Carlos Ordaz-Nunez went from working on his parents' Virginia farm, to managing a series of successful pop-up events, to opening his dream restaurant TBT El Gallo in Richmond in one year.

A pandemic year in which he learned a lot about his food and himself.

"What I've learned [during the last year] is to love who I am and what I cook and to really embrace that and not pigeonhole myself or put myself in a box and not be like, 'yo, this is Mexican cuisine, you have to do this, or this is Southern cuisine and you have to do this.' For me to accept my perspective of my culinary influences and to do food the way I want to do it," Ordaz-Nunez said about his new venture. "

We encourage you to try his food -- but order ahead of time  -- to ensure you get what you want.

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