Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast - The Award-Winning Flavors of Oaxaca with Bricia Lopez

Episode Date: February 25, 2025

Restauranteur and cookbook author Bricia Lopez takes us back to where her career in food really began -- the kitchen of the renowned, LA-based Oaxacan restaurant Guelaguetza, which her father opened in the 90's. Bricia and her siblings grew up washing dishes, bussing tables and helping their parents foster a sense of community for the Oaxacan diaspora in Los Angeles; something Bricia continues to do as one of the co-owners of the restaurant today. This conversation was recorded when record-breaking wildfires scorched LA earlier this year -- Bricia talks about how she was able to help through calling on her community. Plus, we hear how to make her mama's classic Huevo en Frijoles.Your Mama’s Kitchen is a production of Higher Ground.Produced by Sonia Htoon.Associate Producers are Camila Thur de Koos and Jenna Levin.Sound design and engineering from Andrew Eapen, Ryan Kozlowski and Roy Baum.Executive producers for Higher Ground are Mukta Mohan, Dan Fierman and Michele Norris.The show’s closing song is 504 by The Soul Rebels.Editorial and web support from Melissa Bear and Say What Media. Our talent booker is Angela Peluso.Copyright 2024 by Higher Ground Audio, LLC / Sound Recording copyright 2024 by Higher Ground Audio, LLC.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I dream of being a Pepsi CEO or I don't know why. I don't know where that dream came from. It's very specific. I don't know if I saw it on a TV somewhere. Maybe it was the first time I saw like a woman in like a suit. I don't know if she was drinking. I always think of like a being a higher rank like Pepsi executive like fancy job, you know, with, you know, fancy clothes and heels and behind a desk, you know.

But I, that's, I don't know. It's what changed. What changed? Passion for life, Michelle. I think you're just passion. I think at the end of the day, that's, you go back to what draws you, what calls you. And I just found my calling and what I do. Hello, hello, and welcome back to your mama's kitchen.

This is the place where we explore how the kitchens that we grew up in as kids shape who we become as adults. And today we have a special story. It's a story about how the kitchen plays such. an important role in holding on to home, even when the place you call home has to change. And the center of the story is a wonderful woman named Bresha Lopez. She is at the heart of the story. She is a Los Angeles-based restaurant owner and cookbook author. Her family roots reach back to Waxaca, Mexico. And it is not an overstatement to say that her family's Wahakhan restaurant, Galagetza, is legendary. And here's one of the reasons why. When he was

alive, the much-beloved, well-known Pulitzer Prize-winning restaurant critic, Jonathan Gold, visited her family spot and declared that it was the best Wahakian restaurant in all of America, all 50 states, the whole thing, the best, big stuff. Now, you may have seen Bresha on social media. She has a vibrant and delicious Instagram page. You should follow her. You should also get her newsletter. She's the author of several cookbooks, as we've noted, and she's also the host of,

of her own podcast about Mamas. It's called Super Mamas, and she is the host of the show with her sister. She is a mother herself. She has two kids. And we need to say something. As we sit down to talk to her today, like many people in Los Angeles, she is still reeling from fires that are still burning in Los Angeles County. Risha, thank you so much. Given that to take time to come in and talk to us today, I understand that you were able to get back to your house. Yes. that everything is still standing. I thank goodness for that. Could you give us an update on where you are, how you are,

for those of us who've been watching what's going on in Los Angeles and so worried and overwhelmed by the scope of this devastation, just give us a quick check-in before we begin our conversation. Absolutely. Well, thank you so much for having me. I'm a huge fan. I grew up. Right back at you.

Yes, I moved to live in when I was 10 years old. and I've loved I love talk radio ever since I was in high school I think I was sharing the story I was alone in my talk radio but I love for talk radio in my early 20s

because none of my friends would listen to talk radio just me so I grew up listening to your voice and then I love you I'm a huge fan first of all so thank you for having me Michelle You are so well served if you're talking about those years on NPR you're really well served by two great stations

in LA, KBCC and KCRW. Yes. So just a huge friend. Thank you for having me. L.A. fires, yes. I mean, that could just be a show of its own. I am just thankful right now.

I am very grateful to be able to have my home. I am grateful that my children are safe. I am grateful that I am healthy. I am deeply, of course, satin. I was able to really put myself in a great situation. I'm very privileged to have a wonderful community. I'm very privileged to have my family here with me. The support, I have my sisters, my brother, everyone really show up for me.

I think we've raised over $60,000 to really be of help and aid to those domestic workers that lost their jobs. There's lots of gardeners out of job right now. A lot of housekeepers, a lot of nannies, a lot of restaurant workers, who are, for the most part, a lot of them are from Guajanios. A lot of them are immigrant communities. So we're able to be of help and be of service to those people because I am them. My mom was also a housekeeper and the Palisades. So we're happy to be able to be of service.

