Holidays at Tantísimo

September 25, 2026

Carrington Fox

Holiday season at the Tantísimo restaurant means more than adding a wreath to the top of the menu. At Ana Aguilar and Joshua Cook’s Sylvan Park café, the year’s fourth quarter brings a celebration of flavors, recipes and traditions from Latin America.

Tantísimo began as a pastry-based pop-up, launched at Richland Park Farmers Market in 2020. When self-taught baker Ana, from Santa Maria, Calif., teamed up with fellow Husk restaurant alum Josh from Nashville, the pair expanded into savories, with a creative repertoire drawing on Mexican culinary traditions of Ana’s family, along with the broader South American palate.

Launched in 2025, the brick-and-mortar Tantísimo gave the co-executive chefs a headquarters for experimentation and improvisation. The menu dances with an ever-changing roster and roots in Colombia, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Guatemala, Mexico and beyond.

In weeks leading up to the November tradition of Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, Tantísimo offers pan de muerto, a brioche-style bread to celebrate a season of remembrance. “We set up an altar and people from the community bring photos, keepsakes and cards for family members who have passed,” Ana says.

Thanksgiving brings a riff on turkey and dressing, with housemade tamales stuffed with turkey and gravy. And the winter menu picks up some familiar holiday sweets, including gingerbread, tres leches and champurrado, a holiday hot chocolate thickened with corn—to help coat and warm your insides, Ana explains.

January 6 brings the feast of Epiphany and the culinary tradition of pan de rosca or rosca de reyes. Similar to the New Orleans rite of king cake, the sweet bread in the ringed form of a crown commemorates the three kings who followed a star to Bethlehem on the original Christmas.

Meanwhile, for the red-and-green traditionalist, there’s always plenty of color on Tantísimo’s menu in the form of salsa and sauces. In fact, their whole fish, which often arrives with red and green sauces, landed on Edible magazine’s 2026 best restaurant list, as one of our favorite foods all year long.

For a taste of South America this holiday season, explore these home-cook-friendly recipes from Ana Aguilar and Joshua Cook at Tantísimo.