More Than Just A Meal

How to get the most out of one day in the city of Oaxaca. Featuring the top sights; lunch at a local market; and a taste of the restaurant scene. Recipes include tasajo torta with smokey guacamole; nopalitos salad with pickled chipotle; and natilla with fresh berries.

Friends and family always tell Pati she has an extraordinary photographic food memory, so she decides to recreate some of her most favorite food memories in her own kitchen and give the stories behind the dishes.

The history of Oaxaca cuisine from pre-Hispanic origins, to the introduction of Spanish techniques, and modern day movements. Featuring ancestral recipes at the local market; eating traditional Oaxaca recipes with a modern twist; and preparing vegetarian dishes. Recipes include sweet potato and black bean tamales; and avocado, watercress and pecan salad.

Pati's passion for travel doesn't stop with Mexico, she also has a soft spot for her travels in the USA. She'll put her Mexican spin on some regional American favorites to surprise her three sons.

A visit to the small town of Teotitlan de Valle to meet cook Abigail Mendoza. Abigail shares her dedication to preserving the pre-Hispanic techniques and recipes of her Zapotec ancestors. Recipes include Oaxacan chicken with oregano and garlic; grilled corn salad; and burnt milk ice cream with animal crackers.

Pati is in one of Mexico's most up and coming food destinations, Tijuana, where she spends the day with some of the young, fresh talent taking part in Baja's exciting culinary movement.

The best mezcal in all of Mexico is explored. Featuring a small family-run operation; and learning how mezcal is made. Recipes include Mexican steak salad and Oaxacan sours.

Life on the border is a melting pot of cultures and cuisines that creates a unique culinary scene like no other, and Pati dives deep to get the real story of what life and food are like on the border.