Cookbook Event: Chef Rick Martinez with Jonathan Zaragoza

City Lit is thrilled to host Chef Rick Martinez to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and his latest cookbook, Salsa Daddy! Chef Rick Martinez will be in conversation with Jonathan Zaragoza! There are two options for tickets! $35 "Ticket + Book" includes admission to the event and one copy of Salsa Daddy to be picked up at the event $5 "Ticket NO Book" includes only admission to the event and a $5 City Lit coupon to be picked up at the event. Copies of Salsa Daddy will be available for purchase in-person at the event! The James Beard Award–winning author of the New York Times bestseller Mi Cocina is back with a guide to the brightest dish in any Mexican meal, snack-filled afternoon, or sun-drenched beach day: salsa. From refreshing classics to rich sauces, this collection of over seventy salsas and twenty-four easy meals is a fun-loving introduction to the joy of Mexican cooking. Chips, salsa, happiness. We know that essential truth. But after over 500 years of salsa history, there’s so much more to discover about this staple dish, one that cooks today can customize and riff on freely. Salsa can be an irresistible dip, yes, or a flavorful condiment, or it can be the basis for iconic Mexican meals—not to mention a savior for grilled cheese, burgers, rotisserie chicken, or platters of roasted vegetables. Rick takes us deep into the world of traditional and modern salsas, where a playful pico de gallo with tomatoes, avocados, and chipotles is chopped up in a few minutes or where you might blend roasted peanuts with caramelized onions and toasted chiles for a nutty-savory spicy sauce. You’ll find smashed salsas, like La Tatemada Cremosa (charred tomato, chipotle in adobo, and crema), chopped salsas, such as Xnipec (tomato, habanero, and sour orange), as well as cooked salsas, like Pipián Verde (pepitas, peanuts, and tomatillo) and specials like Salsa Macha (peanuts, guiajillo, and chile de árbol) and Aioli Rojo (morita, guajillo, garlic, and lime). Turn these incredibly delicious salsas into easy meals like Chilaquiles, Enchiladas Gratinadas, Puffy Tacos, or Pozole Verde con Pollo. With over seventy salsa recipes and twenty-four easy meals that offer endless variation, Salsa Daddy shows you how salsa can catapult joy into your cooking and become the heart of every table. Like Rick, you’ll learn that salsa isn’t a condiment—it’s a lifestyle. Chef Rick Martinez is a celebrated Mexican-American chef, author, food personality, and recipe developer, who regularly contributes to The New York Times. Known for his vibrant, effervescent personality and innovative cooking style, Rick has received numerous accolades for his debut cookbook, including the prestigious James Beard Award for International Cooking, as well as two IACP awards for Best International Cookbook and Book of the Year in 2023. Born and raised in Austin, TX, and now based in Mazatlán, Mexico, Rick spent decades in advertising before following his dream of working with food. Rick graduated from the French Culinary Institute and worked under Dan Kluger at ABC Kitchen before working at Bon Appetit as a senior food editor. Years later, he discovered his true passion—to challenge misconceptions about Mexican cuisine. Through his work and cookbooks, he now showcases the vibrancy and diversity of Mexican food, highlighting its rich cultural heritage and how easily it can be incorporated into everyday cooking. Chef Jonathan Zaragoza was raised on Chicago’s Southside by a tight-knit family with strong cooking roots — he recalls standing on a step stool, helping his mother stir eggs as a five year old. At the age of 12, in the backyard of their home, Zaragoza began learning to make birria, roasted goat from Jalisco, in a wood-burning oven built by his grandfather and father. His task was to start the fire, tending to it until the goat was ready to go in for its overnight roast. In 2007, Birrieria Zaragoza opened its doors giving Zaragoza a platform to create and continue learning from while diving headfirst into Chicago’s hospitality industry. From working at Sepia and Sixteen as a young cook, cutting his teeth on the Michelin circuit, to becoming the chef of Masa Azul at 22, Zaragoza’s culinary abilities have afforded him acclaim and the world as his kitchen. His path has taken him throughout Mexico, deep into its rich culinary heritage, to bring its traditions with him to London, Dubai, Paris and all across the US. Lately, you’ll find Jonathan cooking at his restaurants Birrieria Zaragoza, Čálli and El Oso when he’s not raising his pup Wednesday.

Event Links

Tickets: https://go.evvnt.com/3261728-0

Read More

View Less