Cookbooks don’t just provide instructions for recipes; they connect food with storytelling, both visual and narrative, and are your kitchen guides to help create delicious memories with family and friends. Join LAist and the James Beard Foundation for these nights of culinary connection and exploration.
Award-winning chef and writer Monti Carlo will join LAist’s food and culture writer Gab Chabrán to talk about her new cookbook, “Spanglish,” a delicious tribute to Puerto Rican cuisine and culture. She’ll also demonstrate one of her signature recipes live onstage. You can pre-order the cookbook with your ticket purchase or onsite from our bookseller partner Now Serving. Guests will enjoy a savory pre-show snack and a sweet post-show treat!
This series is presented in partnership with The James Beard Foundation
About Monti Carlo
Monti Carlo is a two‑time Telly Award–winning Puerto Rican food media personality, cookbook author, and special events chef. The Senior Editor of Food & Dining at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is also a TV host and has appeared on major networks, including Netflix, Roku, FOX, PBS, Food Network, AMP, and Tastemade. Proudly Puerto Rican, Monti highlights her community’s chefs, recipes, and foodways in everything she does. Her debut cookbook, Spanglish (May 2026), is a love letter to bicultural cooking and Puerto Rican identity.
About Gab Chabrán
I write about all things food and drink, from the latest pop-ups to restaurant trends, and explore how food tells the region's story and connects us to the complex social fabric of Southern California. A lifelong resident of Southern California, my work has been featured on programs like Splendid Table and Good Food, and I've contributed to publications including L.A. Taco, Eater LA, Thrillist, Los Angeleno, KCET Artbound and The New York Times. In 2024, I was recognized as a James Beard semifinalist for audio reporting. I aim to provide a current and up-to-date portrait of what’s happening in the Southern California food ecosystem by speaking with chefs, cooks, business owners — and you.
Thank you to our partner bookstore.
