Rising culinary star serves up affordable, high-end cuisine in South LA

If you love Mexican coastal cuisine there's a spot here in South Los Angeles you're going to want to check out. It's called Holbox and it was just named the Los Angeles Times Restaurant of the Year. 

"It's the name of an island off the Yucatán Peninsula, where I am from," said rising culinary star, Chef Gilberto Cetina.

It's also where Cetina discovered mariscos, long before opening up this restaurant amid the colorful food stalls of the Mercado La Paloma marketplace.

"Since I was a teenager in Mexico, I would go diving with cousins," said Cetina. "And you would take the catch and make ceviche or lobster octopus, and that was my first exposure to this sort of super fresh, out-of-the-ocean and onto the plate. It was fascinating."

Decades later, Chef Cetina is reeling in a different kind of catch. In addition to the L.A. Times award, he was just named California Chef of the Year. His 6-year-old restaurant has already received three prestigious Michelin awards, the kind usually associated with white-tablecloth dining — not counter service. 

"Only in L.A.," said Cetina. "Los Angeles diners and food media is very accepting of our casual format."

At about $25 a meal, Cetina aims to keep his delicacies affordable while also breaking the stereotype that Mexican food should be cheap. 

"We get to take these amazing ingredients that most people have only had in the context of fine dining American food or Japanese sushi restaurants," he said. 

Foodies who flock here note there's a case for aging fish, a machine that grinds corn for fresh tortillas and a menu with cold as well as hot sides. 

Cetina mastered his craft without formal culinary training and credits much of his success to a trusted mentor. 

"My dad is the only chef I have worked under," he said. 

Just about 100 yards from Holbox, Cetina's dad created a traditional Yucatán foods stand which California's best chef also runs. His dad was one of the founding members of the Mercado, a bustling food marketplace launched by a nonprofit. 

"I think this part of Los Angeles needed something to offer liquor stores and fast food restaurants," said Cetina. "Somewhere people like my parents can settle down and start a business."

Cetina's parents have now retired in Mexico, but the married father said family and heritage continue to be part of Holbox's success. His cooking has evolved in a marinade of influences from both his birthplace and Los Angeles — something customers are eating up. 

"I was glad I was able to take what my family started and maybe added a few layers onto that," said Cetina.