On this episode of the Modern Mexico Podcast host Nathaniel Parish Flannery talks to Laura Tillman about her new book, THE MIGRANT CHEF: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF LALO GARCIA. Lalo Garcia is one of Mexico's most celebrated chefs. His flagship restaurant Maximo Bistrot has helped to burnish Mexico's reputation as a culinary superpower. Laura gives a detailed overview of her work writing about Lalo's impact on Modern Mexico's gastronomy and soft power standing in the world. Asked about her favorite dish she has seen Lalo prepare, she says, “One that comes to mind that I watched him make is baby corn elote with hollandaise sauce and a chicatana / chile ant dust. The result was so rich and creamy. And these waves of flavor kept coming as you ate it from this sweet tender corn, the caramel notes in the brown butter, the deep richness of the parmesan cheese. None of these ingredients are incredibly luxurious. But, the result was so luxurious to eat. This was just a very delicious bite.” She also explains how Lalo's life experiences have influenced the ever-evolving menu at Maximo Bistrot. “[During his early childhood] he was eating the food from his village, tamales de ceniza, moronga blood sausage, mole, carnitas, all of these foods that his mother would prepare. When he came back to Mexico he was working at Pujol, this top restaurant, he learned a lot [there]. He traveled to Oaxaca. He spent a lot of time in Baja California. He’s brought all of those different experiences to his restaurant along with his travels to France and Italy. When you go to Maximo today you will see all of those influences on the menu," she says.

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