The Authorities on Mexican Cuisine in Los Angeles,Frida Mexican Cuisine, Guelaguetza Restaurant, La Casita Mexicana and La Monarca Bakery,Unite to Present a Cultural and Gastronomical Experience Like No Other

“200 Years of Mexico’s Cuisine”

The Taste of Mexico Association’s Bicentennial Celebration

The authorities on Mexican cuisine in Los Angeles,Frida Mexican Cuisine, Guelaguetza Restaurant, La Casita Mexicana and La Monarca Bakery,unite to present a cultural and gastronomical experience like no other

In a unique showcasing of authentic cultural fare, four of Los Angeles’ top Mexican restaurants, founders of The Taste of Mexico Association, will join the bicentennial year festivities with an event that is sure to set the standard of Mexican cuisine and culture for years to come. The Taste of Mexico’s Bicentennial Celebration: 200 Years of Mexico’s Cuisine will take place December 4, 2010 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Vibiana (former Cathedral), 214 S. Main Street, Los Angeles.

With the mission to embody, enhance and promote the authentic ingredients, flavors and traditions of Mexico’s cuisine, four LA restaurants - Frida Mexican Cuisine, Guelaguetza Restaurant, La Casita Mexicana and La Monarca Bakery - united to create The Taste of Mexico Association, a flagship organization of exponents of authentic Mexican cuisine in the United States.

The founding members are natives of Mexico, passionate for their country and culture, and their staff adheres to traditional Mexican recipes developed and prepared by chefs with vast culinary experience in the different regions of Mexico, positioning them as the perfect proponents of Mexican food in this country. The Taste of Mexico’s Bicentennial Celebration will be a one-of-a-kind opportunity to sample top dishes from the members of the association in a beautiful setting accompanied by live music and entertainment.

200 years of Mexican Cuisine, The Taste of Mexico’s Bicentennial Celebrationwill provide the rare opportunity of unlimited food tastings of regional Mexican dishes from all of these top Los Angeles restaurants in one venue, along with drink sampling, including premium tequila and mezcal. An outdoor patio with live entertainment will include mariachi music sets as well as dance performances by regional troupes from Oaxaca and Jalisco.

Tickets for this event can be purchased directly at participating restaurants and/or on the website for the “The Taste of Mexico” - www.thetasteofmexico.org

Guests will be treated to gift bags, and part of the proceeds of ticket sales will benefit the ecological organization Heal The Bay.

Heal The Bay: http://www.healthebay.org/

Founded in 1985, Heal The Bay is an environmental advocacy non-profit organization founded to protect California's Santa Monica Bay, a region of the Pacific coast, for the people and marine life. Visited by most of Southern California, the beaches and bays of the coast are one of the most important natural resources of this region. Heal The Bay has methods of investigation, education, community action and promotion to accomplish this noble mission.

The members of The Taste of Mexico:

Named for Frida Kahlo, one of the most celebrated personalities in Mexican culture, Frida Mexican Cuisine restaurant’s five locations provide diners with pan-Mexican cuisine as it is enjoyed today - as a blend of modern regional specialties and ancient flavors dating back to the Maya. From the Sopa de Tortilla to the Flan Napolitano, all of Frida’s food is prepared from scratch and features ingredients sourced from Mexico, with a complexity and fine caliber rarely encountered stateside.

Founded by Oaxacan husband and wife Fernando Lopez and Maria Monterrubio, Guelaguetza revolutionized Americans’ perceptions of Mexican food by staying true to authentic Oaxacan recipes and ingredients, garnering attention and praise from top food critics and foodies, including Pulitzer prize winning journalist Jonathan Gold and celebrity chefs Martha Stewart and Rachel Ray.

Recognized as the kings of Los Angeles's authentic Mexican cuisine by celebrity chef Bobby Flay and as the best exponents of traditional Mexican gastronomy in California by publications such as The LA Times, LA Weekly, and La Opinion, La Casita Mexicana was founded by Jaime and Ramiro, two passionate promoters of authentic Mexican food, whose family recipes and the flavors of a youth lived in Jalisco fuel the taste of the restaurant that count Jose Feliciano, Don Francisco, and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa as its clients. Nominated for the James Beard Foundation Award by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Jonathan Gold, Jaime and Ramiro have been featured on Univision, CNN, and The Food Network, and have cooked alongside celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver and Marcela Vallalodid.

Childhood friends Ricardo Cervantes and Alfredo Livas recreated the rich variety of breads and pastries (pan dulce) of their native Mexico through La Monarca Bakery. With a commitment to excellence, La Monarca Bakery boasts a skilled team of bakers that create a variety of cakes, pastries and breads from scratch, using traditional recipes with only top quality fresh ingredients, without the use of lard, trans-fats, preservatives, artificial ingredients or ready-made mixes. La Monarca Bakery strives to offer products and service of unique quality which have earned it multiple local and national media features including coverage on CNN, NBC, Univision, LA Times, La Opinion, LA Weekly and Eater LA, among others.


The Taste of Mexico’s Bicentennial Celebration, an event produced by UNO Productions Inc.