On a typical day, 25,000 people cross from Mexico into the US,

and many more wish they could.

[both speaking in Spanish]

MAYA: Alonso grew up in Tijuana.

And even though he moved to Arizona with his family three years ago,

he comes back on the reg to work on turning this sprawling city

into an open‐air art gallery.

♪ pleasant music playing ♪

‐ This is the PedWest, is very important.

It's the new entry for United States.

MAYA: Alonso's latest project is his most ambitious yet.

PedWest.

[Alonso speaking Spanish]

ALONSO [in English]: People travel long distance for their dreams, no?

This project is for the people.

Perfect!

MAYA: Alonso comes to TJ to capture the spirit of this resilient city,

but... he also comes here for the food. [Alonso speaking Spanish]

MAYA: This is a city of tacos.

People from all across Mexico have brought their traditional recipes here,

and others have riffed on the classics.

Luckily, for Alonso, he's picked a place that does it all.

MAYA: At Tacos Del Koshy, the only rule is that it's got to taste good.

♪ upbeat music playing ♪

[Javier speaking Spanish]

[laughing]

MAYA: When our guy Javier isn't shooting the shit,

he's manning the grill.

La plancha, a vertical spit for trompo.

and the cazo for cooking hot, fatty carnitas.

He serves up local specialties, like adobada,

more widely known as al pastor.

And more unique preparations... [woman speaking]

MAYA: ...like a taco maniaco,

heaped with crackling pork rinds. [Alonso speaking in Spanish]

MAYA: Wow. Genius.

‐ Mmm. [speaking Spanish]

MAYA: Tonight, Alonso is heeding the siren call of one very special taco.

MAYA: The exotico taco,

a slab of glistening pork loin, stewed in its own juices,

piled on a fresh corn tortilla with a layer of crispy fried cheese,

and finished with a house salsa that brings the heat.

Whew!

♪

[laughing]

[laughter]

MAYA: Just like Alonso's sweeping murals,

a good taco speaks to the soul.

During prohibition,

Tijuana was like that one kid in high school

whose parents let him drink in the house.

People would hop over from the US

in search of alcohol, casinos, and horse racing,

which had all been banned across the border in California.

Some people just never left,

like Caesar Cardini, inventor of the Caesar salad.

Most people think the salad is named for the Roman guy

who got murked by pissed off coworkers on the Senate floor.

Wrong!

It was the brainchild of an Italian restaurateur

who ditched the US for Mexico in the 1920s.

♪ eerie music playing ♪

Ninety‐three years after the first Caesar salad was tossed,

Efraín continues its legacy. [Efraín speaking in Spanish]

MAYA: Wait. 110 years ago?

[all laughing]

MAYA: Even though it hasn't been a hundred years,

Efraín has still made over 40,000 of these puppies

from scratch, tableside.

MAYA: A kiss of lime juice to tie the dressing together,

a subtle Mexican touch.

MAYA: Caesar wasn't the first Tijuana transplant

to bring something new to the table.

And he won't be the last.

In recent years, a new wave of immigrants has been making its way to TJ

from all over Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.

[David speaking Spanish]

[moaning with delight]

MAYA: David runs Agua Marina, Callos de Lobina.

And though he fits in like a local,

David was actually born and raised in Haiti.

He came to Tijuana with plans to apply for a US visa.

When that process got stalled by new immigration policies,

he started to make a home here.

MAYA: Starting over, David bounced from food job to food job.

MAYA: Until he met Irma, the owner of this ceviche cart.

MAYA: That fresh Sinaloan sea bass

is what sets David's ceviche apart from other TJ carts.

Countries all over Latin America have their own versions

of this limey, salty, refreshing dish.

But that fresh sea bass kicks David's ceviche up a level.

That and a little something special.

MAYA: Yeah, the sauce is special, but I was talking about David.

[car horn honks]

MAYA: Even with all these friends, there's still someone missing.

♪ somber music playing ♪

[indistinct chatter in Spanish]

[indistinct chatter in Spanish]

[laughter]

MAYA: What do you get when you take a renowned sushi chef from Osaka...

and put them in the middle of a Mexican vineyard

supplied with local seafood? [Toshi speaking Spanish]

MAYA: Well, that was my line, but yes, you get Baja Omakase.

MAYA: Toshi's scenic setup is in Valle de Guadalupe.

Basically, the Napa Valley of Mexico,

just an hour and a half south of Tijuana.

It's a collaboration with Drew, a long‐time friend and chef...

DREW: My friend, Toshi, thinks about stuff different.

And I think about things different than Toshi.

So I think we're producing something that's celebrating Guadalupe Valley.

MAYA: ...and vineyard owner, Nathalie.

NATHALIE: My parents came here because of the wars in Europe.

In history, it's quite a new place.

So it's very exciting to be part of making a culture

and defining an identity.

MAYA: Together, these three have created

one of the most magical dining experiences in the region.

There's no written menu here.

