Back from the summer with some Taco Literacy news to share and a recap of some of the hits. There will be more to come, but one of the highlights happened in June when I had the pleasure of speaking about Mexican food with the maestro Gustavo Arellano at the University of California, Irvine for an event titled, “Taco Literacy: A Conversation Kitchen with Gustavo Arellano and Steve Alvarez.” The event was part of the UCI Conversation Kitchen, a “unique series of culinary workshops designed to explore the significant influence that food has in defining and shaping culture across the world. Each free workshop will focus on an area of the world undergoing conflict and transformation today.” We shared our thoughts about la comida Mexicana in California and beyond to a full house of colleagues, students, faculty, staff, and members of the community–including some folks who drove all the way from San Diego to be there.

After, I was able to hang out with Gustavo and see some of his favorite spots in SantAna, as well as hit up some places I’ve learned about over the years. Yes, a taco pilgrimage in California. To read more about the roll out west, check out this story penned by Gustavo for LA Taco (yes, another dream unlocked!), as well as this story from Pocho.com. Here are some photos from Instagram @tacoliteracy to see more about taco literacy in Califas.