BookPeople Presents: Reyna & Maritza Vazquez - Veracruz All Natural

Please welcome Reyna and Maritza Vazquez to celebrate Veracruz All Natural!

This event is free and open to the public.

• Start time: 2:00 P.M.
• Run time: 45-60 minutes, followed by a signing line.
• Location: The second floor of BookPeople.

The authors will be signing and personalizing copies of the book after the speaking portion of the event.

• To get a book signed, a copy of the event book or an item of equal value must be purchased from BookPeople.
• For high volume events, post-talk signing lines can become very long. For such events, we recommend arriving and checking in to the event early as that will get you into an earlier signing group.

Guidelines:

• Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis and is not guaranteed.
• If you have any accessibility concerns regarding seating, please contact [email protected]

• If you have any other questions, please visit our Eventbrite FAQ. If your question isn't covered in the FAQ, feel free to email us at [email protected].
• All event guidelines are subject to change.
• BookPeople reserves the right to cancel or postpone this event if necessary.
• There will not be a live stream or recording available.

About the book:

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, La Fonda. 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.

About the authors:

Reyna and Maritza Vazquez, sisters, founded Veracruz All Natural in 2010 with a ramshackle taco truck in East Austin. Today, they have seven outposts throughout the city and a restaurant, La Fonda, which won a Michelin Bib Gourmand last year. They are beloved in Austin for their food and their community leadership. They are nationally renowned for serving some of the best Mexican American food in the country. Born in Veracruz, Mexico, they cooked alongside their mother and grandmother, who exalted fresh fish and produce and bold flavors. In 2008, shortly after crossing the Mexico-Texas border, they put everything they had into a tiny trailer out of which they sold snow cones and smoothies. Two years later, their upgraded truck was turning heads—and taste buds—across the city. The Vaquez sisters have been featured in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Food Network, and more.

By purchasing a book from BookPeople, you are not only supporting a local, independent business – you’re showing publishers that they should continue sending authors to BookPeople.

Thank you for supporting Reyna Vazquez, Maritza Vazquez, and your local independent bookstore!

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