I went to Palisades High School and I went to fifth grade elementary and Palisades Elementary. My siblings all went to elementary school there. But when I tell people that they, I didn't live in the Palisades. but I went to school there. My mom would drive us every day an hour from where we lived, 40 minutes. We would leave the house at 6.50. And by then we were also fed. Also, mind you, she had made a great delicious breakfast.

Get in the car, drive to Palisades. She dropped off her kids. And then she'd go clean homes. Get off, work, pick her kids up from school. drive back and work a full shift at the restaurant and did it all over again. So your mother really was a superwoman. She continues to be the greatest super mama ever. What a gift.

Yes, for a gift. And I think a lot of the times in history when the restaurant was written about and I was driving here and I promised myself I wasn't going to cry. But then you introed and you spoke about Jonathan Gold and my mom. I'm like, I hope I can get through the dinner. And Jonathan Gold was he was just the best, wasn't he? Absolutely. But a lot of the things that were written about my restaurant were always written from the perspective of my dad.

I remember my dad was in a lot of pictures of him and, you know, he was the guy who did everything. And he did. Listen, my dad was a visionary and a bit of history. He's the one who actually came to America and started the restaurant. Correct. He, we lived with my uncle and my mom when my dad left. for a year. My dad left Waxaca to seek a better life for his children, four children. And he moved to Los Angeles. And he, in six months, this man landed in a new country with

no money, no language, and opened a restaurant. I don't know how he did it. So to his credit, he's a wonderful, magnificent man, but, you know, no great man is great without a great woman, right. So my mom really, really, my mom, she drove everything. And I think her, her story gets lost. But yeah, she's superwoman. I'm glad, I'm glad. Because her story gets lost, I'm glad we get to talk about your mama's kitchen then. And tell us a little bit more about who she is, about her path in life. And maybe. Miss Maria de Jesus Montereubio is her name. All right. And her husband's name is Fernando. Why did Fernando leave, Oaxaca. Oh my goodness. This was in 1994. And this was when Mexico went into a horrible devaluation. It took two zeros away from the peso. So one day you had 100 pesos and the next day you had one.

And my dad was a merchant. My dad was a mezcal maker. Now, this is back when people were not into mescal. This is when people thought miscal was a cheap version of tequila. This is when. So it was, you know, fighting an uphill battle of trying to educate people. on Mescal and educate people on Oaxaca. About all I'm still fighting, by the way, Michelle, 40 years later. We should have a separate conversation just about Misscal and I would like actually relish that. So let's put that on the calendar. Yes, put that on the calendar. He moved and he left. His sister was living here at the time. My aunt. So he moved here and he traveled and he moved here to Los Angeles. And he was just trying to figure out what to do. Like where do I find money how do I create something for my family?

And all he could do was sell, right? Like he would sell mezcal, so he brought some mezcal, and he brought tortillas and mole and Chile and all the Wauagan essentials that we can live without and started hustling food and started kind of going door to door of finding Guajanios who seek food and who just missed food.

And he would be the Klajuda guy. He would be the guy who would sell, you know, who hustled Klajouidas and Mokaijewaz. and chocolate and all of the Wohawkan things. And, you know, he drove through, he was telling me the story. He drove and he found himself in Fresno. Fresno's not next to Los Angeles. No, but think about this, Michelle.

This man had no internet, no link. He didn't know the language. He was in a different country and found Fresno just by asking where do Wohawkans live? I mean, that's like up the grapevine. That is like, it's what, two hours from Los Angeles? And he just found himself in Fresno and a community of Guajinos and Santa Maria and Santa Barbara. And he wanted to move there. He was like, I think this is a great place where I can bring my family and live in Fresno.

And maybe I'll become a gardener. Like, you know, he talked to so many people and he really saw a path to prosperity in this country. And then quickly he started selling food into streets. He was a food street vendor for three months and then opened a restaurant. That's that whole other story. I don't know how this man did this. He just did it by Will. Moved his family here. So I moved to Los Angeles in 1995, I believe, or 94, I can't even remember now. I was 10 years old and, you know, we just started a new life here. We, and our life in Oaxaca was so different. I mean, I was 10, so I clearly remember my childhood, my stay-at-home mom, my dad would go to, you know, work selling misguards.

He would travel a lot. And my mom would stay with her four kids and my mom would cook. I mean, I was just thinking about my mom's kitchen. And my goodness, my mom would make a different awafresca every day. My mom would have like a three-course meal for us every night. We'd always have a soup with vegetables. We'd always have an awa fresca. We'd always some sort of, you know, protein and some sort of side.

