James, Mexico City Correspondent

CB Mexico City correspondent James has lived in the Mexican capital since 2000. He has a degree in experimental nuclear physics and has been published too often. He is a writer now for 13 years. He loves Mexico City and finding its hidden edible treasures.

Liz, Mexico City Walk Leader

Born and raised in Mexico City, Liz brings her experience as a journalist, passionate eater and home-cook to the Culinary Backstreets team. Living for years in the Centro Historico, she gained intimate knowledge and personal relationships throughout the iconic markets, taco stands and cantina of the city. She loves cats, studying languages, writing fiction and most of all, exploring the backstreets of her city. Not a picky eater, Liz says, “Si se arrastra, corre, camina o vuela, a la cazuela.” (If it crawls, runs, walks or flies, in the pot it goes).

Lydia, Mexico City Correspondent
Lydia is a freelance writer and translator based out of Mexico City. Her work has been published by publications including Delta Sky magazine, Hemispheres, Afar.com, The New Worlder, Mexico News Daily, International Living and Luxury Latin America, among others. Lydia has been blogging and writing in Mexico for over a decade and is the author of Mexico City Streets: La Roma.

Megan, Mexico City Correspondent
Megan is an independent writer, photographer and translator specializing in stories about ethical travel, sustainability, history, culture and food. She has a history in newsroom journalism and non-profit management in Detroit, Michigan.

Nuria, Mexico City Walk Leader
Nuria was born and raised in Mexico City. As long as she can remember, her favorite places have been kitchens with the smell of fresh coffee and ingredients cooking in pots. On both sides of her family, cooking has been among the most cherished traditions, and this evolved into loving the stories behind food for Nuria. She studied Social Anthropology and occasionally writes poetry. She feels very lucky to live in one of the most vibrant cities in the world, particularly because Mexico City has a way of communicating its fascinating history and boundless memory through food.

Paco, Mexico City Lead Guide

Francisco de Santiago (“Paco”) is a Mexico City native who has a deep passion for his country’s cuisine. He is also sort of renaissance man — a former champion chess player, bullfighter and more recently, a professional gastro-guide. But these days, Paco focuses on the antojitos, or little culinary cravings of his hometown, which are a hallmark of a culinary tour of the city with him.

PJ, Mexico City Photographer

PJ, a California native, is a photographer and filmmaker based in Mexico City. He studied sculpture, photography, and video at the Rhode Island School of Design earning his BFA in 2008. After living in Rome and New York City, PJ moved to Mexico City in 2009 where he has lived and worked ever since. In 2012, he and some fellow food-lovers founded the food project Pichón, a pop-up restaurant inspired by Mexico City’s local ingredients and culinary traditions. With Pichón andnow CB, PJ has produced numerous documentary photo and video projectsconcerning Mexico’s rich and diverse culture of food. His images have appeared in Vice (USA), Vice México, I-D México, L’Officiel Art (Fance), Revista Animal (Mexico), Uncube Magazine (Germany), Hoja Santa (Mexico), American Suburb X (USA), Esquire (Russia), and others.

Ricardo, Mexico City Walk Leader

Ricardo is a proud native of Mexico City and passionate ecological conservationist. In addition to leading tours, he heads up a project in Xochimilco which assists farmers working in this ancient agricultural territory. Over the past decade, he has built a close relationship with the farming community and gained an intimate knowledge of the inner workings of this fascinating site.