Chef Dana Rodriguez: Here's Why We Shouldn't Expect Mexican Food To Be Cheap
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The renowned cook reveals her thoughts — and has an open mind about who should be able to cook food from her culture.
In 1998, six-time James Beard-nominated chef Dana “Loca” Rodriguez immigrated to Denver from Chihuahua, Mexico. There, she grew up on a farm that didn’t have running water or electricity, and she and her family cooked food that was grown on the farm. In the past 25 years, she’s helmed Latin restaurants Work & Class, Super Mega Bien, and Cantina Loca; co-founded Doña Loca Mezcal and Tequila; and recently came on as culinary partner and executive chef at Casa Bonita, owned by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Rodriguez garnered the nickname “loca” (Spanish for crazy woman) because of her strong work ethic. In this edition of Voices In Food, Rodriguez talked to Garin Pirnia about mentorship, how Latin food shouldn’t be cheap, and how not only Latin people can make good Latin food.
On Misconceptions About Mexican Food
