Olivia Lopez is chef and co-owner of Molino Olōyō in Dallas, TX. Founded in 2021, the business specializes in products and dishes fashioned from nixtamal Olivia makes from heirloom corn grown in Mexico — including tortillas, tamales, tetelas and tlacoyos. Frequent pop-ups at local restaurants offer other dishes as well, depending on the season. Olivia also cooks private dinners using outstanding seasonal produce grown at Pequeño Farms — the small farm owned by her partner, Jonathan Percival.

Born and raised in the town of Tecomán, on Mexico’s west coast in the state of Colima (south of Puerta Vallarta), Olivia grew up shopping in the markets with her grandmother, Margarita, and helping her cook. She began cooking professionally when she moved to Dallas as a young adult, beginning at Craft Dallas (the erstwhile restaurant in the W Hotel), and then working in a number of esteemed Dallas restaurants including CBD Provisions, Americano and Mirador. Prior to founding Molino Olōyō she was Chef de Cuisine at Billy Can Can, Dallas’ renowned modern Texas saloon.

Cooks Without Borders’ first Cuisine Expert, Olivia began collaborating with us in 2020, when we featured her Aguachile, Colima-Style in a story.