Plants, Power & Pozole
“I believe in the healing power of plants, and so there’s no separation between my cooking and my magical practices.”
Virgo rising, and Leo moon, and she’s looking to the stars to help start a food revolution here on earth. Each week, Denise Vallejo takes to the streets of her largely Latinx barrio of Los Angeles’ Koreatown with her four-year-old taco pop-up Alchemy Organica, slinging vegan tacos de asada, quesadillas made with her own Oaxacan-style cashew , and traditional Mexican dishes like , , and . Each, she says, imbued with healing ingredients, her own magic spells, and the “sacred power of ancient Mesoamerican gastronomy.” All this while smack-dab in the middle of a new wildly popular venture—a series of intimate astrological-themed, fine-dining suppers inspired by the signs of the zodiac. We caught up with the rising culinary star to talk about what it takes to bring these dinners to life, why decolonization of food is so close to her heart, and how she plans to heal people once and for all.
