October 30, 6:30 P.M. Talk and Taste: Una Celebración de Día de Muertos
October 30, 2023 06:30 PM
Mexican Chefs Ana Castro and Fany Gerson on Customs and Meaning of the Day of the Dead
25 11th Ave, New York, NY 10011, USA
Join 2023 James Beard Best Chef: South Award nominee chef Ana Castro of New Orlean’s restaurant Lengua Madre and Fany Gerson, the chef and owner behind Mijo and Brooklyn’s Fan Fan Doughnuts for a discussion of the significance and traditions of Día de Muertos, the two-day Mexican holiday that reunites the living and the dead.
All attendees will enjoy Fany Gerson’s traditional Pan de Muerto and Ana Castro’s Coffee Atole and Hot Oaxacan Chocolate.
General Admission: $25
About Ana Castro:
Raised in Mexico City, Chef Ana Castro traveled from India to Europe to New York City before laying down roots in New Orleans. There, Ana worked her way up to sous chef at the nationally acclaimed Coquette. She was a 2018 James Beard 2018 Rising Star Chef Award nominee and, in the same year, a recipient of the coveted Ment’Or Grant, which allowed her to work for 3 months under chef Jonathan Tam at Relae in Denmark.
In 2021, Ana opened Lengua Madre with a vision to elevate our current understanding of Mexican cuisine. Under her leadership, Lengua Madre was a 2022 James Beard Award semifinalist for Best New Restaurant and was included in both the New York Times’ “Restaurant List” 2021 and Bon Appetit’s “50 Best New Restaurants” 2022. She was named one of Food & Wine’s “Best New Chefs” 2022 and went on to become a 2023 James Beard Award nominee for Best Chef: South. The celebrated restaurant will close its doors December 31, 2023.
Acamaya, Ana’s first solo venture as chef-owner, is slated to open in New Orleans’ Bywater neighborhood in spring 2024. The coastal Mexican seafood restaurant will feature dishes utilizing the bounty of the Gulf of Mexico in a lively, laid-back atmosphere.
About Fany Gerson:
As the country’s most authoritative voice on Mexican sweets, Fany Gerson, has been featured in the New York Times, Food & Wine, Fine Cooking, Saveur Magazine, Fast Company, and New York magazines, among others. She launched the acclaimed La Newyorkina, an artisanal Mexican frozen treats and sweets business, in 2010. She is also the chef, founder and co-owner of Fan-Fan Doughnuts, an artisan gourmet doughnut shop . A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Fany has worked in a range of fine-dining kitchens around the world, including three-Michelin-starred Akelare in Spain and Eleven Madison Park in New York. She has written three books, My Sweet Mexico, which was nominated for a James Beard award 2010, Paletas, and Mexican Ice Cream. She was a mentor in the WE NYC Women’s leadership program in 2016. recognized as a Latin woman leader in 2017 by El Diario, was featured on the cover of Cherry Bombe in 2021, and is a James Beard Foundation WEL alumna.
Tickets to events held at Platform at Pier 57 by the James Beard Foundation cover the cost of food, education and a unique dining experience. Meals are prepared by culinary masters from all regions of the United States and around the world. Unless otherwise stated, alcoholic beverages are provided on a complimentary basis and are not included in the ticket price.
James Beard Foundation events permit guests age 21 years and older to attend events where alcoholic beverages are served.