"In front of a wall decorated with strings of marigold flowers, Mission District chef Jose Villegas stood beside his mother inside the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts waving a first-place award that the duo won on Saturday for their Michoacan-style mole. Only an hour earlier, the chefs had participated in the 20th annual Mole to Die For Competition. Ten restaurants vied for first place this year and some 75 community members acted as judges."
""When I was little, everyone invited my mom to cook for quinceañeras and weddings," she said. "I saw how she did it and continued in her footsteps." Her son, Jose, also found a calling in cooking. "I would cook for her and then she would return it," he said of his grandmother, whom he cared for until she passed away at 95."
Cocina Mamá Cholita's mother-and-son team won first place at the 20th annual Mole to Die For competition with a Michoacán-style mole prepared from family recipes made entirely from scratch. The contest featured ten restaurants and about 75 community judges at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts. Delfina Villegas began cooking in Michoacán and continued family traditions after migrating to the United States. Her son Jose refined techniques while caring for his grandmother and opened the restaurant three years ago. The win elicited emotional pride and celebration, with Cantina Los Mayas taking second place. Mole origins trace to Oaxaca and Puebla and involve chiles, seeds, cacao, and spices.
Read at Mission Local
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