About Me

I’m Hank Guerrero and my Mexican food has evolved in a manner parallel to California cuisine.  Have you noticed how the greens, yellows, and reds of native Mexican foods like tomatillos, squash and chile are so in-synch to Mexican art and architecture?  My clattering in the kitchen creating Mexican food is an innate experience in identity (Identidad) to Mexico’s culture and rituals. That connection is through the touch and aroma of native foods like corn, nopal and avocado.  I get really excited and zoned-out mixing and matching textures, colors, flavors, aromas and anticipating an outcome that will turn out to be magical and shouts out – “cocina Identidad”.

This blog is about Mexican food in the context of modern cuisine, traditional dishes you won’t find in restaurants or are my own original recipes.  Today, Mexican cuisine has evolved in a manner parallel to California cuisine and my own cooking reflects the California style of food. I am now in my 11th year of publication. Thanks for visiting Cocina California.

I was born right before WW II in East Los Angeles near our Lady of Guadalupe Church close to Marianna Ave and Floral streets.  Like all the other neighbors, we had a victory garden and raised rabbits and chickens  In my elementary and junior high school I was taught gardening and these schools had on-site garden centers.  All smack in the middle of Los Angeles. These gardens were not called biodynamic ecosystems; it was what we valued at the time.

My father worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad and he was entitled to free train passenger passes. So at 8 years of age we went to Mexico city by train and that’s how I discovered that Mexican food is more than beans, rice and shredded cheese.  UNESCO has designated Mexican cuisine as an  “Intangible Cultural  Heritage”  of Mexico.  It’s not a singular cuisine but composed of regional cuisines that I hope to project in this blog.  I am now retired, from a career in information technology, so I have lots of time to spend in the cocina.  I look forward to you joining me there, so let’s get started.