Like there was always, I don't know how she would just create this. every single day. And I remember my coming home, we would walk from school. So I had that beautiful childhood of walking home from school with my sister. And she'd always be cleaning. I remember just coming home and mom would always be mopping the floor and ready to serve food. I have so many questions because you landed, you landed in L.A. during this period of tumult. I mean, this was, you know, around the riots. It was, you know, L.A. was, L.A. was. Yeah, L.A. was the aftermath of that, though. It was going through, you know, it was going through some stuff, you know, at that time when you first arrived. And so I want to ask you about

about getting here to Los Angeles, but I also want to ask you about the kitchen you grew up in when you were back in Waxaca. And did your mother in creating the kitchen here try to recreate what she left behind in Waxaca? Were there appreciable differences between the two kitchens? Oh, my God. I mean, we, it was it was night and day moving to L.A. In Wahaka, we had her very tiny home. And on the weekends, we drive to Mitala and Matatlan where my grandma lived. So we went out to the country, countryside. It sounds really beautiful. A countryside of Oaxaca. It sounds very beautiful. It really does. I did Mitala and that's where we lived in the weekend. And my mom, my, my grandma's kitchen,

an outdoor kitchen, my grandma would, I would see my, my grandma like cutting a chicken head every week, cutting the head of a chicken every weekend because that's what she would feed us. and she'd love to kill the chickens and smear. That's funny. I have a memory of my grandmother doing that also. It's weird to say because, kind of wringing the neck and doing it with one hand. Yeah, my grandma was not a, my grandma was not a loving grandma in the way that you look at a grandma on TV. I was like, oh, grandma, give me a hug.

I don't think my grandma ever gave me a kiss. I don't think my grandma ever hug. Maybe she hooked me once. But she just showed her love through food. My grandma was a very stern, like. She didn't realize show emotion. She was always like, you know, very stern. But she showed her love through food, and that's how my mom also got to feel her love from her mom.

And that's how my mom also shows her love to me. So, and then we moved to L.A. and we lived in a spare bedroom of a two-bedroom apartment. And so in L.A. with my aunt. So it was so different. It was so, it was night and day. I went from everyday cooking to then to learning. I mean, my mom would make us breakfast and make us lunch. But on the drive back, it was always, we, that's when I learned what Carl's Jr. was.

That's what I learned what Poyoloko was. If you don't live in Los Angeles, Carl's Jr. is a hamburger chain in Los Angeles. And it just became so different. She stopped making those everyday meals at the house. So our home Wohawkan experience kind of then transported to the restaurant. So the weekends was when we all sat down and we ate at the restaurant together as a family. And I never missed the Wohawkan flavors because they were always present at the restaurant. And I grew up around Wohawk in community.

I grew up around Wohawk, I feel like. I never left Waxaca because I think Wohaca was always with me in our restaurant. And my mom was able then to transport those recipes there. There was a period of transition, but I think once the restaurant started going, we would make our Tal de Mueros there since we got here. We would, everything, it just became community. And my mom would, you know, we'd always snack, nextimalized corn at the restaurant from the beginning. We'd always make molest from scratch.

So it's a home kitchen, really, in my restaurant kitchen. It's not a traditional restaurant kitchen. It's more of a home kitchen that then we serve guests. That's what the reviewers have said, that the kitchen doesn't feel. It may slightly look like a restaurant kitchen, but it doesn't have that feel. It feels like there's a family and outback making home cooked meals for you. Yes. Yes, that's what we do at the restaurant. If you're not familiar with Wahakian cuisine, help us understand the flavors and the textures of Wahakian cuisine and how that's different from Mexican flavors that people might be more used to here in America. Because Mohawkan food is different than the food that comes from other regions. And the food that you see in a lot of the big Mexican chains,

particularly in the center of the country. Yes, yes. Oaxon cooking, Mohawkan food, it's really the essence and the soul of Mexican food. I always tell people that if you really love Mexican food and you really want to learn more about Mexican food, you need to go to the source, and the source is Oaxaca. It's all there.

It's really the, I think the light and the, it's the heartbeat of Mexican cooking. It's the soul. It's the essence. And that starts with very simple ingredients like corn. And the transformation that happens with this corn in many ways. Massa, atolles, and, you know, the process, the chiles, I always remember, and I, this smell of Chillas Pasilla, Oaxanos, like the Chile Pasea Wauaca. It comes from a region of Oaxaca, from the Mijia region of Oaxaca, and it has this distinct

smell that I think really captures the essence of everything that's Wohaca, because it has this natural smoky smell that's sweet that sort of like captures your senses, but you don't know where it's coming from what it is because you've never smelled it or tasted it before. So when you're Oaxaca, you're able to create so many food memories because you're able to just discover new flavors, new tastes. You have things like an avocado leaf infused in your beans that make it so different and you can't understand why these beans are so good or so great. And they're just great black beans that were, you know, picked from the, you know, lowlands of Oaxaca.

And they're the most perfect pot of beans with the most beautiful, you know, piece of avocado leaf and the best chila da edible there that's just whipped together. I mean, I think when you go to Oaxaca, you just understand the chillas, the tomatoes. I mean, I am not a tomato fan. That's like the one vegetable that I always have a hard time with. But man, when I go to Oaxaca, I'd be eating some tomatoes there, yes. The tomatoes are different there? There's so different there. They're more fleshy?

