About
Me! In the early 80′s.
I’ve noticed in the past few years that Mexican cuisine is taking off in Melbourne with burrito bars, small cantinas and various other self-called “authentic” Mexican restaurants cropping up everywhere. I’ve been to a few and while some are ok, others are cringe-worthy and down right insulting!
My hope, through this blog, is to tear down some of the misconceptions about what Mexican food is viewed as and instead, inform and educate you on what it can be and hopefully delight your taste buds, demystify the cuisine and encourage you to try home cooked Mexican food and maybe add a few delicious and easy recipes to your every-day routine using ingredients sourced from and around Melbourne.
Growing up Mexican-American in the U.S. is very different than what 80′s tv sitcoms would have you believe. I have 9 aunts and uncles on my mom’s side, around 30 first cousins, and numerous more second+ cousins. It seems like almost every summer and school break, we’d drive or fly down to Mexico City to visit with family, friends–and for me, to explore the culture, foods and beautiful people. I was also very lucky to have learned the secret to good, home-cooked Mexican cooking from my super-awesome parents. This blog is not about Tex-Mex. I’m not putting down Tex-Mex at all, but there’s much more to Mexican cooking than tortillas and cheese!
I moved to Melbourne in 2007 when my Sydney born husband and I were married. Within the first year, aside from living the wondrousness of marrying the man of my dreams, I also discovered that the basics I’d come to count on when making Mexican food were… lacking. I used to have to make my own corn and flour tortillas as they were scarce in grocery stores, if I was able to find them at all!
Thanks to many phone calls and emails to my mom in San Francisco, and sourcing ingredients from local specialty shops, I’m in the unique position of being able to offer recipe suggestions, ingredient substitutes and locations in Melbourne on where to get the best of the best ingredients for cooking delicious Mexican cuisine.
First lesson: Melbournians, please stop pronouncing it “Churr-ritz-oh”! Instead, “chore-ee-so” (Oxford Dictionary pronunciation: ch əˈrēzō; -sō) is more acceptable.
Second lesson: Stop baking enchiladas! More on that soon…
