For 3½ years, chef Ryan Gomez has hosted pop-ups under the name Sol. He serves stylish Mexican-influenced food that reminds me of the best meals I’ve had along Mexico’s Caribbean coast. Gomez is a native of Greenville and a graduate of our Culinary Institute of the Carolinas at Greenville Technical College, with deep familial roots in Vera Cruz, Mexico.
“When I was young, my parents wanted me to be a doctor or dentist, and I shadowed a few when I was looking at colleges trying to find my career,” Gomez said. “But it was in the restaurants, in the kitchen, where I was happiest. That led me to culinary school, which I loved. Chef Grissom and chef Patrick, they were wonderful.”
Happiness is seasoning. When the cooks love what they do, you can taste it. Gomez’s food is the product of a man content with his life choices. During a recent pop-up at John Ko’s Hone restaurant, my companion and I enjoyed pork tenderloin with a sunchoke puree, braised collard greens flavored with chipotle peppers, a brash redeye gravy, a slow-roasted chicken quarter with Italian Arborio rice, local root vegetables, and a mole verde resplendent with tomatillo, onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, sage, thyme and avocado leaf. Those were followed by roasted and seared sweet potatoes on a bed of black bean puree, topped with a cool queso fresco and a lively salsa macha…