07/09/2024
Welcome to the Bywater Acamaya!
"Acamaya’s design, too, is meant to help introduce this image of Mexico to American diners. Architecture and interior design firm Farouki Farouki and Kalimera Construction helped execute Castro’s vision for texture (like lime wash, matte black tile, and carved stone), craftsmanship, and the “expression of volume” that shows the elegance of Mexican culture, Castro says. The cups, flatware, plates, tile, tables, chairs, and light fixtures are all from Mexico City. She flew back to the U.S. with a carved stone mushroom lamp on her shoulder, and rented a U-Haul at the border to bring back the breeze wall. “This is the Mexico I want people to know,” she says.
“I feel like I’m making a statement, both with the food and the space. I love New Orleans, I want to stay here for as long as the city will have me, and I wanted to open a restaurant that it deserves,” Castro says.
The James Beard Award-nominated chef’s first solo restaurant following Lengua Madre is New Orleans’s biggest opening of the year.