There's so many varietals of tomatoes in Oaxaca. Tomatoes come from Mexico. And Oaxaca is like a big part of that. And when you go and eat a tomato from Oaxaca, it'll change your mind. So I think also maybe that's what I don't like tomatoes because I know what they're supposed to taste like. So then that's just what I expect, you know? There also seems to be a lot more root vegetables. in Wahakian food and of course Mule.

I think it's just the spices are available and the chilas are available. I think that's just the, that's what it is. It's the herbs and the chiles and everything just has a smoky tone throughout. There's a smoky grilling essence to everything from mescal to mole, right? That commonality, that common thread is really that natural wood fire. grill, just beautifulness, essence, you know. So if I went to the restaurant in the early days, was it full of Waxican people trying to find a taste of home?

Yes, I think to this day, we still service a lot of families. It's beautiful to see now a generation. I mean, think about it, Galageta turned 30 years last year. So I know children that grew up there. I know children who are from Waxaca, who, by the way, could not go.

back to Oaxaca for many reasons, right? And that is where they created their memories as Wachajakeans in L.A. And changing the palettes and creating, you know, my dad was always so demanding that the food needed to taste the best. My mom, too. They really, they demand excellence when it comes to tasting food to taste the best. We, to this day, bring cheese from Oaxaca, bring tortillas from Oaxaca, bring chilas from Oaxaca. we always gave people a true presentation of being in Wohaka. So it's funny now 30 years later going back to Wajaka and seeing these generation of

Guajalajalinos, Wohawk and Angelinos that go back and go back to Wohaka and know the food so well because they got the same taste growing up here in L.A. It's pretty cool to think about that. You know, there's an art to join that because it's very hard. hard, it's really hard to take food that you're fixing for a family and then create it at scale, you know, large amounts of it and still have it taste like home-cooked food. What's the secret to doing that when you're cooking a vat of something, but you want it to taste like it came from a little pot on somebody's stove? You just pay attention. You just have to pay attention, you have to

care. I think that's just what it is. At the end of the day, like, that it's, that's, that's, it. You just, and you have to know what it tastes like. I think that's what I think. Just got to taste things and just do your best. It sounds like it's part of it as the intention also. Like you're still cooking as if you're cooking for a family, even though you're cooking for the masses. I think that's what my restaurant feels like. I think we're all family. I think that's, you know, everyone that works with me, I run the restaurant with my sister, my brother, but everyone that works with us, we just all feel like family. And I think that's what you taste. And I think that's what, you know, a restaurant is so much more than a place, right? There's plenty of restaurants,

but I think every restaurant has their soul. Every restaurant has to have a soul. And I think when you walk into a restaurant, you just feel it. It's part of, it's this weird vibrancy. You have to be almost like one with the restaurant. When you walk in, there's an energy. And you need to create that energy as you walk through and you got to see. And then sometimes when the energy is off, the guests can feel it as well. You know, we've talked about that. before on this podcast, that emotions come through food. You can taste somebody's emotions when things aren't right. You use the word vibration. I think it does come through the food somehow. Absolutely. That's why you always want to, you know, when you're feeding people as a privilege,

right, you're able to create memories to them. You're able to give them, nourish them. That's how I show love. That's how I feel the most loved because that's how my mom showed me love. So being able to create something great for people and share with people. I think it's very powerful. You can, you know, you heal people with food. Again, we did a fundraiser for, for L.A. on Monday. And we cooked, me and my partner cooked. And it was, I think, one of the most beautiful experiences I've ever had. We had so many people that lost their homes that came and ate and were just like, I'm thankful that I'm just feeling normal for a second and just eat great food. like thank you so much.

My friend's mom was there. She lost everything, her home. And she had the best time. And she was just like, this is great food. I'm like, yes. And she felt nourished and she felt taken care of. Because at that point you're feeding the soul. But that's what Hohakan food is.

I think it's soul food. That is who we are. And I think that's why people love Oaxaca. That's why people love to go there. Because when you go there, you just feel that hospitality everywhere you go. Everywhere. And you cannot have a bad meal in Oaxaca. You cannot.

Oaxaca is one of these magical cities where anything you eat, anywhere you go, it's going to be great. You don't have to go to the restaurant. You don't have to make the reservation. You don't have to go to that person to find it. You find great food anywhere. Anywhere. You're making me want to purchase a plane ticket. Yes.

Get on a flight and get there right away. You know, like many kids who grew up in a restaurant, you're part of the staff from the get-go. You know, it's expected that you will work in the restaurant. You've probably washed a few dishes in your life. You've bus tables. You've swept the floor. You've run the cash register. You've been a hostess.

