With a background in food styling and creative production, Andrea Pons is a Seattle-based home cook whose generational recipes reflect her Mexican upbringing. Vibrant flavors from Andrea’s childhood invite you to her table, offering a traditional glimpse into a Mexican kitchen filled with comfort foods.
This debut cookbook shares the dishes that a mother makes with love. Handed down by the strong women in her family, these recipes carry the joy experienced when you find something you thought you had lost. For Andrea, it was reclaiming her Mexican heritage—the taste of younger years shaped by her family in León, Guanajuato—as she went through the immigration process.
Enhanced by stunning food photography, these 60+ family recipes are a collection of regional and classic Mexican dishes. Indulge in Tortas Guacamayas (Macaw Sandwich) from the author’s hometown of León, featuring a bolillo roll filled with crispy chicharrón, avocado, spicy pico de gallo, and a squeeze of fresh lime, as well as Chiles en Nogada (Stuffed Peppers in Walnut Sauce), Sopa Fría de Pepino (Cold Cucumber Soup), and Rosca de Naranja (Orange Bundt Cake). Inspired by weekends at her grandmother’s dinner table, these dishes are rooted in family traditions, evoking moments of celebration that encourage us to spend more time eating together. Travel to Central Mexico in your own kitchen, savoring everyday meals to relish with friends and loved ones.
From author Andrea Pons:
"Mamacita is titled after my father’s nickname for my mother. What started two years ago as a project to immortalize the recipes I grew up eating became a way to reconnect with my Mexican heritage. As I learned how to navigate the immigration system, a pivotal chapter emerged: to keep my family together.
My deportation felt imminent in the midst of a pandemic. In six months, however, I became a citizen. This would not have been possible without the privilege of a legal team and $10,000. As an American citizen, my new status provides my parents with the opportunity to begin their own path towards citizenship.
Mi familia has two lives. The life we left behind in Mexico and the life we created in Washington. No matter where we stand, there is always a loss despite everything we have gained. Without status, my parents would have to leave their home and their daughters behind to be with their family in Mexico.
For my parents, citizenship means they could finally live without fear in a country they have embraced as home for over 16 years. It would grant them the freedom to visit Mexico again, reuniting them with my grandmothers, who we have not seen in over a decade.
2021
