Edgar Rico
Nixta Taqueria | Austin
NOVEMBER 2023
Between trips to Mexico with his family and growing up in Visalia, California, deep in the state’s Central Valley, food culture surrounded Edgar Rico from a young age. His neighbors would drop off cases of vegetables that didn’t sell, and Rico would look to The Food Network to find new ways of processing 25 pounds of zucchini. And when a sports injury at age 17 sidelined him, he found his way to the kitchen of a steakhouse in his neighborhood. The chef there had attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, and suggested that Rico apply. After eight months at the steakhouse, Rico enrolled at CIA and moved across the country. While at school, he externed at Tom Colicchio’s Craft in Los Angeles and was hired full time in 2010.
While he was at Craft, Rico had an inspiring meal at the offal-focused concept, Animal. He knocked on the back door, and while Animal wasn’t looking for cooks, the group was about to open Son of a Gun, where Rico joined the opening team. He spent five years with owners and Rising Stars alums Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, helping them open Trois Mec. He then did a stint at Sqirl in Silver Lake, before eventually staging at the Mexico City fine dining destination, Pujol. In 2016, Rico moved to Austin where he met his wife, and the duo went on to open up Nixta Taqueria in 2019. And while Nixta’s food is celebrated, it’s Rico and his team’s community efforts that stand out. Not only is the restaurant’s large outdoor space designed to be used as a pop-up and performance space for the staff and community members, but Nixta also serves as the pilot location for the ATX Free Fridge Project. Rico has built partnerships with local businesses, grocery stores, and his neighbors to go above and beyond to serve the needs of the community.
