There are thousands of Mexican restaurants all over Los Angeles, but there is only one Mexican food “museum.”
In February, LA Plaza Cocina, an extension of the LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, became the first museum dedicated to Mexican cuisine in the United States. The all-women staff team of LA Plaza Cocina is redefining who and what gets included in museum spaces. The team’s goal is to celebrate Mexican regional cuisine, its indigenous and African influences, and the Los Angeles community members that specialize in regional Mexican dishes.
I recently attended a Platica y Prueba event with Oaxacan chef Alfonso “Poncho” Martinez, owner of Poncho’s Tlayudas. Chef Martinez greeted us in his native language of Zapotec and then commenced his class in Spanish. His sister Estela joined him on the stage.
The two combined ingredients like tomatoes, masa amarilla, chile guajillo, toasted chile de árbol, and hoja santa to make a mole amarillo. As he blended, chopped, and mixed these ingredients, Chef Martinez engaged the audience on questions about the ingredients, how he learned to cook, and his first work experiences as a dishwasher after migrating to Los Angeles.