A new take on Mexican American cooking rooted in the fresh produce of coastal Veracruz, this is a deeply personal book from the immigrant sisters who founded the Veracruz All Natural restaurants in Austin, which enjoys a nationwide cult following of people who want to make their recipes.
Reyna and Maritza Vazquez grew up in Veracruz, Mexico. A rural coastal region, it is famous for its colorful, healthful cuisine. In Veracruz, cooking with red meat is rare, and local dishes are vegetable-forward with proteins like fish, shellfish, chicken, and eggs. Such are the one hundred recipes in Veracruz All Natural, inspired mostly by the home cooking with which the women grew up, along with easy favorites from their restaurants.
Throughout, Reyna and Maritza tell the story of their food, which, in turn, is their story: In 2008, they walked across the Mexican-US border. They made their way to Austin, Texas, where they sold roadside ices. With their first profit, they opened a humble food truck, and then a few more. Now, they have a fleet, plus a restaurant, Veracruz Fonda & Bar. It won a Michelin Gourmand Award last year. They are local heroes with a national story, beloved for their unparalleled food, of course, but also for their generosity, grit, and openness about their immigrant story.
Beautifully photographed in Austin, the recipes include:
- El Breakfast Taco
- Chicken and Vegetable Stew (Puchero de Pollo y Verduras)
- Shrimp and Scallop Aguachile (Aguachile de Camarón y Callo)
- Veracruz-Style Snapper (Huachinango a la Veracruzana)
- Achiote and Citrus-Braised Pork (Cochinita Pibil)
- Whole-Wheat Conchas (Conchas Integrales)
- Cantaloupe-Seed Horchata (Horchata de Semilla de Melón)
Veracruz All Natural is a love letter to the authors’ Mexican roots and their American home. It is a testament to sisterhood and the power of food to make people feel more alike than different.
“A new take on Mexican American cooking rooted in the fresh produce of coastal Veracruz, this is a deeply personal book from the immigrant sisters who founded the Veracruz All Natural restaurants in Austin, which enjoys a nationwide cult following of people who want to make their recipes.” —Jenna Helwig, Cookbook Collective
"The cuisine of sunny Veracruz shows how light and healthy Mexican food can be" —The Washington Post
“In addition to being an appealing cookbook, Veracruz All Natural also tells a happy immigrant story of a family making its home in the U.S. and becoming a success story. Beautifully photographed, the book is great for cooks of all levels.” —Booklist
“Reyna and Maritza Vazquez...were teenagers in 1999 when they crossed the Río Grande and headed toward a new life in Austin... Their ancestral home is the lush and complex port state of Mexico’s Gulf coast, a culinary tropical paradise... The cookbook is a beautifully rendered compendium of staples from Veracruz including salsas, rice preparations, soups and, of course, seafood.’’ —The LA Times
