Corn is the Star at this New Rockville Taco Trailer

"To me, they just tasted like nothing. So I completely stopped eating them here. That's what kind of got my mind working on that. Zelaya reflects on packaged tortillas from his childhood, explaining how the lack of authentic flavor inspired his eventual culinary journey toward creating genuinely flavorful corn-based dishes."

"The tetelas, a distinctive Oaxacan-style snack, is made by folding a tortilla three times around a bean-and-cheese filling, forming a pouch that resembles a tricorn hat, and then throwing it on the griddle. Pick one up and dip a corner into some green salsa—it's the perfect sauce vehicle."

"Inspired by the Oaxacan focus on the flavor of nixtamalized corn, Zelaya started Hijos del Maíz when he got home—initially as a roving farmers market pop-up with his wife, Yadira. They milled their own corn to make masa for tortillas, tostadas, and tetelas."

Saul Zelaya grew up eating his grandmother's fresh corn tortillas in El Salvador but stopped eating packaged tortillas after immigrating to Maryland at age 10. He entered the restaurant industry at 16, working his way up from host to prep cook at various Rockville establishments, eventually staging at fine dining restaurants. Inspired by Mexican chef Enrique Olvera's work and a kitchen stint at Criollo in Oaxaca, Zelaya became fascinated with nixtamalized corn's flavor. He launched Hijos del Maíz with his wife Yadira as a farmers market pop-up, milling their own corn for tortillas and traditional Oaxacan dishes. In January, they opened a permanent food trailer in Rockville, offering tacos, quesadillas, tostadas, tortas, and tetelas—all featuring freshly pressed corn tortillas.

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