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We Are La Cocina: Recipes in Pursuit of the American Dream

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Recipes and stories from more than 50 successful La Cocina entrepreneurs

With 100+ recipes that span the globe from the United States, Mexico, Japan, Brazil, Senegal, Vietnam, and many more: Powerful stories. Beautifully evocative visuals. More than 100 recipes for all occasions, from many cultures. Here, in La Cocina's first cookbook, more than 50 successful La Cocina entrepreneurs share their inspiring narratives—and their delicious recipes!
This is the book for cooks who love great global recipes and support organizations that make a big difference.
More than 150 photographs from award-winning photographer Eric Wolfinger capture the spirit of the people, the mouthwatering food, and the diversity of the immigrant experience.
La Cocina is an incubator kitchen that provides affordable commercial kitchen space, industry-specific technical assistance, and access to market opportunities to women of color and immigrant communities.
"La Cocina is food at its finest: inspiring, instructional, political, and delicious. This book brings the vitality of La Cocina and its mujeres through wonderful recipes—and even better stories."—Gustavo Arellano

This cookbook reflects the flavors and foods of the city where La Cocina was founded. It will help you find inspiration in your own kitchen, in the kitchens that you pass on your way to work, and in the neighborhoods you've been meaning to visit.
Delicious recipes will make your kitchen smell like you've traveled around the world
Mouthwatering global recipes include Golveda Ko Achar (Tomato Cilantro Sauce), Mafé (Peanut Stew), Kuy Teav Phnom Penh (Cambodian Noodle Soup), and many more.

288 pages, Hardcover

Published June 4, 2019

97 people are currently reading
235 people want to read

About the author

Leticia Landa

1 book2 followers

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5 stars
63 (58%)
4 stars
29 (26%)
3 stars
12 (11%)
2 stars
3 (2%)
1 star
1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
Profile Image for Yaaresse.
2,157 reviews16 followers
November 10, 2020
4.5, and that only because I had some major problems with the Kindle format using Kindle app on PC and on the Kindle Fire. On the PC, it got stuck on one page. Unload and reload, same thing happens on the same page. On the Fire, it seemed entire recipes/pages were missing. I finally loaded it on my phone and set it to continuous scroll. That seemed to work, but who wants to read a cookbook on their phone? Have reported the problem to Amazon. Of course, they haven't responded because they never do. I don't want a refund; I want the file to function.

THAT ASIDE....

I really read this more for the stories than the recipes, but now I have a several recipes earmarked to try (providing I can overcome the tech issues eventually.) The IRC chapter in my state runs an incubator kitchen not unlike La Cocina, and it's brought such a wealth of diverse eating options to the area. And the stories are both interesting and inspiring. The photographs are gorgeous. The recipes are so very tempting. Most are not difficult, although they might require a little poking around in smaller, ethnic markets for a few ingredients unless you live in a food mecca.

Nonetheless, a great read. And to those people who want to talk smack about immigrants, screw you. The level of work ethic, imagination, and self-responsibility these women embody is EXACTLY what we need. Any one of these women could probably work circles around most of us and not even break a sweat.
Profile Image for Amanda Johnson.
13 reviews2 followers
October 20, 2019
This book is legitimately one of the most inspiring cookbooks, if not books I’ve ever read. The stories of the women featured in this book were absolutely incredible and every recipe sounded mouthwatering. I made the recipe for Alfajores and holy crappy they were amazing. Everyone get out and read this book.
Profile Image for Dean Jones.
355 reviews29 followers
December 2, 2019
A gorgeous lovely gem of a book. Parts Cookbook, Parts Social History, Parts love letter to the American melting pot.
This book is not strictly a cook book, but it's got a lot of magnificent recipes. These are a collection of stories, of women who make up America and are our foundation. This is there stories,and they are worth reading. The Glue is the food in the recipes. Sometimes handed down, sometimes shared.

You will love this work, I guarantee.
Profile Image for Adina.
236 reviews
July 8, 2019
Great stories of entrepreneurial success with the support of a nonprofit commercial kitchen incubator. Most of the recipes are the reason I eat out - too challenging to make at home.
Profile Image for Anastasia Zamkinos.
150 reviews6 followers
October 23, 2021
Love this cookbook! An homage to so many chefs' lives and to the incredible social and culinary diversity of the Bay Area. Yewande Komolafe writes in this cookbooks that, "A recipe is not an obligation; it is an opportunity for creativity and exploration. . . a recipe allows us the freedom to collaborate. . . Following a recipe is a dialogue across time and space."

I often feel underwhelmed by cookbooks or don't follow through on trying new recipes. Not so with We Are La Cocina. Ah, and the TOC and index and appendices are actually helpful. Yup: big fan.
Profile Image for Jodi Geever.
1,339 reviews6 followers
July 25, 2020
Giving this book 2 stars hurts.

This is a beautiful book and I really appreciate the concept of a multicultural cookbook.

But almost every recipe calls for hard to find ingredients and spices, meaning that most home cooks will find it prohibitively challenging to try their hand at recipes in this collection.
Profile Image for Adelaide.
644 reviews1 follower
June 20, 2021
This is delicious food !

Awesome ! This place is Heaven. Cooking is a form of therapy and it feels Wonderful when people like the good that you cook. This book explores a lot of cuisines all over the world ! What I really like are the stories of all these wonderful ladies. Enjoy !
1,917 reviews
May 14, 2023
Great collection of home oriented dishes from many countries. Each dish has a bio about the chef/cook which is fascinating. Also a fantastic financial experiment to lift people up via food. Recommended.
825 reviews
February 25, 2020
Love these brave womens' stories bought back to life with food based purposes. Women run the world! !
Profile Image for Fresno Bob.
848 reviews10 followers
August 15, 2020
amazing stories, amazing food, if you are in the SF Bay Area and not getting the La Cochina Food Box every week, you are missing out!
Profile Image for Terri.
171 reviews2 followers
July 10, 2022
Beautiful food photography, inspiring stories of female immigrant entrepreneurs, and tons of recipes that sound amazing.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews

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