After cooking for some of San Antonio’s best restaurants, Carlos Martinez found a clever way to pivot when he discovered rent prices were too high for his first original concept, Nai.
Martinez kept Nai’s core idea — offering a prix-fixe dining experience focused on elevated dishes with historic Mexican influences — but added a new twist. Instead of opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant, he hosts the dinners at his own home.
Guests at Nai are all seated at the same table, and Martinez is able to accommodate most allergies with proper notice. Those interested in booking can reserve a seat on the Nai website, naisatx.com, which also has the most up-to-date menus.
Were you born in San Antonio?
I was born in Reynosa, Mexico.
What was your first restaurant job in San Antonio?
I started as a line cook at Cured in 2017. Eventually, I moved up as a sous chef. I worked at Clementine from 2018 to 2022 and at Mixtli for a brief span.
When did you want to open up Nai?
So, everything started during the pandemic. I was about to stop cooking because I was so frustrated. My wife said, “Why don’t we start cooking at our house, just for fun?” My first at-home pop-up at that time was called Maiz Cocina de Origen — which eventually became Nai. I wanted to open a brick-and-mortar for the concept for a while because my guests loved the food, but the rent and construction prices were too high for several of the locations we scoped out. My wife and I realized it would be easier to host the dinners at our house — just like when we used to cook for fun in the pandemic days. It was easier to do it this way too, because we already had our equipment.
Are you able to lower costs on the dinners then?
To be honest, the menu pricing changes depending on what we offer on our seasonal menu. Fresh ingredients are still very expensive! We do try to source as local as we can. One thing I like about hosting the dinners at our house is that we’re able to save money for a building we’ll one day own. That way we don’t have to lease from someone else.
Why Nai?
The inspiration comes from the Rarámuri people of Northern Mexico. Nai means fire, so we focus on primal flavors that symbolize the warmth of hospitality and rebirth.
What have been the most popular dishes so far?
Everybody that came to have dinner with us raved about the Caesar salad and the buñuelo dessert. One of our last guests was stoked about all of our desserts, which was nice to hear, because I’m not a formally trained pastry chef.
Do you have formal culinary training?
I went to culinary school in Mexico for a year. I didn’t have the money to train in fancy culinary schools in New York or overseas. I would study and practice from cookbooks. The school of life taught me the most!
What was a tough lesson to learn during your career?
Probably the toughest thing was that I missed a lot of birthdays and events for friends and family because of the long hours in the kitchen. It was tough to learn how to achieve that work-life balance. Nai has been so helpful in achieving that balance. My wife works close by, so I get to go pick her up, and she helps me out with the dinners.
Talk about how often Nai’s menu changes.
Normally what we want to do is a nine-, 11- or 12-course tasting menu, depending on the seasons and what’s available from local farmers. So our set amount of courses depends on what’s available.
How long does it take to make a new menu?
It takes me about two weeks to craft a new menu. Sometimes I wake up at 3 a.m. and feel inspired.
Is there anything else you’d like people to know about Nai?
I just want people to know that we’re here — we exist! I know there’s a lot of people that don’t like tasting menus because the dishes are small. I simply ask people to give us a chance.
What are some of your favorite restaurants to dine at when you’re not working?
I love Fife & Farro at the Pullman Market and Sichuan House.
What’s the go-to cocktail bar for you and your wife?
We love the Modernist.
Last cookbook you read?
It’s called Odette. It’s from a restaurant of the same name in Singapore with three Michelin stars.
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