Today we’d like to introduce you to Ana Aguilar.
Hi Ana, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I started Tantisimo during quarantine, originally serving pastries for El Leon Dorado and Maiz De La Vida under the name Tantito Pastelito. Eventually, I began offering a savory menu and changed the name to make room for a growing idea. I began teaching myself to bake at 16, dissatisfied with almost all of the cakes I was being served at birthday parties. I made some great cakes then but didn’t think I’d come back to baking or cooking professionally until quarantine hit and the opportunity was right in front of me. It didn’t take long to see that the things I was making were making my customers as happy as they had always made me, and I began exploring ways to bring my childhood favorites to their ultimate glory. I’ve been surrounded by great Mexican food my whole life, and most recently I’ve been surrounded by great chefs in the Nashville food scene. I’ve been able to develop a menu I’m really proud. The point of Tantisimo is to do justice to the incredible ingredients we source, and the traditional foods they make up.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t think there’s a such thing as a smooth road for a small business during quarantine. There was a large learning curve diving into a new business venture and maintaining standards of quality and sustainability with so many shortages worldwide. I would say we’ve done it, but not without a few overwhelming days/weeks and a lot of help from my partner, friends, and family. I’m definitely guilty of being overambitious. I don’t want to serve anything unless it’s better than everyone else’s, and I’ve had a lot of fun not crashing and burning keeping up with all of my plans, but I’ve learned a lot of ways to restore balance to my life and my business while still doing new and creative things seasonally… I was also running this entire pop up out of my two-door coupe for a while, and that was rough.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Tantisimo is a Mexicana-owned Spanglish Shop offering street-style Mexican snacks, family recipe dinner plates, and farm-to-table pastry. We love to bring often processed ingredients, like dulce de leche and chamoy, back to their traditional glory with carefully sourced ingredients, and build delicious farm-to-table treats from there! We complement the integrity of our food with sustainable packaging and an emphasis on supporting local businesses and farms. Our menu includes staples like the Short Rib Birria Taco, but you can expect seasonal specials like shaved ice, champurrado, etc. We also love taking requests, because the world of Latin American treats is VAST and they deserve a farm-to-table spin.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
As far as Mexican food in Nashville goes, it’s going to keep getting better and better. The people in the game right now are extremely dedicated and hard-working. It’s contagious and delicious. I hope to see a Latin American pastry in every coffee shop pastry box because coffee loves pan dulce as much as it loves croissants and scones.
Contact Info:
- Email: aytantisimo@gmail.com
- Website: www.tantisimo.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/aytantisimo
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/aytantisimo
