The Latin Food Fest produces the largest annual multi-city destination event in the U.S. that showcases Latin food, wine and spirits. The LA event recently took place in Santa Monica and I felt fortunate to be there.
The event kicked off on Friday evening with a party called “Mexico In 32 Flavors”. This was a small intimate setting under a single large tent on Santa Monica beach. I started with a Michelada made with Clamato. It was spicy, cold and the perfect way to begin the evening.
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- ¿Got Pupusas?
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- Pupusas Revueltas
Vchos usually serves from within their food truck and were on-hand to serve two of their pupusas: vegan and pupusa revueltas. The pork, bean and cheese revueltas was topped with a fried plantain and curtido, a Central American pickled coleslaw. Because they were just made, they were warm. The vinegar-based curtido gave the otherwise plain dish a good contrast in flavor.
For me, the highlights of the evening were the paella mixta from Calle Sabor and the premium tequila from Suave Spirits. The paella was loaded with shrimp, clams, mussels and sausage. The other “best” experience was at the Suave Spirits table. I was able to sample the Suave Blanco, Lunar Rested and the Reposado. Their tequilas are aged in French oak and are exceptional in taste!
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- Paella Mixta with shrimp, mussels, clams and sausage
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- Vegan cheesecake by Chef Turok
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- Sour cherry liqueur from Portugal
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- Suave Tequila – my favorite was the Lunar Rested
Melissa’s Produce sponsored Chef Turok and his famous vegan cheesecake. It is made with marcona almond crust, xocolatl mousse, candied cocoa bean powder, fresh raspberry and drizzled with a red berry gelee. It was hard to believe that this dessert was dairy free and vegan.
The Gran Tasting was held the next day and was a much larger event than the evening before. That day was a culinary journey thru Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, Peru and Spain. When my friend and I entered the venue, Latin rock sensations Sonsoles was in full swing. This quickly got everyone into a festive mood.
More than 50 local restaurants plated samples to the hungry attendees. Here are some of the items I tried:
Aporkalypse Carnitas Taco by Carnitas El Momo
Lamb Barbacoa Taco by Texcoco
Chorizo Taco topped with cotija and avocado crema
Puerto Rican Mofongo from the Triple Threat Truck
Pops Belizean Rum Cream Liqueur
Johnnie Walker Red, Ginger Beer, Club Soda and Mint
Pure Peru was serving Peruvian Mules
We struck gold with Adictivo – they were pouring premium tequilas
At the opposite side of the venue, a second stage was erected. Cooking demos by Tati Polo, Enrique Olvera, and Marcela Valladolid were conducted live. Because they were so far away from the band, observers could actually hear the chef’s commentary.
Chef and Model Tati Polo discusses techniques for healthy cooking.
On the way out, we passed the stage where Sonsoles was performing. They were still going strong and my friend asked a Latina to dance. She agreed and the two of them looked like a couple and danced in sync with the music. While I didn’t know the song, it was a popular Latin beat as many in the audience knew the Spanish lyrics and were singing in tandem.
High energy band, Sonsoles
This year crowd control was much better mostly because they decentralized the beverage vendors. Doing this, it didn’t create a single traffic jam in one location and effectively spread the people across the large venue. Sonsoles had a lot of energy and were popular with the crowd. My only nit, I wish they had more trash cans.
Dates have already been announced for next year’s LA festival, March 29-30, 2019, and keep your eyes out for the festival to make a stop in San Diego this August 17-18.
Latin Food Fest
latinfoodfest.com