Making America Brown Again with restaurateur, Bricia Lopez
Having been born and raised in Mitla, Oaxaca, rich in culinary tradition and indigenous food culture, Bricia comes from a long lineage of Oaxacan Mezcal craftsman. She grew up in her grandmothers kitchen where alongside her mother and sisters, lived the traditions of mole and true artisanal cooking. Her father founded Guelaguetza in 1994, a Oaxacan restaurant that has become a temple to Oaxacan food and tradition in Los Angeles and the US. She began working alongside her family in the restaurant business at a very young age. Bricia is a graduate of Mount Saint Mary’s College, majoring in Business Administration. She is currently a partner at Guelaguetza and today, spearheads all operations alongside her three siblings.
Brown Girls Rising is a partnership with Nylon Espanol to elevate the conversation of feminist action, leadership, community involvement, and culture.
"You need to allow people to be on their own and be their own person." - Bricia Lopez
In this episode we chat with restaurateur, Bricia Lopez, about keeping traditions strong through molee. Bricia also talks about the exchange between masculine and feminine energy and how she’s introducing that to her son.
"Being a strong woman doesn’t mean that we need to be filled with this masculine energy. You need to allow people to be on their own and be their own person."
Bricia goes on talk about her visit to the white house, meeting President Obama, and her plans on Making America Brown Again.
"You can’t buy authenticity. You can’t buy culture. You just can’t recreate it. We need to learn how to be proactive instead of being reactive. Like, what can we do to change the situation of things today?"
Audrey and Yvette talk about their differences in growing up as a Brown Girl in different parts of California, family drama, and how they keep family traditions strong.
"Relationships are the place where you either find yourself or you lose yourself" - Audrey Bellis
This episode, Brown Girls Rising Episode 04, can be found at BrownGirlsRising.com or on iTunes.
This episode was recorded in sunny Downtown Los Angeles at Maker City LA.