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Photos by Olaf Growald
Nathanael Gassett
Wero
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provided by Nathanael Gassett
Wero
Wero and best friend Damián Labarrère stuffing their faces in Mexico City.
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provided by Nathanael Gassett
Paella
The aftermath of a paella party at Wero’s house.
Nathanael Gassett is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed white guy from Mississippi — not exactly the type of person one would expect to see standing at the counter of a taqueria, ordering tacos de trompo and a gringa campechana, and speaking seamless, fluent Spanish.
It’s equally surprising that henever lived in Mexico, nor did he grow up in a Spanish-speaking home. Instead, around college age, a family from Mexico came to work on his parents’ house. They treated Gassett like their adopted son, introducing him to authentic Mexican cuisine and, yes, teaching him Spanish.
Gassett fell in love with the culture, prompting him to change his major to foreign language and international trade, a move that led to his studying in Spain and later living in Brazil (he also speaks Portuguese).
He also garnered the nickname “Wero” — a play on “el güero,” the Spanish slang term for a blonde or light-skinned person. A quasi-renaissance man, Wero has since turned the moniker into something of a personal brand: He started a food blog and podcast, designs clothing under the name Wero Brand, and built a heavy Instagram following, thanks to his camera skills (particularly in food photography).
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provided by Nathanael Gassett
Wero
Wero in a sweatshirt he designed.
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provided by Nathanael Gassett
Pan dulce
Wero loves pan dulce. These are from Fort Worth’s Anakaren Bakery.
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provided by Nathanael Gassett
Wero
Panther City Sriracha, another shirt designed by Wero.
THIS OR THAT?
Tacos or Tortas
Beef or Chicken
Jamaica or Horchata
Churros or Conchas
de la Rosa or Tamarindo
Michelada or Mangonada
Would he ever move to Mexico? “One day,” Wero says. He likes Fort Worth, having moved here in 2016 with no job or idea of what he’d be doing; but he’s sloughed off the notion of having a “five-year plan,” instead opting to take whatever opportunities come his way, so long as he’s leaving a mark on the people around him.
“Food is a way for me to connect with people, and it’s a way for me to connect people that normally wouldn’t connect with each other,” Wero says. “Everyone’s important; everyone’s welcome at the table; everyone brings something different to the table. It’s really important for us to be conscious of that.”
Top Five Things I Ate in Mexico...
(His last trip was in January.)
1. Huarache de Costilla from Huaraches y Costillas Asadas “La Güera,” Mexico City
2. Taco de Flor from Lucio, Mexico City
3. Salsa de Queso from La Florecita, Oaxaca
4. Mole Negro con Tasajo from Alfonsina, Oaxaca
5. Esquites con Chapulines from a streetcart, downtown Oaxaca
