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María Elena Lugo Zermeño and Gerardo Vázquez Lugo have been named as the joint winners of The Diners Club® Lifetime Achievement Award ahead of Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants 2018 awards ceremony.
The mother and son duo from Nicos restaurant in Mexico City have been nominated for the award in recognition of their family's dedication to Mexican cuisine on a global level for more than five decades.
In their landmark family restaurant, listed at #29 on Latin America's 50 Best in 2017, Maria Elena and her architect turned chef son, Gerardo Vasquez Lugo preserve Mexican heritage with their winning home cooked dishes. Enchiladas and organic pork marinated with chilli, brown sugar and chocolate being just a couple of menu highlights in the 85 cover restaurant which Maria Elena first opened with her late husband in 1957.
Gerardo and María Elena have more recently influenced food culture in Mexico city with the opening of organic food shop, La Nicolasa, and Fonda Mayora, a modern spot serving traditional recipes with a contemporary twist as well as Gerardo's brain child Maizajo, a mill and tortillería preserving heirloom corn varieties.
Speaking of the win a surprised María Elena told Latin America's 50 Best “I thought that no one knew, that no one noticed Nicos. But maybe the problem was that I wasn’t seeing it, that it was so everyday for me that I didn’t think it was relevant. But others did notice our work. So thank you, thank you, thank you.”
The duo will receive the award on Tuesday 30th October in Bogotá, Colombia during Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants awards ceremony.
Get ready, as we prepare to bring you news and live updates from the night!
