Rick Bayless unveils a granola collaboration with Milk & Honey

Rick Bayless's Mexican Mix granola

Photo: Time Out

Rick Bayless is so granola. Did you know? The chef/restaurateur/entreprenuer has been outspoken about his yoga habit. And as if that weren't enough, dude has gone granola literally: In just a few days, bags of his Mexican mix granola, a collaboration with Milk & Honey, will hit shelves.

"I've always been this really huge fan of two things," Bayless tells TOC. "One is Mexican granola—which most people don't even know about but is very comon in Mexico. And I'm a real big fan of what they do at Milk & Honey, and I've eaten their granola for years." So when Bayless decided to serve breakfast at XOCO and Tortas Frontera (at O'Hare), it was a natural move for him to approach Milk & Honey about a collaboration.

The resulting granola has many aspect of traditional Mexican granolas: amarenth, which is puffed to a light, crunchy texture; honey; peanuts; pumpkin seeds; and cinnamon. It also has cacao nibs, but "that's actually our addition," Bayless admits. "I have never seen that in granola in Mexico. But since we focus so much on cacao at XOCO, we decided to try it out, and when we put them in there we all just fell in love with it. It's the bitter side of cacao, not the sweet side."

The granola will be released in a week or so, and will be available with yogurt at XOCO and Tortas Frontera, and in bags wherever Milk & Honey granola is sold.