You've cleaned the windows. You've made the menus. You've wiped down the salsa bottles. You've done all that stuff. Oh, yes. Check, check, check. But I understand that there was a point in your life where you did not want to go in the family business that you've done. wanted a corporate job. Oh, yes. I dream of being a Pepsi CEO. I don't know why. I don't know where

that dream came from. It's very specific. I don't know if I saw it on a TV somewhere. Maybe it was the first time I saw like a woman in like a suit. I don't know. Maybe she was drinking. I always think of like being a high rank like Pepsi executive like fancy job, you know, with, you know, fancy clothes and heels and behind a desk, you know? But I, that's, I don't know. It's what changed. What changed? Passion for life, Michelle. I think, I think you just passion. I think at the end of there, that's, you go back to what draws you, what calls you. And I just found my calling and what I do. But I can still channel my inner, you know, top executive, you know, vibe sometimes. I was going to say, I follow you. So you do have, you know, the boss, you have the boss vibes. I mean, it doesn't,

you don't need the heels or the desk or the briefcase, the attache case. I got the heels. I can still do the heels in the kitchen. Yeah, I think I just, and I love to create. I think I realize like I just love to create. So I'm just kind of going through this, I don't know, evolution of just creating a life where I, you know, really enjoy what I do and like live the passion and stay true to to myself. And the truth is, like, I love a restaurant. And very recently, I just rediscovered this whole, like, new, I don't know, this, like, new, like, passion for restaurants again. I'm like, maybe I do want a restaurant more. Maybe I do one another restaurant. Because restaurant work is hard. It's hard. It is hard.

You work odd hours. You have to be on all the time. So it's wonderful that you have a passion for it and that you have a passion for making it your own. Your parents have stepped away. They're still part of the family tradition of the restaurant. But you call it my restaurant. I mean, you're running it now with your Sibs, your siblings. And what did you do to make sure you carried on the family traditions, but at the same time made it your own?

Or was that even allowed? I think when my parents handed over their restaurant is a horrible way of saying it because it did not hand us anything. bought the restaurant from my family. I had a little chip on my shoulder about that because, you know, it's always been hard to sort of prove yourself, I guess, right? It's like your insecurities. I don't really care anymore, but I think in the beginning it was like, we never got anything. We got handed this restaurant that was in the brink of bankruptcy, you know, and we were trying to save it. But I think the best thing that happened was my dad actually moving physical locations. My dad has a very imposing energy.

And I think when he left, we were able to just take ownership and responsibility and learn how to become leaders. And we grew up and we learned to actually run a business by failing many times between my siblings because we didn't really learn. We didn't. Sure, I went to college, but, you know, I was not a great student, Michelle. I don't take orders very well. So I was a really bad student.

But, you know, we learned and we were able to sort of reimagine by just being true to us. We didn't try to change anything. It's a reflection of who I am and with my siblings. We're three Wahawking kids who grew up in L.A. and who love L.A. and who rep L.A. hard. So it's like I don't have to be one thing. I can be me. I can be L.A. and I can be from Wohaka.

And I think when you go to the restaurant, that's what you see. And that's what's so hard to replicate or like understand when you're not from here. Because how do you like feel L.A. But also feel very Wohaka. And that's just because that's how we are. My siblings are. Did you ever feel any pressure to make it less of a family style restaurant and more of a fine dining restaurant? and more of a fine dining restaurant.

No, no, no, no. I've, my passion is always to represent myself and feed people real, like the food that I grew up eating. Like, I think it's so beautiful to think about this, right? Like my dad, my dad, who's 60 plus years old, he grew up eating in frioladas made by his mom. and my son, who is now nine years old, loves Enfrigoladas, right? Like, that's crazy. They're eating the exact same thing. And those recipes are just so part of our culture and so part of us. And I'm able to then share that with other families and bring that to them. Like, that's so cool. It's a treasure. Yeah, but that's not to say that in my creative way of cooking, I channel in so many other ways.

by my cookbook, my newsletter that I started with my partner. There are recipes for the home cook. They're not really, they're not, they're not, it's about just flavor. You know, they're full of flavor. They're, they're easy enough for a home cook to do, but they also reflect a lot of soul. And I appreciate your cookbooks. You write like that also. I mean, the restaurants, they're stories.

It's like reading a novel almost because you're reading the stories. that go along with the recipes. I want to reach back there to something you said, and I hope you don't mind, Bresia. You said that you failed a few times. And I think it's interesting to lean into that a little bit. So people learn from it. Because if you have succeeded in life,

it's because you have skinned your knees a few times. It's because you've hit your head up against the wall. You've made some mistakes. If you wouldn't mind sharing, what are one or two mistakes that you made when you inherited the family restaurant and try to keep it, keep that family style kitchen, try to keep that structure, tried to keep that flavor, tried to hold on to your mother and your father's traditions,

but at the same time make it your own. We're one or two of the stumbles, and what were the lessons that you took from that? From last week? I felt every day. It's a restaurant. It's a restaurant. My goodness, I think in the beginning it was just, I think it's all about human relations and learning how to be a leader, right?

