Change for a community should always begin within the community. That’s the idea Bricia Lopez-Maytorena, an award-winning Mexican chef and author, has long been trying to circulate among the Mexican diners. Tacos are an internationally regarded innate food item in Mexican cuisine. Yet, it hardly passes over as street food. According to Lopez-Maytorena, tacos should cost more and Mexicans should be the first to be willing to pay for the proper cost of goods.

The Chicago Story

Bricia Lopez-Maytorena was recently in Chicago for her culinary tour Oaxaca: Home Cooking from the Heart of Mexico. One night, after her event, a group of attendees settled at an expensive Mexican restaurant named La Josie in the trendy neighborhood of West Loop. In the restaurant, the tortillas were freshly handmade on the site and the menu included a trio set of carne asada tacos worth $19. The group ditched the tacos and opted for lower-priced items.

The Chef’s Reaction

Chef Lopez-Maytorena has co-authored the first-ever U.S. cookbook on Oaxacan cuisine. She is also the co-owner of the prestigious James Beard Award-winning restaurant Guelaguetza, a Los Angeles-based Oaxacan restaurant. That day, after she noticed the action of the group in the Chicago restaurant, she walked in there and addressed the group, which was predominantly full of Latinx attendees. Lopez-Maytorena told the group that it’s not a matter of liking or disliking tacos. They can obviously go for cheaper options, and even cheaper tacos, by going down the street, but that will send a signal to other communities that Mexican food products are not worth the asking price. It’s a matter of respect.

The Current Situation

According to chef and cookbook author Lopez-Maytorena, not only tacos, but the entire Mexican cuisine has become more or less synonymous with cheap food in the larger part of the world, because it’s been underappreciated within the culture itself. The Latin Cuisines Program Chef at The Culinary Institute of America, Sofia Sada also resonates with Lopez-Maytorena. As Sada explained, variations of tacos and other Mexican recipes have been perfected and passed down by generations. This process is largely regarded as a survival tool of working-class people, rather than a precious cultural item needed to be preserved and celebrated. That’s the mentality that has made Mexican cuisine under-appreciated and undervalued.

The Changing Scene

Both Lopez-Maytorena and Sada are now calling for community people to be unapologetic and value their working expertise and generational experience. According to both the chefs, there’s a common lack of awareness among other people, who largely consider tacos, burritos, and nachos as Mexican cuisine, overlooking the difficulty of preparing barbacoa, mezcal, and other Mexican food items. The good news is that the gradual rise of culinary schools is helping to educate mass consumers about the intricacies of Mexican food items. Then, there is the restaurant Pujol in Mexico City, which has been single-handedly shifting the attitude around Mexican foods over the past 15 years, by elevating it to the standard of haute-cuisine on the global culinary map.

The summer is here, and that can only mean one thing: s’mores. How about a s’more with a difference? Here’s how to make bacon weave s’mores – and show your cooking skills off to your friends. Oh, and try something delicious, of course.

Create Your Weave

To start your culinary adventure, you want to create your bacon weave. To do this, take three bacon halves and lay them side by side. Then take a fourth half and start to weave it through the strips going and under and over each alternating piece. Move on to a fifth piece of bacon, but make sure you do the opposite pattern to the fourth. Finally, grab a sixth bacon half and follow the same pattern as your first weave.

Crisp Things Up

Sprinkle your bacon weaves with a little brown sugar to sweeten things up. Next, place them into a preheated 400-degree oven for around 25 to 35 minutes until they are nice and crispy. As soon as they are cooked, blot them with some paper towels to remove any grease.

Create Your S’More

The final part of your bacon weave s’mores is the filling. Start by roasting three marshmallows on a skewer until they are nice and gooey. Then, simply sandwich your marshmallows and chocolate in between two bacon weaves and voila! You have your own bacon weave s’more. Be sure to make sure you have enough bacon weaves to go around, or you could find yourself with some hungry guests.

If you want to liven up your next cookout or want something new to try with your friends and family, why not add bacon weave s’mores to your next menu? They’re sweet, delicious, and oh-so-easy to make. All you need is some time to make your weaves, and you could be onto a winner with your guests.