Because, of course, your mother’s albondigas is the best and why would you ever even try to make it or have it at a restaurant?
That’s one of the walls that chef Nicole Presley wants to tear down with her classes at LA Cocina de Gloria Molina located at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. Cooking should not be intimidating, even if a certain dish holds a special place in a person’s memory, she said.
Presley taught a class on how to make chile rellenos, and a group of elderly Latina women told her that they were a bit afraid to tackle the dish.
“It’s all about how you approach the dish and cooking from a different perspective,” Presley said, who won over her students in the end by showing them how not to overthink the recipe.
“If you can make the recipe approachable, relatable, then it’s really the most natural thing,” she added.
The culinary series offered at LA Cocina is meant to show that Mexico’s cuisines are not just the few notes that people associate with the country.
“Mexican culture is so much more than tortas and burritos,” said Ximena Martin, director of programs and culinary arts with LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. “We want to show that the cultural landscape is diverse and varied, with dishes from different regions of Mexico highlighted for all to enjoy.”