Failing is just failing your staff. You fail your team by not being your best. You fail your team by not learning every day. And I think in the beginning, I didn't know anything, right? So you just make mistakes. You make wrong calls. You make wrong choices. And then you learn from them, anything, you know, HR to ordering, to things going bad,

to plumbing. I'm like, should I have been a plumber? You know? I mean, I think it's. So many failures. I mean, so many, we closed a rest. I closed two restaurants, three restaurants that went under. We wanted to do something new.

My siblings and I are always trying to find an uphill battle. So I'm just, I laugh at us. I'm like, you guys, when are we going to go with the current? Why are we trying to continue to go against the current? I opened this restaurant where I wanted to sell only cladudas and semitas. To this day, no one knows what that cladudence amita. I mean, I was going to ask. I was going to ask.

They're just basically sandwiches. Sandwiches in Casadillas. I think it was just the wrong name. And it was so fun to do it. Oh my God, my brother and I had the best time creating that concept. It was called Semita Ciclaidu da Spalcaron. It was so fun. It was delicious.

We had the best time and we had to close it because it just, you know, we opened a second location. We thought we were invincible and then, you know, we just lost it all. So you took the lesson? I mean, you have to. I mean, every day I learn a new thing. Yes, yes. Your family's restaurant has the most beautiful name. Tell me about the genesis of the name and the beautiful tradition that it represents.

Oh, Gale Getsa. Again, my dad, again, that's the hardest word to write. Can you imagine when I was growing up, I was like, my email was like, bricia at the Gelligetsar restaurant.com. Like, that was so hard to give people. Galegeza is a beautiful, it's a Sepotech word. and it has so many meanings and so many connotations. It's a very powerful word. It's a Galagetza means to live in community.

I think that's really at the essence of what it is. And it takes many forms. You create communities by sharing goods, right? So if I lived in Midla, Matatlan, it's very traditional to have a Galagetza book where you keep track of, I would say, your neighbors and what you need to offer your neighbors, right? So if I had, my daughter was getting marrieds, married, my neighbor came in and offered me, you know, a cow and maybe some sack of beans.

And in return, you know, I put it in my Galagetza book. And in return, when he needs me, I can give him something in return, right? So that's like living in community. And also, it's a huge festival that happens every July in Oaxaca, twice in July. And it's such a great time to, I mean, it's so, Wohacca is so fun. It's very, very crowded. So if you love crowds and you love carnival and Mardi Gras and you love just people. And, And just that, go to Galageta time in Waxaca. You won't get a reservation anywhere, but you'll have a great time. It's really, really busy there in that season, but it's so fun.

And that's really when all the towns from all over from Wohaka come into the city and there's a Galageta Stadium. And they put on this beautiful, you know, showcase of culture and they throw food in the air. And after they've showcased their, they represent their town. usually through dance or a ceremony, they throw what they're famous for in the town as far as food. So if a town comes and they're known for their bread, they'll bring hundreds of breads wrapped in plastic and they'll just throw them to the crowd. So everyone, you know, and at the end, it seals off with a baile of piña, la dance of la pina. No dasa de la pluma, it sounds like piña. Tuxapec dances.

I think there's maybe 24 women who line up in this beautiful dress, wonderful dress, and they have colorful braids, and they have a pineapple on their shoulder, and they dance. That was my dream to be able to dance Pina. I danced for Chloric here in L.A., and that was my favorite dance to do. But you see these beautiful women, and they all in sync. And at the end, they throw the pineapples to the crowd, and people get hit. with pineapple, but it's so fun. Pine novels are kind of heavy.

Yeah, yeah. Pina. Oh, right. That's a beautiful, beautiful dance. Beautiful tradition. I love that people keep a record of the gifts that they give and they get, but not in a transactional way. Not, you know, I did this for someone and now they owe me.

No, it's not about that. You know, I just want to keep track because they may be standing in the need of something at some point and I want to be there for them. Yes. And, you know, for us, that was, that's our going to. Like, it's all right? Like, when I think about the name and where it came from and what I represent, like, this is my responsibility is to share my culture with L.A. It's my way of giving back. I love the city so much. I love L.A. Does your family have a Galagetsa book? And have you ever just combed through it to see a little bit about your family's history? And does it reach back to their time in Waxaca? Yes, I actually took pictures of it. And I have some images in my Wohaka cookbook, some images of my mom's Galagetza.

What have you discovered about their life? It's really just, no, it's on, you know, chickens and, you know, so-and-so's name. It's something so precious. It's, I think it's just a reminder of at the end of the day, you know, all you have is your community and you need is just essentials, right? It's just great food. And if you have great food and you have your community, it's just, it's so powerful. It's so powerful to create community. And I think that's just like what it represents because you're never alone.

