THE SALVISOUL COOKBOOK is a long-awaited homecoming for the entire Salvadoran diaspora – including here in New York City. Chef and author Karla Tatiana Vasquez’s work is an affirmation of a people’s place in the rich tapestry of the foodways and culture of the United States and bridges the gap between ‘here’ and ‘there’ that many Salvadorans in diaspora have felt for the last several generations.
The being ‘between here and there’ continues to persist: From news of the most recent presidential elections in El Salvador to immigration to the southern border as a central issue in the US presidential elections this year, THE SALVISOUL COOKBOOK presents a diverse mosaic of both the harrow and beauty of the Salvadoran immigrant experience and a human portrait of what it means to be Salvadoran in the United States today. The book contains 30 first person accounts of Salvadoran women facing the impossible, contending with the American dream, and learning to be here in the US and there in El Salvador all at once, as they fight to preserve both their foodways and the future of their families.
In this collection of eighty recipes, Karla shares her conversations with moms, aunts, grandmothers, and friends to preserve their histories so that they do not go unheard. Here are recipes for Rellenos de Papa from Patricia, who remembers the Los Angeles earthquakes of the 1980s for more reasons than just fear; Flor de Izote con Huevos Revueltos, a favorite of Karla's father; as well as variations on the beloved Salvadoran Pupusa, a thick masa tortilla stuffed with different combinations of pork, cheese, and beans. Though their stories vary, the women have a shared experience of what it was like in El Salvador before the war, and what life was like as Salvadoran women surviving in their new home in the United States.
MOFAD is excited to welcome Karla Tatiana Vasquez in celebration of her new cookbook, THE SALVISOUL COOKBOOK. She will be joined by Jessica Hoppe, Honduran Ecuadorian writer and creator of @NuevaYorka, for a conversation about the flavors of the Salvadoran diaspora and the women who preserve them.
Doors will open at 6:00 PM to allow ticket holders to tour our current exhibition, Flavor: The World to Your Brain. The program will start promptly at 7:00 PM.
Tickets also include the option to purchase THE SALVISOUL COOKBOOK by Karla Tatiana Vasquez from our bookseller partner Kitchen Arts & Letters in New York City.
KARLA TATIANA VASQUEZ
Karla Tatiana Vasquez is a food writer, recipe developer, and food stylist based in Los Angeles. Her writing has been published by the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Teen Vogue, Eater LA, and KCET, among others. Her recipe development work can be seen in Food & Wine, Serious Eats, BuzzFeed Tasty, and Tastemade. She is also a food justice advocate and an active member in her community to increase healthy food accessibility in low-income communities, previously working with Hunger Action Los Angeles and Los Angeles Food Policy Council. She founded SalviSoul in an effort to preserve her family’s recipes, and since then it’s expanded to focus on cultural memory and intergenerational healing for the Salvadoran diaspora.
JESSICA HOPPE
Jessica Hoppe is a Honduran Ecuadorian writer and creator of @NuevaYorka. She has been featured on ABC News and Max Pa’lante! Her work has appeared in the Latino Book Review, the New York Times, Vogue, and elsewhere. Jessica is a board member of Time of Butterflies, a nonprofit supporting families through domestic abuse recovery, and an organizer with the CentAm & Isthmian Writers group. Her debut memoir, First in the Family, is forthcoming from Flatiron on September 10, 2024.