When chef Taylor Dillon moved to Florida after years cooking in New York City, he discovered a gap he had not anticipated: fresh, nixtamalized masa was virtually unavailable on this side of the state. Rather than compromise, he and Kayla bought a molino, the traditional stone grinder, and built the process themselves. That commitment is now the foundation of Con Amor, which opened at 5240 N Florida Ave in Tampa's Seminole Heights on February 6, 2026.
A technique worth learning from scratch
Before relocating, Dillon cooked in some of New York's most demanding kitchens, including Daniel and Jean-Georges, and ran the opening kitchen at Mezcali, a modern Mexican restaurant in the Financial District. Working in that world, one throughline kept emerging: the best tortillas and the most flavorful masa started with fresh, nixtamalized corn, not a bag of masa harina from a commercial supplier.
In New York, sourcing that masa was straightforward; a local producer supplied much of the city. Florida was a different story. Finding no comparable option here, Dillon set up the molino and began experimenting with corn varieties, hydration levels, and nixtamalization techniques until he developed the flavor and texture he was after. That process, done entirely in house, now produces every tortilla served at Con Amor.
What the masa becomes
The clearest argument for the program is on the plate. Masacinis, a play on arancini, arrive as pork belly risotto-stuffed masa balls. Duck chochoyotes turn the same dough into crispy, cloud-like dumplings. A flight of house moles rounds out the tour, and the tortillas themselves, pressed to order, carry everything from the taco selection to weekend brunch.
A scratch kitchen built around the season
The masa program is the anchor, but Con Amor operates as a fully scratch kitchen throughout. Nothing arrives pre-made. The menu shifts with what is in season, from fish to fruit to the salsas built around them, which means the offerings evolve as the year moves. It is a philosophy that keeps the cooking grounded and gives regulars a reason to return.
The dining room is designed to match: relaxed without being careless, comfortable for a family on a Sunday afternoon and equally suited to a dressed-up evening out. Dillon runs the kitchen while Kayla runs the room, a couple in their first venture together, and the kitchen, the staff, and the space all read as parts of the same experience.
Fresh masa, available beyond the dining room
What Dillon built for Con Amor's tables, the couple is now making available to other kitchens in the region. Early on, they brought samples of their masa and tortillas to local restaurants; today the in-house program produces fresh, nixtamalized masa that other kitchens can source directly, filling the same gap Dillon encountered when he first arrived in Florida. For chefs who want to work with properly processed corn without building the infrastructure themselves, Con Amor's operation offers a local answer.
Con Amor is open Tuesday through Sunday, with dinner service from 4 p.m. and weekend brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The restaurant is closed on Mondays. Restaurants interested in sourcing fresh masa can reach the team through conamorfl.com.
