The creator of the popular Chicano Eats blog and winner of the Saveur Best New Voice People’s Choice Award takes us on a delicious tour through the diverse flavors and foods of Chicano cuisine—Mexican food with an immigrant sensibility that weaves seamlessly between Mexican and American genres and cultures.

Esteban Castillo grew up in Santa Ana, California, where more than three-quarters of the population is Latino. Because Mexican food was the foundation of his childhood, he was surprised to see recipes for dishes on popular food blogs that were anything but the traditional meals he grew up eating. He was inspired to create the blog, Chicano Eats, to showcase his love for design, cooking, and culture and provide a space for authentic Latino voices, recipes, and stories to be heard.

Building on his blog, Chicano Eats is a bicultural cookbook that includes 85 traditional and fusion Mexican recipes as gorgeous to look at as they are sublime to eat. Chicano cuisine is Mexican food made by Chicanos (Mexican Americans) that has been shaped by the communities in the U.S. where they grew up. It is Mexican food that bisects borders and uses a group of traditional ingredients—chiles, beans, tortillas, corn, and tomatillos—and techniques while boldly incorporating many exciting new twists, local ingredients, and influences from other cultures and regions in the United States. Chicano Eats is packed with easy, flavorful recipes such as:

Chicken con Chochoyotes (Chicken and Corn Masa Dumplings)

Mac and Queso Fundido

Birria (Beef Stew with a Guajillo Chile Broth)

Toasted Coconut Horchata

Chorizo-Spiced Squash Tacos

Champurrado Chocolate Birthday Cake (Inspired by the Mexican drink made with milk and chocolate and thickened with corn masa)

Cherry Lime Chia Agua Fresca

Accompanied by more than 100 bright, modern photographs, Chicano Eats is a melting pot of delicious and nostalgic recipes, a literal blending of cultures through food that offer a taste of home for Latinos and introduces familiar flavors and ingredients in a completely different and original way for Americans of all ethnic heritages.

Chicano Eats is an inspirational look at an entirely new cuisine—one that’s wholly Mexican and American, and weaves easily between genres and borders. It’s also really fun to boot. I can’t wait to make some of these creative dishes for my own family.