On this episode of Cooking In Mexican From A to Z, Aarón and Zarela sit down with Lori Flores. Lori is an associate professor of History at Stony Brook University, where she teaches classes in US Latino, labor, immigration, and food history. They discuss Lori's background growing up in rural Texas, her migration to the East Coast, and how Mexican food arrived in East Coast cities like New York. Lori is the author of the award-winning book Grounds for Dreaming: Mexican Americans, Mexican Immigrants, and the California Farmworker Movement (Yale, 2016). Her new book on the history of Latino food ..read more

On this episode, Sandro Canovas sits down with Aarón and Zarela to discuss Sotol, the state spirit of Chihuahua. They outline how it is made from plants of the dasylirion genus, close relatives of the onion, it's significance to the state of Chihuahua, and it's popularity in the United States.  Sandro is a bi-national third-generation brick maker turned adobero. Raised in Mexico City, aka Tenochtitlan, he immigrated to Oregon in 1995 and began working with earth-based construction techniques. After spending 19 years as a seasonal commercial fisherman in the Bering Sea of Alaska, he made h ..read more

As a woman whose first sip of whisky created the female doppelganger of a Mr. Yuk sticker, Shelley Sackier’s view of the spirit changed on a trip to Scotland.  After completing a short course in Scotland’s Bruichladdich Distillery, she began writing about — and working within — the world of whisky. For the past twenty-five years she has devoted her efforts toward creating a plainspoken, easygoing, and humorous grasp on the subject to welcome more into this realm. As the Director of Distillery Education at Reservoir Distillery in Virginia, her aim is to distill down this sophisticated spir ..read more

Bill Esparza is a James Beard award winning food writer, author of LA Mexicano, and on screen talent for food TV shows like Street Food: USA, Immigrant Kitchen, and Bizarre Foods. He talks with Zarela and Aaron about aquas frescas, his grandmother from Aguas Calientes, and his first taste of Mexico. Later, he discusses how he learned about regional variations in aquas frescas while touring around Mexico as a young musician. Bill gives Aaron and Zarela examples of regional aquas frescas food pairings, including horchata as the antidote to spicy salsa. The three have a spirited debate on which f ..read more

On this episode Zarela and Aarón are back for a second round of bugs! This time they are chatting with Carlos Leal, the creator of several culinary companies in Mexico that include: Compañía de Sales, Mortar and Sons, Loyal & Febre Destilados de Agave and Dodo el Vino. His interest in culinary experimentation led him to enroll in Masterchef Mexico 2018, where he made it to the semi-finals of the show. Both of Carlos' parents are biologists, so his interest in insects was instilled at an early age.  Throughout this episode, Carlos focuses on the wide array of flavors that insects contr ..read more

For this episode Aarón and Zarela were thrilled to have Fany Gerson return to the show. Fany launched the acclaimed La Newyorkina, an artisanal Mexican frozen treats and sweets business, and is also the chef, founder and co-owner of Fan-Fan Doughnuts. There could not be a more knowledgable guest for an episode all about Mexican sweets! Together they illuminate how Ice Cream is just as regional as every other component of Mexican Food. They touch on specialties from Oaxaca, Veracruz, Campeche, and more. For instance, Fany tells us about an ice cream shop near Dolores Hidalgo that specializes in ..read more

On this episode Aarón and Zarela are thrilled to welcome Lesterloon Sánchez to dive deep into the topic of Edible Flowers. Hailing from the state of Veracruz, Lesterloon is on a personal quest to discover new edible flowers across his home state. As a chef and restaurant owner, Lesterloon uses these flowers in an eclectic variety of recipes across restaurants, which he shares with Aarón and Zarela. Plus, Lesterloon shares stories of the symbolism related to specific flowers in Mexican culture. For more recipes from  Zarela and Aarón, visit zarela.com and chefaaronsanch ..read more

On this episode Aarón and Zarela are thrilled to welcome Mariana Barrera to dive deep into the topic of Mexican Charcuterie. Mariana and her family run Humo y Sal, a charcuterie in Monterrey, where they prepare a wide variety of meat products as well as mustard, honey, and more. She shares how she got into the business, how she gathers inspiration from the way each Mexican state has their own regional specialties and seasonings, and how the local environment affects what they can produce in their region. Plus, Mariana gives an overview of the food culture of Monterrey, one of Aarón’s favorite ..read more

On today's episode, Zarela and Aarón are thrilled to welcome Chef Rodolfo Castallanos to talk about how traditional Mexican foodways are being reinterpreted in the  contemporary Mexican culinary scene. Rodolfo starts by sharing his cooking philosophy - beginning with inspiration from the seasons and culminating in his return home to open Origen. He discusses how French culinary education has been incorporated by Mexican chefs, and Zarela asks him to share some Oaxacan culinary building blocks. For more recipes from  Zarela and Aarón, visit zarela.com and chefaaron ..read more

On this week's show, Zarela & Aarón welcome Sagrario Cruz Carretero to explore the history and cultural legacy of Afro-Mexican cuisine. First, they set the stage with some context about the past and present demographics of African immigration to Mexico. Sagrario shares her personal story of how a trip to Cuba - and her own family history - ignited her interest in this topic. Together they document various Afro-inspired ingredients including plantain, yucca, malanga, rice and beans, gandinga, soup, chitlins, various distillates, and more.   Looking for more? Many Afro-Mexican recipes c ..read more