The People Behind Las Gemelas
YESENIA NERI DIAZ
Tortillera | Partner
The queen of tortillas and all things made from masa.
Las Gemelas are named for Yesi’s twin girls.
ROBERT AIKENS
Exec Chef | Partner
The wild eyed creator. The Brit in the Kitchen. A world class chef that never stops studying the world’s cuisines.
ROGELIO GARCIA
Butcher | Partner
The keeper of the meats. The maker of the trompo. The one who turns the lights on at 4am.
LEAH JUDSON
Creative Director
The woman behind the lens capturing our story. A connecter of people. Always chasing the light.
Notable Press
THE WASHINGTON POST
Tim Carman
Taqueria Review - “The taco is a tribute to the notion that the chef — or, in this case, the butcher — knows best.”
Photo Credit: Deb Lindsey
WASHINGTON CITY PAPER
Laura Hayes
“You want to reward people who work hard for you and contribute. Espita wouldn’t be what it is without either [Yesi or Rogelio].”
EATER
Gabe Hiatt
“Saying ‘a Mexican restaurant’ means different things to different people. Having both of them side by side allows us to very much differentiate that.”
WASHINGTONIAN
Anna Spiegel
“If you can’t escape to coastal Mexico (or anywhere) this spring, the latest restaurant from the team behind Espita Mezcaleria and Ghostburger may be the closest thing.”
EATER
“La Cosecha Gets a Coastal Mexican Kitchen Where Espita’s Chefs Flex Their Finesse”
EATER
Gabe Hiatt
15 Most Anticipated Restaurant Openings - Chefs Rob Aikens, Ben Tenner, and their team of cooks want to show off cooking and plating with more finesse to complement the twin taqueria that just opened on the opposite end of La Cosecha.
Select Recipes
We have always gotten questions about how we make our food, so we thought we’d share how we make a few of our favorite things.
Salsa Macha
Salsa Macha is a nut, seed, and oil based salsa. It is a staple of Mexican cooking and something we serve at all of our restaurants. We serve it with chips, on our avocado toast, and even on a burger at Ghostburger. It is versatile and just a wonderful condiment. The oil that results from this recipe is also an incredible flavorful oil that can be drizzled as a finishing oil on so many different dishes.
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75g toasted sesame seeds
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75g crushed toasted almonds
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75g crushed toasted peanuts
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75ml olive oil
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75ml sesame oil
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60g chopped roasted garlic
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40g sherry vinegar
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300ml canola oil
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30g seeded, toasted, and soaked chile pasilla
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18g seeded, toasted, and soaked chile guajillo
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7.5g seeded toasted and soaked chile pasilla oaxaca
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2g seeded toasted and ground chile arbol
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17g salt
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30g lime juice
Place the rehydrated chiles in a food processor and grind until coarse. Place toasted nuts in the food processor and grind until coarse. Place all ingredients in a large saucepan except lime juice and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. Add lime juice and stir. Makes 1 quart.