So dinner is always a string of delectable surprises.

[makes rapid noises]

MAYA: If you're lucky,

you'll be served melt‐in‐your mouth striped bass,

dripping with yuzu, saffron butter,

or grilled citrus‐glazed quail,

topped with a soy‐cured egg yolk.

Drooling!

♪ upbeat music playing ♪

♪ music continues ♪

[people applauding]

♪ pleasant music playing ♪

MAYA: Whether you're coming from Osaka,

Switzerland, or Avenida Revolución,

Valle de Guadalupe is a place you might want to refill your glass

and stay awhile. [man speaking Spanish]

‐ Yes! Muchas gracias.

MAYA: The deepest roots in Mexico belong to corn.

A vegetable portal from ancient history to the culinary future.

♪ pleasant music playing ♪

♪ music continues playing ♪

Corn has been grown in Mexico for 10,000 years,

but the demands of commercial farming

for what's basically the wonder bread of corn...

MAN: Ooh.

MAYA: ... have left rare heirloom grains close to extinction.

‐ These are the corns that were used by Mayans, by Aztecs.

The intent is to go back to roots.

So we're just adapting them to this area.

They've never been grown here before, but now‐‐ Now, they're local.

MAYA: Wulf is a horticulturist

and a valiant corn preservationist.

The Indiana Jones of corn, if you will, with a great taste in hats.

Here in the rocky north, about an hour outside Tijuana,

you'll find a corn renaissance going down.

WULF: We're working only with original crops.

We care about quality.

This is not modified.

I'm going to tell you the experience of my first tortilla made from my corn.

We have the masa and then we make tortillas.

The experience is, like, breathtaking.

It's like, I wanted‐‐

I didn't cry, but I wanted to cry

because it's‐‐ it's‐‐ it's really a fulfilling moment.

You know that you're eating right.

‐ Mmm.

MAYA: Wulf's corn is served in the best restaurants in Tijuana.

It all begins with a process called nixtamalization.

WULF: Nixtamalization is truly important.

You're getting nutrition, you're getting minerals.

You're getting everything.

You put the corn in lime.

MAYA: Lime like the rock, not the citrus.

The corn is ground and turned into masa.

That's when the real fun begins.

When you bite into one of these masa dishes,

you're channeling centuries of tradition.

♪ upbeat music playing ♪

Like these shoe‐shaped corn patties,

slathered with spicy frijoles,

mashed avocado,

and delicate layers of salt‐cured rib eye.

Mmm. See? That's what I'm talking about.

And these are the tlacoyo,

stuffed masa pockets,

topped with a heap of smoked marlin and escabeche,

AKA pickled vegetables.

I mean, who doesn't love a pickle?

♪ upbeat music playing ♪

These greenhouses,

these are only the first phase of Wulf's master plan.

His bigger vision is to restore the Valley to its former glory

and basically change the world.

WULF: As one Indian told me once... [in Spanish]

[in English] This is a big‐ass forest,

but we removed it.

So the plan is now to reforest everything.

And we're going to change the weather.

Our bodies depend on real food, real corn.

So let's grow real good crops.

That way, everybody is going to be strong around

because they're going to be eating right.

Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food.

MAYA: Keep doing you, Wulf.

Some people in Tijuana are just passing through,

but others blow in like dandelion seeds on the wind of destiny.

Welcome to Mariscos Rubén.

[Mirtha speaking Spanish]

MAYA: Mirtha's food truck

has been parked on the corner of 8th Street and Quintana Roo

for the past 20 years.

Her seafood, which she gets from the Sea of Cortez,

is fresher than those earmuffs.

Seriously. They're pretty dope.

MAYA: Mirtha serves up tostadas,

coctel de pulpo,

and charred, grilled marlin‐stuffed tacos.

‐ Gracias.

MAYA: This seafood queen runs a tight ship,

or truck,

buying only the best for her menu.

‐ Okay.

‐ Mmm.

MAYA: Yeah, you heard her right.

Mirtha didn't get her knack for cooking from studying or family lineage.

It was divine intervention.

MAYA: To add to her litany of tacos, tostadas, and soups,

Mirtha has conjured up an army of house‐made sauces to top things off.

MAYA: Girl, that coctel de pulpo

has got to be proof of a higher power at work.

MAYA: This city may be changing,

but you can bet your culo, Mirtha ain't going anywhere.

♪ upbeat music playing ♪

MAYA: People come to Tijuana for all kinds of reasons.

For love,

for a taste of home.

For some, it's a stop on a much longer journey,

but others lay down roots here.

Rediscover ancestral traditions.

Start new ones.

Some locals call Tijuana a no man's land.

But that just means...

it's a city for anyone.

[parrot screaming]

[boxing bell rings]

WOMAN: Gracias. WAITRESS: De nada.

MAYA: Aah!

I guess this is how Lady Lee gets the energy

to hand out those cans of whoop‐ass.

[both laughing]

[boxing bell rings]