Community is its own kind of wealth and treasure. And it doesn't matter how much you have in the bank, how much land you own, how many planes you fly, how fancy your car is. In the end, it just doesn't mean as much if you don't have community, if you don't have people to share that. Yes. Share that with. So it was just really a book of just wealth of just knowing relationships. relationships. And it's being and living in Oaxaca, living in Mithla, my parents live in Mithla, people just show up at your door, which is, you know, when I tell people here in L.A., it's,

people don't just show up to your house here, right? Like, you don't have like, hey, knock on your door. I was just driving by. I wanted to stop and say hi. Like, that's weird, right? But in Wohaka, that's weird. It's weird. The way we live is weird. Yeah. So people just come by all the time. Just happen to be in the neighborhood. No, they're just like random. And then my mom's just like, oh, and then she just takes out like chicharon and casillo and chocolate and mescal and they're just sit and they talk and eat. That sounds pretty fabulous. I mean, if I was in Oaxon, I knew that your family was around the corner, I would definitely be going by their house because it sounds like a really wonderful place to be. There's always great food in the Lopez's house, for sure,

in any Lopez house that you go to. Speaking of great food in the Lopez house, we always gift our listeners with a recipe. And you had a particular recipe that you wanted to share from your mom. It's something, it sounds like a real dose of comfort food. It's a fried omelet cake, not just an omelet, but an omelet cake with black beans. Tell us all about it. It's so simple. It's just eggs and beans. And that was one of my favorite things that my mom would make. Again, I go back to just a really great pot of black beans that been cooked slowly. And then she would grab a bowl. She'd crack two eggs in there and she'd whip them with her fork. She'd season it with salt.

She'd grab her pan and put some oil. She would dip. She would pour her egg mixture. Have it perfectly crisp. Turn it around. Cook it perfectly. Then dumped it in the pot of beans. And then we'd take a smasher and smash the beans ever so slightly just to release a little bit of their puree that's inside. Just like a little bit of, just like a tad bit so they weren't whole. But only half of them. The other half would stay intact. And then she would ladle that bean soup in this and this perfect, delicious, just perfectly seasoned egg in a bowl. And then she'd give it to me with these pickled onions and a roasted chile-de-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-torte, which is kind of spicy, very spicy, and a tortilla. And I would eat this like if it was just the last thing I was going to eat, right?

It was just, I would just devour it because it was just, it just gave everything. It gave acidity. It gave, it gave nourishment from the beans, and then you have, you know, your eggs and you have that fat, it's so delicious. And I made it for my son, I think, a couple years ago for the first time. I don't know why it took me so long to make it because it's so such a simple dish, right? That sometimes it's too simple that you don't want to give it to your kids because you don't want to look, quote-unquote, like a lazy mom. That's a whole other episode of mom guilt. But I gave it to him and he asked for this all the time now. He's like, can you make the huevos withriol? And I'm like, yeah.

it's so simple, but it's just so good. And I love that recipe so much because, again, it's so simple, but it's so delicious. Is that something that you would ever find on a restaurant, even in your restaurant? No. So truly is home-cooked comfort food? That is very home. No, we don't, we don't run that in the menu, but people serve that for themselves sometimes in the back. I see a lot of the staff making that for themselves. It's pretty easy to make it at the restaurant because we have all the ingredients for it. Yeah. So if you're going to do this at home, is it a good idea to pickle? Just keep a little jar of pickled onions. Yeah. I think I love a little pickled onions with this. Red onions. Red onions. Yes. Just a little bit. Or just I always like to also, if I don't have that in my fridge, I always just to add a bite of Serrano at the end of each bite. Just directly.

You also have something that I wanted to ask you. two things I wanted to ask you before we let you go, and I know I can't take too much time, but I could talk to you forever. Same. Do you think that your children will want to work in the restaurant? And do you think that they might go through a phase of their own where they think, oh, I don't want to work in the restaurant?

And do you hope that they will come home and carry on this tradition? I want my children to just live their passion. And I think that's yet to be seeing what that is. My son is nine. My daughter is four. I think I just have to show up as me. And I think my son sees how much fun I have, how much I love what I do. He also sees that, you know, mom works a lot too.

So the other day he did ask me, he's like, is this restaurant going to be mine? I'm like, well, if you work, I'm like, you won't. I told him this. I'm like, if you ever wanted to go to the restaurant, that means you have to work every job at the restaurant. So the sooner you get started, then the chances are higher. But I will never give you the restaurant without you working every job. So that's the actual truth. And he was nine?

He's nine. So he's like, okay. He's like, so I have to, I'm like, yeah, you have to have a shift and you have to like work. And if you're able to, if you want to do that, sure, then yeah. But if you don't want to do that, then you won't. It's that simple. Did you get a similar lecture from your parents? No, no, no, no. My father is a very like, you must do this. You know, my dad is very, very demanding man. He's very, very, very, yes. How can I say this? My dad demands greatness and he's very vocal about it. Okay. He doesn't put up with mediocrity. I think he hates mediocrity and he will let you know when you're being mediocre.

So it's good to see that, but it sounds like you figured out how to manage in your own style at the restaurant now. I think like you go through therapy. You try to heal your family trauma, you know. You try to be a best version of yourself every day and read Oprah and listen to all the podcasts. Your affirmations. Affirmations every morning. And you try to, you know, yeah, it's different. You know, I grew up with parents who were children.

