The North Fork loves Cheo Avila.
The Venezuelan-born chef, who made a name for himself in Greenport with the tropical Asian-skewed Kontiki restaurant, as well as the Mediterranean Gallery Café, has become synonymous in the area with creative cuisine. After working as the chef of Minnow at the Galley Ho and Nookies — spots where his talents shone but where he was not in ultimate control of the menus — Avila has returned to his recipe-building roots with Maize, a pop-up empanada concept that’s unsurprisingly a hit after just a few weeks.
“All the time, so many people are asking me about Kontiki,” Avila says. “People are always asking, ‘What about Kontiki?’ This is a way of going back to that…I got the feeling that I am at my best when I do my flavors, my food,” says Avila, who notes that while he enjoyed working at Minnow and Nookies, he feels most passionate about designing his own menus.
Avila began developing the idea for a type of cuisine that could “be carried.” He created Maize, a new brand of empanadas, as something small-scale but extremely flavorful.
“They’re easy to make and it’s a good product to do fast,” says Avila.
Photos by Doug Young
The empanadas are made using Harina P.A.N., a brand of corn flour that originates from Venezuela.
“It must be that flour or it’s not legit,” says Avila. “[P.A.N.] is a Venezuelan institution.”
The flavors are incredibly varied, including cheesy potato, plantain, curried chicken and shrimp, chicharron, beet, fish, and short rib, each with its own sauce. The short rib empanada is inspired by a popular Kontiki dish, while other flavors are inspired by the cuisine of other countries where Avila has traveled, including Mexico, India, Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey. The chicharron empanada, for example, is inspired by Mexico, while the chicken empanada has Indian flavors. He also took inspiration from his sister, Vanessa Avila, who owns Freskaderia, an empanada and fish market in Venezuela.
Avila makes the empanadas in Cutchogue at Nofo Baker and has been hosting the Maize pop-ups in spots like Lumber + Salt (5570 Sound Ave., Jamesport) and Little Creek Oysters (Bootleg Alley, 37 Front St., Greenport), both of which he describes as good pop-up partners, and plans to continue hosting pop-ups throughout the summer. Lumber + Salt even helped build some of Maize’s wooden signs and logos, which he brings with him to each event.
The chef hopes Maize will grow into something as beloved as Kontiki, but he doesn’t envision a large restaurant.
“I would like to develop this brand,” says Avila. “You never know what doors are going to open. I would like it to be a wholesale situation, but if [Maize] ends up being a store, that’s also great. I think restaurants are really complex and have too many variables…my plan for the future is maybe wholesale, but I’d love to create a quick-service food place that’s going to give you the warmth and quality of the restaurant but [faster].”
But that’s a long-term goal. For now, Avila is enjoying getting his signature quirky and unique creations out to the North Fork.
“I feel so fortunate for the level of support I have,” says Avila. “That’s why I’ve been [on the North Fork] for so long. This is my home.”
Check out where Maize will pop up next on Instagram.
