Marylebone restaurant Cavita has introduced a new menu and culinary direction shaped by founder Adriana Tonakaziwatl’s recent travels through Mexico and the Amazon.

Previously known as Adriana Cavita, the chef now uses the name Tonakaziwatl, which was given to her by a teacher during a spring solstice ceremony in Xochimilco. She says the Nahuatl name refers to the sun uniting feminine and masculine energies.

Tonakaziwatl spent time with farmers, artisans, traditional cooks and Indigenous communities during her travels. The experience has prompted a greater focus at Cavita on regional Mexican traditions, ancestral ingredients and the cultural origins of its dishes.

Developed with the restaurant’s female-led kitchen team, the menu combines Mexican ingredients with seasonal British produce. Dishes draw inspiration from traditional recipes, landscapes and ceremonies, while placing greater emphasis on biodiversity, provenance and whole-product use.

Corn remains central to the restaurant’s cooking. Cavita uses heirloom, non-GMO varieties and prepares them through nixtamalisation, the traditional process in which dried corn is cooked and soaked before being ground. The restaurant says its sourcing supports agricultural biodiversity and small-scale producers.

The new direction follows Tonakaziwatl’s experiences with traditional plant medicine and ceremonial practices, which she says encouraged her to view food as a source of nourishment, memory and connection.

Outside the restaurant, she is working with small Indigenous communities on projects involving water education, land preservation, waste reduction and environmentally conscious sanitation and cleaning products.

Her journey has also inspired a forthcoming documentary, El Camino de Cavita, exploring the people, landscapes and ancestral traditions behind Mexican gastronomy.

Cavita is located on Wigmore Street in Marylebone. Its downstairs bar, MAYA, focuses on mezcal and music.