My mom was 17 when she had my sister. My mom was 21. You know, they did the best they could. But as an adult, I now take responsibility. And it's my responsibility to just become a better human being for my children. Sounds like there's a little bit of yin and yang with your parents. So your mother seemed to have a little bit of a softer touch. There's a story that I know because you posted about it online.

There's a tree in the restaurant. Yeah. That looks like a bougainville tree. And it's beautiful, but it has all the little lacy leaves on it. And when you see it, it looks like it's real. But it's actually, is it tissue paper? paper? No, it's just like fake flowers. They're actual. They're all over the place. It's beautiful. But it began as a wishing tree. Yes. Tell me the story. Yes. My mom is, my mom is, again, super mom. She can not only like cook the

best food, but she's so crafty. She's an artist. My mom is an artist. And I don't think she actually knows, I don't think she considers herself an artist. And I tell her that all the time. She's so creative. But I don't think she has fully ever owned that part of herself. But I see it. I mean, she creates the most beautiful gelatina art. She creates, she can knit, she can crochet, she can paint, she can draw. Like, she's so talented, so talented. So when I was pregnant with my first, my son, I wanted a big baby shower.

I wanted, like, I think 100 people came to. my baby shower at my restaurant. That's a big baby shower. Huge baby shower. And I told my mom, I only won one thing. I want, I had this vision. Like, I want a huge tree in the middle of the restaurant. I want it to be white. And I wanted so people could write all their wishes for my son and hang it. And it was so beautiful to see all these beautiful wishes for my son. They were hanging from the tree. And it's like, she made this tree for me. Like, like, I was. I, like, I I don't know. I think if my daughter was like, make me a tree, mom. I'm like, what? How do I make it? She just made it.

And it looks like a tree. I mean, it looks like a tree. And it looks like a tree. And it stayed. And it stayed. And it became such a essence of, of the restaurant. It kind of, she brought this tree to life. And I think that tree brought an entire new generation. Because that's really when I took over the restaurant with my siblings. And it was like the beginning of the next decade for the restaurant. That was then reimagined. myself and my two siblings. I love that the word community keeps coming up because restaurants at their best create community. Of course. That's what great restaurants do. Yes. I worked at restaurants and many restaurants early in my life and the best ones created community in the kitchen, community among the waitstaff, community among the patrons. And now, thanks to Instagram and social media, community among the people who follow along, even, you know, who might never set foot in your

restaurant still get to be a part of your community. and your family. And I'm glad that you became part of ours by coming to the studio today to talk with us. Of course. I can talk about food all day. We may have to have you back because we had a few days. We can talk about Mesco. We can talk about mom guilt. We can, you know, we'll figure something else out because we have really loved having you and we may have to figure out how to bring you back. Thank you. Thank you for the recipe. We may try to coax a recipe for Agua Fresca out of you because you always have interesting ones in your newsletter. My gosh, please. Our newsletter is called From Wahaka.com. We're in Substack as well. That's where my partner, my man and I share our love for food because. Hey, T.J. He's watching through the window. Hello. Hi, baby. Thank you so much for being with us. All the best to you and your people in coming days, in coming months, in coming years. All the best. Thanks so much. And everyone, please, stay mentally strong. Yes. It's statistically strong. You can take care of other people. unless you take care of yourself first. Thank you, thank you. You know, as you listen to this conversation,

it's clear that the concept of Galagata is more than just the name on the top of a restaurant. It's a home for the Wahawken community in L.A. It's a place for people to be introduced to the food and the culture. And true to its name, it represents gifting and generosity and the recording of history, things that are so important and even more important for a city and a nation that has been scarred by this unprecedented. incidented natural disaster, we recorded this conversation while Los Angeles County was still burning. And by the time you hear this conversation, hopefully, hopefully the fires will be under control, but the scars and the displacement will remain. So perhaps think about the spirit of Galagata and what you can do to give the gift of yourself, your time, your resources, your energy,

your spirit, your prayers to those in need. What can you do to record histories and help the taste of and help people find the taste of home, help people get settled in their new homes, wherever that happens to be. As I said, I love this conversation. It will live inside me for a long time. Hope that's true for you too. Thanks for listening. And before we let you go, just a few things. As always, our inbox is open because we want to hear your stories. We want to hear about your mama's kitchen, your memories, your recipes, your thoughts on some of the episodes that you've listened to in this season, as we begin season two and even in our first season, you can see. send us a voice memo or a video recording. You send that to YMK at highergroundproductions.com

for a chance for your voice or maybe your video to be featured in a future episode or on our website. And if you want to try, Risha's recipe, you can find that recipe and all the recipes from all the episodes at our website. That's your mom's kitchen.com. Thanks for being with us. Make sure to come back next week because you know us. We're always serving up something special. See you soon, and until then, be bountable and be safe.