A Zapotec chef's West Adams dinner is an act of resistance

You may have developed a taste for Oaxacan food in L.A., with its tlayudas and vast array of moles.

But within that is another culinary tradition, specific to the Oaxacan highlands of Southern Mexico: Zapotec. It’s one of the oldest indigenous civilizations in Mesoamerica, with a distinct language and foodways that predate Spanish colonization. But as with many other Indigenous cultures, it’s often overlooked, erased under "Latino" or "Mexican."

Yet away from the spotlight, the culture is very much alive.

"The Zapotec culture is thriving here. There are so many things happening in indigenous communities throughout L.A., in backyards, in kitchens, in communities most Angelenos never see," said Odilia Romero, who leads CIELO, an indigenous-focused nonprofit.

A spread of dried chiles, heirloom corn and cacao beans reflects the Sierra Norte Zapotec ingredients at the heart of Lugya'h's communal dinner.

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Jon Endow

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Courtesy Lugya'h

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Which is why that tradition is being celebrated on March 4, when Lugya'h (pronounced LOOG-yah) will host its first communal dinner from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Oaxacan restaurant, located inside Maydan Market in West Adams, is a joint project from Romero and James Beard-nominated chef Alfonso "Poncho" Martínez. What began as a beloved backyard pop-up now has a permanent home in the market, where Martínez works alongside chef de cuisine Evelyn Gregorio.

Martínez, who grew up plowing fields and planting corn in Sierra Norte, is one of a handful of indigenous Zapotec chefs working in L.A.

Lugya'h — which translates in Zapotec to "the face and hearth of the plaza" — normally offers a menu of tlayudas and moronga. But the communal dinner marks a deliberate departure, reflecting the broader breadth of Sierra Norte Zapotec cooking, including aged tasajó, (cured beef) wild cebollina (a wild green onion that grows naturally in the mountains) and heirloom maíz.

It’s meant to start a conversation about Zapotec identity and visibility, drawing attention to the fact that indigenous people throughout California help sustain its food industry, from the fields to the kitchen, but are consistently swept into the larger Latino identity.

Chef de cuisine Evelyn Gregorio is part of the Lugya'h team at Maydan Market in West Adams.

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Jon Endow

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Courtesy Lugya'h

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"From planting to serving your food, they are indigenous people — but they're never talked about that way," Romero said.

A 2024 report by USC's Equity Research Institute and CIELO found that one in five indigenous migrant workers in L.A. County work in restaurants — more than double the rate of Latinx immigrants broadly. Yet they remain largely invisible, often counted only as "Latino" in data and policy. Over two-thirds of those accessing CIELO's services identified as Zapotec, one of the county's largest and least visible indigenous communities.

Tasajo, moronga and a tlayuda from Lugya'h's regular menu at Maydan Market in West Adams.

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Jon Endow

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Courtesy Lugya'h'

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It's a tension Martínez knows firsthand — a local museum once sought out his recipe for an event, only to pass on having him there to tell the story behind it.

"They wanted the Oaxacan food, but they didn't want the Oaxacan people," he said.

The menu

The four-course, family-style dinner ($119/person) opens with tartare de tasajó — flank steak aged and salted in-house and served rare — an original creation you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else in the world.

It's followed by an anchovy tostada on Lugya'h's homemade heirloom non-GMO maiz, inspired by topotillo and charales, small preserved fish traditional to Oaxacan markets, served with avocado and guaje purée — a quiet nod to coastal Zapotec foodways that rarely make it onto L.A. menus. A farmers market salad rooted in California citrus and tomatoes and grilled skirt steak with in-house pressed heirloom corn tortillas and a variety of Oaxacan-rooted salsas round out the savory courses. Chef Evelyn closes the meal with a guava mousse — reminiscent of the pink guava water found in Oaxacan markets, sweetened with molasses.

Hands assemble a tlayuda at Lugya'h, layering mole, fresh greens and dried chiles — ingredients rooted in Sierra Norte Zapotec cooking.

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Jon Endow

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Courtesy Lugya'h

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Going forward, Martínez and Romero intend to host two communal dinners per month, with the menu changing monthly. For Martínez, the dinners are an act of resistance through persistence.

"We're gonna continue pushing so that it could be something strong," he said.