A meal at chef Celia Florian’s rustic-elegant spot, which opened in 1992 near the floridly Baroque church of Santo Domingo de Guzman, is both a sensual pleasure and an essential primer of Oaxacan flavors. Florian is a driving force behind Cocineras Tradicionales de Oaxaca, an association of women who gather to exchange recipes in far-flung communities. Part Zapotec, she is an inspired chef with a preservationist bent; her moles alone are reasons enough to fly to Oaxaca. Take her famed mole negro, for instance, composed of more than 30 ingredients….
