One For The Books

Every Angeleno knows L.A. has one of the best and most vibrant food scenes around, which means there is a whole lot to talk about. In this special edition of One for the Books we’re talking food, culture, and cookbooks. Yes, they are real books, with not just recipes, but also content that caters to communities and addresses the politics of food. Host Traci Thomas (she/her) welcomes Bricia Lopez (she/her) - chef and partner at her family’s restaurant Guelaguetza and whose new cookbook Asada: The Art of Mexican-Style Grilling was released in April, Javier Cabral (he/him) - her cookbook co-author and editor of the James Beard Award-winning L.A. Taco, and Keith Corbin (he/him) - chef and owner of the acclaimed Alta Adams restaurant, to talk about books and food, play some games, and have a great time! Join the fun on July 13. We promise you won't leave hungry - there will be food on site for everyone to enjoy.

You can purchase cookbooks by Bricia and Javier and chef Keith’s memoir at the onsite pop-up bookshop from our friends at Now Serving or order in advance with your ticket.

ABOUT BRICIA LOPEZ
Having been born and raised in Mitla, Oaxaca, rich in culinary tradition and indigenous food culture, Bricia comes from a long lineage of Oaxacan Mezcal craftsmen. She grew up in her grandmother's kitchen where alongside her mother and sisters, lived the traditions of mole and true artisanal cooking. Her father founded Guelaguetza in 1994, a Oaxacan restaurant that has become a temple to Oaxacan food and tradition in Los Angeles and the US. She began working alongside her family in the restaurant business at a very young age. Bricia is a graduate of Mount Saint Mary’s College, majoring in Business Administration. She is currently a partner at Guelaguetza and today, spearheads all operations alongside her three siblings. FULL BIO HERE.

ABOUT JAVIER CABRAL
Javier Cabral is the James Beard Award-winning editor-in-chief of L.A. TACO and associate producer for Netflix's "Las Crónicas Del Taco." A former restaurant scout for the late Pulitzer Prize–winning restaurant critic Jonathan Gold, the food writer from the barrios of East Los Angeles has been reporting on Mexican food and culture since 2005. Cabral is the co-author of "Oaxaca: Home Cooking From the Heart of Mexico" (2019) and "Asada: The Art of Mexican-Style Grilling" (2023).

ABOUT KEITH CORBIN
Chef Keith Corbin has been cooking his entire life. Born on the home turf of the notorious Grape Street Crips in 1980s Watts, Los Angeles, he got his start cooking crack at age thirteen, becoming so skilled that he was flown across the country to cook for drug operations in other cities. After his criminal enterprises caught up with him, though, Corbin spent years in California’s most notorious maximum security prisons—witnessing the resourcefulness of other inmates who made kimchi out of leftover vegetables and tamales from ground-up Fritos. He developed his own culinary palate and ingenuity, creating “spreads” out of the unbearable commissary ingredients and experimenting during his shifts in the prison kitchen.

After his release, Corbin got a job managing the kitchen at LocoL, an ambitious fast food restaurant spearheaded by celebrity chefs Roy Choi and Daniel Patterson, designed to bring inexpensive, quality food and good jobs into underserved neighborhoods. But when Corbin was suddenly thrust into the spotlight, he struggled to live up to or accept the simplified “gangbanger redemption” portrayal of him in the media. As he battles private demons while achieving public success, Corbin traces the origins of his vision for “California soul food” and takes readers inside the worlds of gang hierarchy , drug dealing, prison politics, gentrification, and culinary achievement to tell the story of how he became head chef of Alta Adams, one of America’s best restaurants

ABOUT TRACI THOMAS
Traci Thomas is an avid reader and book lover who created the acclaimed podcast, The Stacks, in order to talk about books and the ways they shape our cultural understanding of race, gender, politics, and what it means to be alive. Weekly guests range from academic thought leaders to bestselling authors, from actors to politicians and more; you'll find Ibram X. Kendi, Angelina Jolie, Brit Bennett, Desus and Mero, Quentin Tarantino, and many more on The Stacks. Traci also writes a monthly bookish advice column on Shereads.com. Traci lives in LA with her husband aka Mr. Stacks, and her twins, the Mini Stacks. You can find her on Instagram @thestackspod.

This project is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Department of Arts and Culture.

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ACCOMMODATIONS

LAist is committed to providing access and accommodation for individuals with disabilities at our events. To request accommodations, please email events@laist.com or call us at (626) 585-5222 at least 7 days in advance of the event.