The Rancho Gordo Blog
On the Road
Breakfast at the Hacienda
I just came back from co-hosting our last Beans Tour (The Rancho Gordo-Xoxoc Food and Agriculture Tour and Workshops) in Hidalgo. I'm sad to say goodbye to this project but...
Meeting the Great Traditional Chefs of Michoacan
I was rather shocked when I got the invitation to be a judge for the Encuentro de Cocineras Tradicionales de Michoacan. I’d attended the event a few years ago and...
A Beautiful Runner Bean from Michoacan: Ayocote Purepecha
I will soon be writing more about a recent trip to Morelia that changed me in a lot of ways. For now, I wanted to introduce you to some lovely...
An Event in Sonoma
Last night I went to a book event at Reader's Books in Sonoma, just off the square. Kathleen Hill, Sonoma's First Lady of Good Food, is the hostess and interviewer,...
My Short Career Making Tortillas
In 2010, I had the notion to open a tortilla factory here in Napa using the heriloom corn we were importing from Mexico. A commercial tortilleria using heirloom corn was...
Breakfast of Champions
I was visiting my friends Maria and Isidro in their little village called Tepehuaje, right on the Lago Chapala and the first morning they asked if I wanted to join...
Cooking with Clay: Castelnaudary, France
After India, but before Italy, my obsession was France. I would read the Paris Match on the bus in San Francisco and pretend I could understand most of it. "Any...
Cooking with Clay: San Marcos Tlapazola
I am a little nuts and plan to catalog my collection of clay cooking pieces. I have a lot and like all good hoarders, all I need is one more...
Back to Veracruz: Good Food in Tlacotalpan
About 2 hours south of the city of Veracruz you'll find the very charming town of Tlacotalpan. We arrived between seasons and it was deserted and hot. I asked when...
Beautiful, Delicious Veracruz
Veracruz is a port town in Mexico. It's historically important, having dealt with incoming conquerors and trades for centuries and it just feels different than the rest of Mexico. It's...