Dear Fresca Readers,
I’ve missed you. I’m back today to share with you first, before the world even knows it, that I am over the sun and the moon to announce that I am writing A COOKBOOK: PACÍFICO. A love letter to the cooking from the impossibly beautiful Pacific Ocean Beaches, the lush mountainscapes, the Sierra Madre, and beyond. It documents the tropical cuisine of Mexico’s Pacific coast, too long excluded from being celebrated despite being such a vast region of culinary traditions of its own, long deserving of recognition.
It feels surreal to reflect on a journey that started as a little girl raised in a restaurant family in Vallarta. Writing my first recipe for a key lime cookie pie at age six, sitting next to my mom to write down what I saw her cook. When I immigrated to the United States at 20, I was both excited and scared to leave everything and everyone I loved behind. But being homesick led me to learn how to cook the flavors of home. It all led me to this moment. My heart is exploding with nostalgia and joy—it’s been an emotional journey to dive deep into the stories behind the flavors, the tropical fruits, the high-acid moments that will forever imprint on me as the wide-eyed, shy little niña from Vallarta.
Photo by Ana Topoleanu
Thank you to my publisher, Voracious, and editor Raquel Pelzel for believing this book deserves to exist. This moment would not have been possible without so many friends and mentors—thank you for your support, generosity, time, and resources. Thank you for reassuring me that I deserve to be here. Thank you for telling me to manifest. To my husband, Javier, who pretends to faint in slo-mo every time he eats my food, who loves the Pacific as much as I do: you made me believe that I can dream big in a sea of impossibles. To my abuelo Beto en el cielo, and to the people of Bahía de Banderas—Tlazocamati: You and I are one in the fire of love of the universe.
To all Fresca readers and subscribers, I started this newsletter to prove to myself that I could write about the place I’m from in a language I learned in my 20s. To see if my life story and how I flow when cooking could resonate with anyone out there. Thank you for being here and helping me dream.
You’ll be the first to know the release date, when my book pre-orders go live (tears!) and all the things in the works to represent Mexico's coastal culture in all its vibrant glory.
I’ll be back very soon with new recipes and stories that can only live on Fresca: uncensored, ESL-inspired, sexy, and full of emotions.
Big thanks to Ryan White @ryanwhite.photo.video, a fellow Portlander and videographer based in Vallarta, who followed me around the mercado to make this beautiful video.
Con mucho cariño y gratitud,
Paola
xoxo
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