Matt Diaz
Chef/Owner, For All Things Good | Brooklyn
December 2020
Before Matt Diaz and Carlos Macías were masa masters, they met studying in Argentina. They became fast friends, sharing an interest in Latin American culture and food. Diaz’s background is in anthropology and enology, and Macías comes from architecture. (He worked for the secretary of agrarian, territorial and urban development in Mexico.) They visited each other and devoured loads of tacos, quesadillas and tetelas together along the way. But the friends noticed a key component missing in the Big Apple: high-quality corn and tortillas.
Diaz and Macías became obsessed with heirloom corn and the economics around producing it. They attended talks and symposiums on corn and nixtamalization, a process that involves cooking and soaking corn in a highly alkaline solution that makes the nutrients digestible. Macías’ own family used to grow corn but lost their farm because it was no longer sustainable; the two realized that heirloom corn would continue to die out without a market to support it.
They founded For All Things Good in July, starting with pop-ups, collaborations and Instagram sales. At their Bed-Stuy molino and cafe, guests can buy masa, eat fine tortillas, and learn about sustainability. Diaz and Macías hope to one day offer classes in the neighborhood and expand their business outside of New York.
