In our family, María is the proper first name of every mother, sister, tía, and abuelita going back generations. Ours are the flavors of their lost kitchens: traditions transplanted into Southern California’s multicultural soils, alongside local produce and regional meats and seafood, by a chef trained in Michelin-starred kitchens and raised here in Orange County.
We call it Alta California cuisine, a mezcla of Mexican and American cultures, a conversation between our generation and the generations of cooks and farmers who nurtured the traditions of our home table.