In 2014, chefs Daniela Soto-Innes and Enrique Olvera opened Cosme—an acclaimed restaurant in New York City inspired by their native Mexico. Only nine years earlier, Soto-Innes started her first professional job in the food industry: cleaning lettuce and cutting strawberry tops at a Marriott hotel outside of Houston. Now a James Beard award winner, she maintains the tenacious attitude that propelled her to this point, accompanied by equal doses of playfulness and warmth. It’s a necessary balance for a healthy kitchen, she says, while reminiscing about early food memories and explaining how creating a menu is a bit like a romantic date.

What are some of your strongest food-related memories? Mexican cinnamon and toasted corn—that’s my childhood. Everyone in Mexico relates to that. ...