The space at 73 King St. that Filipino restaurant Kultura occupied before it moved to Rutledge Avenue has a new pop-up in it this month.
Xolo, a quick-service Oaxacan concept that offers breakfast and dinner will pop up for the rest of November with Asheville-based Chef Luis Martinez at the helm. Martinez is known for Tequio Foods, which supplies Oaxacan-grown corn and beans, and for Taqueria Rosita, a restaurant in Asheville.
Xolo is serving breakfast and lunch on Thursday to Sunday plus dinner on Friday and Saturday. During daylight hours, expect a casual, counter-service setting and items like a toro taco, barbacoa (braised beef), scrambled eggs and black bean refritos with the option to add cheese and salsa roja. A breakfast tostada comes with beans, scrambled eggs, salsa macho and cilantro. Masa pancakes are topped with cinnamon butter.
For dinner, the space transforms into an intimate setting with an elevated, seasonal menu. Black aguachile with shrimp, charred chiles, orange and pickled shallots is offered alongside pork belly with mole negro and sweet plantain terrine, topped with green onions, tortillas and coconut cilantro rice. A chicken leg comes with salsa verde and white beans and a snapper is topped with mole Amarillo (yellow) and seasonal squash.
A chef’s journey
Martinez is from the Loxicha region of Oaxaca. He grew up working in restaurant kitchens. In 2005, he moved to the United States and was a farm worker in Indio, Calif., picking tomatoes and oranges. A little over a year later, he relocated to Los Angeles and once there, he went back into the kitchen. Cooking then took him to San Francisco, Oregon and Seattle. In 2012, he headed east to Asheville and worked in various restaurants – none of which, ironically, were Mexican.
He said he missed the cuisine of home. So in 2019, Martinez started doing pop-ups to share his interpretations of Oaxacan cuisine. When the pandemic hit, he traveled back to Oaxaca. He spent a month immersed in his small, indigenous community and an idea hatched.
Corn crossing borders
Martinez started Tequio Foods (which means “working community” in Zapotec, the indigenous language and people in Oaxaca) to bring corn into the United States. He sources corn only from indigenous farmers throughout Mexico, and most clients are on the southern border because it is easier to distribute there with lower transportation costs. But recent tariffs and politics have made importing much harder and much more expensive, he said. As a result, Martinez has started working with farmers in North Carolina to grow corn.
He is working with five farmers planting 14 acres of land around Asheville to grow heirloom corn. Martinez has also been traveling around the United States to help people grow and cook with corn.
“We started with corn that I asked permission to get,” Martinez said. “People don’t realize that just because I am indigenous, I don’t have the right to take it. I have no right to anything, I must ask the community. I cannot represent anyone but myself.”
Martinez’s idea was to create a seed bank in Oaxaca. Most farmers there are 65 or older and he wants to help preserve the foodways. He is creating a network – what he calls the “Masa Mafia” – to help spread the traditions of masa.
“What I am trying to do with takeovers and pop-ups and collaborations is create a space for people to talk. When I started, I had to go to Oaxaca, and I was very fortunate and privileged to learn from those communities. But not everyone has that opportunity,” he said.
He said he realized he could help connect the dots.
“If we talk and we create a common front, we can actually educate people and tell people why food is not cheap. People need to pay the right amount of money for all the effort we go through. It is not just about corn and agriculture. It’s also about creating a culture where people can understand what we do and the value of it.”
The vision behind the pop-up
“I got my start doing pop-ups here in Charleston, literally cooking anywhere that would let me, telling Lola Mansueta’s stories one dish at a time,” said Nikko Cagalanan, Kultura’s owner and executive chef. “Being able to open our space now to other chefs while we plan for our next chapter feels really full circle.
“This community really showed up for me when I was just getting started, and lifting up the next wave of chefs is something that means so much because of all the people who did that for us. It’s exciting to be seeing more and more diverse food in Charleston, and we honor all of our spaces as places where chefs can take risks, build their voice and share where they come from. That’s what food is all about.”
Looking ahead to the new year
The Kultura team will return to Spring Street in early 2026 to open Bareo. Nodding to the diverse food legacy of the Cannonborough–Elliotborough neighborhood, Bareo will highlight dumplings and kakigori (Japanese-style shaved ice).
“We fell in love with kakigori on a trip to New York a year ago and haven’t really been able to stop thinking about it since,” said Paula Kramer, co-owner of Kultura. “It’s the perfect match for a hot southern day, but the art behind it is also so exciting to us.
“This little space on Spring Street has always had a special energy, and instead of rushing into the next concept, we wanted to give it back to the community for a moment. Welcoming these chefs into the space feels like the right bridge into Bareo, which will be our love letter to comfort, playfulness and neighborhood hospitality — dumplings, shaved ice, good vibes and that sense of belonging that keeps people coming back.”
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