"I grew up in Napa. My parents are both Mexican. I wanted nothing but to be white. I was actively trying to assimilate and really did not see value in my culture. So part of that image is a bit of forgiveness to that boy who was trying really hard to put aside his ancestry in a way."
"Masa is a dough made from nixtamalized ground corn, commonly thought of as the base ingredient for tortillas, but it has many uses beyond that. Galvan launched Bolita Masa in 2020 with the intention of spreading understanding of what masa is and can be."
"A lot of the masa that you get is made from commodity corn. It's fairly cheap. So the quality of the product isn't very high, and that's because of the economics of this ingredient that's been historically devalued. So I wanted to hopefully share my enthusiasm around masa with as many people as possible."
Emmanuel Galvan, chef and founder of Bolita Masa, grew up in Napa with Mexican parents but initially rejected his cultural heritage, wanting to assimilate. Through food, particularly masa, he has embraced his ancestry. Masa, a dough made from nixtamalized ground corn, serves as the base for tortillas and has numerous other applications. Galvan launched Bolita Masa in 2020 to educate people about masa's potential and quality. Most masa available in the U.S. comes from commodity corn, resulting in lower quality due to historical economic devaluation. Galvan moved his business to Berkeley Kitchens in 2023 to expand operations and increase grinder capacity, where he connected with chef Kelsie Kerr of Standard Fare.
Read at www.berkeleyside.org
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