Introduction to Martina De La Guti and Santa Maria Artisan Kitchen
Martina De la Guti learned all the recipes she now serves at her catering business, Santa Maria Artisan Kitchen, from her grandmother and her nanny. Her grandmother always said that the best moments were spent in the kitchen with good food. From a young age, De la Guti grew up offering to help her cook, and they would have her make soup or salsa or help clean the beans.
Originally from Mexico City, De la Guti moved to Dallas in 2019 and opened a business focused on serving authentic Mexican food to people who missed home. She started out by providing a weekly menu of prepared meals — a service she still offers — and then evolved the business into corporate and event catering in Grapevine.
The Story Behind Mixiotes
Every aspect of De La Guti’s relationship to food comes with a story, whether it’s a family recipe or the dishes she uses to serve it on. That includes mixiotes, one of the most traditional dishes in Mexico’s La Huasteca cuisine. Mixiote comes served in a parcel of sorts, a piece of string that’s been dyed the sauce inside poking out. It’s similar to en papillote cooking in French cuisine, without the intricate folds and with a much longer history.
Martina de la Guti, owner of Santa Maria Kitchen, poses with mixiotes, originally from the state of Hidalgo, she cooked at her home in Grapevine on Thursday, July 24, 2025. Mixiotes, which came from La Huasteca, was originally made with maguey leaf instead of the paper.
Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer
A Family Tradition
When De la Guti was a child, her grandmother would make mixiotes to thank doctors who helped save De la Guti’s grandfather. Her grandfather’s name was Miguel, and September 28 is the religious feast day of Saint Michael the Archangel. Every year, her grandmother would gather the whole family to help her prepare that dinner.
That tradition lasted for decades and was passed down to De La Guti’s mother. It wasn’t until she passed away that De la Guti’s family stopped doing it.
Nopales is placed over the salsa and pork set on paper by Martina de la Guti, owner of Santa Maria Kitchen, as she prepares Mixiotes from the state of Hidalgo at her home in Grapevine on Thursday, July 24, 2025. Mixiotes, which came from La Huasteca, was originally made with maguey leaf instead of the paper.
Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer
The History of Mixiotes
Mixiotes have a long history, and were eaten by the Aztecs more than 700 years ago. They come from La Huasteca, and are called mixiotes because that is the name given to the maguey leaf, the cuticle of the maguey, which is used to make the mixiote.
The leaf, which is a kind of agave, is what was historically used to wrap up the dish, where parchment paper is more common today. The process of harvesting the leaves starts by removing the maguey’s skin, a thin, translucent membrane. It is then left to dry, and when it is ready to be used, it is moistened so that it can be easily handled.
