Cooking Up History: Celebrating Comida Chingona & the Lowrider Lifestyle

Guest Chef: Silvana Salcido Esparza Recorded September 17, 2022 Guest chef Silvana Salcido Esparza made her mark on the U.S. food scene with the comida chingona (“badass food”) she serves at her Phoenix-based restaurant, Barrio Café. The restaurant’s offerings draw inspiration from Esparza’s Mexican heritage and seek to honor her family’s 800-year-old gastronomic legacy with a twist. Esparza is not only passionate about putting her own spin on Mexican food, but also cars, specifically lowriders. Much more than your average car, these prized vehicles are artworks defined by eye-catching paint jobs, plush interiors, and hydraulics that enable them to hop, jump, and skip in city streets. As Esparza explains during this cooking demonstration and conversation, there is an entire culture, including food culture, that surrounds the low-rider lifestyle in Phoenix. To this culture, she brings her own passions, including her commitment to honor and celebrate the contributions of women, past and present, as she endeavors to build a more equitable and inclusive community. For this program, Esparza made smoked cochinita pibil, providing insights into this important and deeply historical dish. For the recipe, visit the Cooking Up History page: https://americanhistory.si.edu/explore/topics/food/cooking-up-history#celebratingdifferences This program was produced in collaboration with the National Museum of the American Latino and highlights objects from the Latino collections at the National Museum of American History. It was also part of the Latino Museum’s Latino Heritage Festival.