The new Downtown museum has exhibits, classes, and a store all focused on the history of Mexican cuisine and culture.
The stretch of Spring Street between the 101 and Cesar Chavez Avenue take care a whole slew unlike today than it did just a few short years ago — where there used to be two largely unused parking gobs , there is now LA Plaza Village , four colourful , sundry - use buildings that opened in 2019 , with more than 350 flat , land - trading floor retail blank , and four enceinte murals . But that ’s not an unfamiliar mass around LA ; there are plentifulness of voguish apartment buildings going up all the time . The exciting part is tucked into a court in the southeastern quoin of the complex , front saltation but inconspicuous against the chaos of the brightly paint apartments and the nearby state highway — LA Plaza Cocina , a fresh opened museum dedicated to the history and culture of Mexican food .
LA Cocina spread out in February with an exhibit bid “ Maize : Past , Present , and Future , ” a collection of artifacts , exposure , and text all about the importance of corn whiskey . Why start with corn ? grant to Ximena Martin , LA Cocina ’s Director of Programs and Culinary Arts , it was nixtamalization — a method acting of action corn with calx , which do corn both more nutritious and more ductile — that allow the Aztec and Mayan empires to flourish , bring home the bacon the cornerstone for civilization . As Martin puts it , “ This very bare grain produced amazing empires . ”
The gallery itself is a small space , but it is pack with artifacts and information , thanks also to co - curation by culinary historian Maite Gomez - Rejón . A promenade through the display give away tools for grinding and processing corn that have been in exercise for century , like metates , oloteras , and millstones . There are also statues , urns , and effigy from Oaxaca and Colima , celebrate the nixtamalization process and Pitao Cozobi , a Zapotec deity of abundance and fields of maize . There are cookbooks and gorgeous exposure and , most importantly , a case hold several unlike diversity of corn whiskey kernels , secern by color , size , and state of origin .
Photo courtesy of LA Plaza Cocina
The “ Maize ” showing is wrapping up its run at LA Cocina , but a Modern one is set to supplant it very soon . item are still being finalize , but it will be a collaboration with USC professor Sarah Portnoy and her students , with a focus on grandmothers — matriarchs from autochthonal communities , Mexican residential area , and Mexican - American communities . There will be photographs , formula , and a collection of meaningful culinary objects , all of them from different woman .
“ Objects tell fib , ” Martin say , “ It ’s a work of art , that spoonful that has created so many things . ”
The exhibition are only a piece of LA Cocina , though . The space also has a full kitchen , localise up face the elbow room like a stage — double-dyed for the next thing come up down the pipe , cooking classes starting in June . Those will be divide into three ecumenical groups : the first is “ Hecho con Amor , ” a chef - driven series feature LA - based , Mexican and Mexican - American chefs like Gilberto Cetina ofHolboxand Jocelyn Ramirez ofTodo Verde . Then there will be “ Sabor A , ” a series of deep dives into specific region like Oaxaca and Jalisco . And finally they will have “ Prácticas y Pruebas , ” a serial of informational dialogue and lecturing followed by tastings of the foods discussed .
Photo courtesy of LA Plaza Cocina
Many of these nutrient jubilation will be timed to specific upshot on the Mexican calendar . Martin is specially excited about the upcoming fresh corn whisky time of year , and they ’re plan a class free-base around uchepos , a sort of sweet corn tamal specific to Michoacan ’s corn harvest festivals .
The other component of LA Cocina isLA Cocina Tiendita , the museum store . The stock stocks a wide variety of artisanal Mexican and Mexican - American products like spice , cookbooks from local chefs like Jaime Martin del Campo and Ramiro Arvizu , handwriting - blown methamphetamine pitchers , and chef - grade masa flour fromMasienda . These cookbooks and products are a way to support the museum , of course , but they ’re also an extension of their educational summons , a way for Angelenos to fetch a bit of Mexican culture and culinary history home with them .
Photo courtesy of LA Plaza Cocina
