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LA's most ambitious Mexican dinner is back: 32 courses, 32 states, one night only
A spread from last year's Disciples of the Corn dinner, including Sonora's carne asada aguachile, center, and Oaxaca's chochoyotes, corn dumplings served in broth, bottom right.
(
Liz Luna
/
Courtesy of Disciples of the Corn
)
It looks like a cross between a Day of the Dead fever dream and a heavy metal album cover: skeletons in Mesoamerican garb seated around a dining table, with the one wearing an Aztec headdress in the center, holding up an ear of corn like an offering to the gods.
It's the poster for Disciples of the Corn, Evil Cooks' annual dinner honoring Mexico's regional cuisine. Now in its fourth year, the dinner taking place Sept. 12 at Cal State L.A. puts 32 courses spanning 32 Mexican states on the table, paired with seven drinks, for $250 a ticket.
Organizing the event is Alex Garcia, the chef and co-owner of Evil Cooks, the heavy metal-inspired taqueria and James Beard semifinalist he runs with his wife and business partner, Elvia Huerta, in El Sereno.
The mission
Garcia's reasoning for the dinner was to push past the idea of Mexican food being simply tacos, burritos and tortas — spotlighting instead a series of dishes from each of Mexico's 32 states.
The format has steadily evolved. Originally conceived as a fixed roster of "12 disciples" — or chefs — it now rotates them each year. This year, 80% are new, each bringing their own interpretation of a regional dish.
Not every chef is Mexican-born, but all have roots there. Garcia says the dinner is less about strict authenticity than each chef's own interpretation.
Sponsored message
This year's Disciples of the Corn IV poster promises "32 bites of Mexico" — and a full table of L.A. chefs to deliver them — on Sept. 12 at Cal State LA's Diablo Grill.
(
Courtesy Disciples of the Corn
)
The lineup
The slate of chefs represents a who's who of local L.A. restaurant talent. Returning are Danielle Duran of Amiga Amore (Highland Park) and Garcia, alongside Huerta.
New additions include Ray Garcia of Broken Spanish Comedor (Culver City), Thomas Ortega of Amor y Tacos (Cerritos), Luis Navarro of Lola's (Long Beach), Rachel Verharst of Idyllwild Tavern (Burbank), and Ellen Ramos of Santa Canela (Highland Park) handling desserts.
"We're all part of different regions of Mexico that actually build the whole thing up," Duran said. "It's about highlighting where we're from."
Alex Garcia and Elvia Huerta, the organizers of the Disciples of the Corn dinner, plate dishes at last year's dinner.
(
Liz Luna
/
Courtesy Disciples of the Corn
)
The venue
This year's move to Cal State L.A.'s Diablo Grill brings Garcia and his team a full kitchen, 50-plus seats and a bigger production team — a welcome shift from last year, when the dinner was squeezed into the compact kitchen at La Plaza de Cultura y Artes near Olvera Street. The dinner also landed in the middle of a summer of heightened ICE enforcement and protests in downtown L.A., a climate Garcia described as a nightmare.
Sponsored message
Garcia doesn't hold back: This, he promises, will be "the most amazing dinner you're gonna have" all year.
If you go
What: Disciples of the Corn IV
When: 6 p.m., Sept. 12
Where: Cal State L.A.'s Diablo Grill
Cost: $250 plus tax
Tickets: Purchase on Resy
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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