Join First Light Books for a courtyard party celebrating the debut cookbook from sisters Reyna and Maritza Vazquez, the team behind Veracruz All Natural.

Live music and a food pop-up from Veracruz All Natural Food will run all evening. At 7:00 PM we will gather for a conversation with Reyna and Maritza, followed by a toast to the book. Tickets include a copy of Veracruz All Natural and a drink. Free RSVPs are also encouraged.

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About the book

Reyna and Maritza Vazquez grew up in Veracruz, Mexico. A rural coastal region, it is famous for its colorful, healthful cuisine. In Veracruz, cooking with red meat is rare, and local dishes are vegetable-forward with proteins like fish, shellfish, chicken, and eggs. Such are the one hundred recipes in Veracruz All Natural, inspired mostly by the home cooking with which the women grew up, along with easy favorites from their restaurants.

Throughout, Reyna and Maritza tell the story of their food, which, in turn, is their story: In 2008, they walked across the Mexican-US border. They made their way to Austin, Texas, where they sold roadside ices. With their first profit, they opened a humble food truck, and then a few more. Now, they have a fleet, plus a restaurant, Veracruz Fonda & Bar. It won a Michelin Gourmand Award last year. They are local heroes with a national story, beloved for their unparalleled food, of course, but also for their generosity, grit, and openness about their immigrant story.

Beautifully photographed in Austin, the recipes include:

• El Breakfast Taco
• Chicken and Vegetable Stew (Puchero de Pollo y Verduras)
• Shrimp and Scallop Aguachile (Aguachile de Camarón y Callo)
• Veracruz-Style Snapper (Huachinango a la Veracruzana)
• Achiote and Citrus-Braised Pork (Cochinita Pibil)
• Whole-Wheat Conchas (Conchas Integrales)
• Cantaloupe-Seed Horchata (Horchata de Semilla de Melón)

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About the authors

Reyna and Maritza Vazquez, sisters, founded Veracruz All Natural in 2010 with a ramshackle taco truck in East Austin. Today, they have seven outposts throughout the city and a restaurant, Veracruz Fonda & Bar, which won a Michelin Bib Gourmand last year. They are beloved in Austin for their food and their community leadership.

Born in Veracruz, Mexico, they cooked alongside their mother and grandmother, who exalted fresh fish, produce, and bold flavors. In 2008, shortly after crossing the Mexico-Texas border, they put everything they had into a tiny trailer out of which they sold snow cones and smoothies. Two years later, their upgraded truck was turning heads—and taste buds—across the city.

The Vazquez sisters have been featured in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Food Network, and more.

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