THE MAIN MEAL WITH WEST~BOURNE
I am excited to share our Masa Memory west~bourne interview with everyone. When Camilla asked me to be part of “The Main Meal” it was an easy YES! Inspired by nature and a love for growing her own food, Camilla is a kindred spirit. Not only is she a brilliant friend and human to have in your corner. . . she is also a co-founder of ROAR, (Restaurants Organizing Advocating Rebuilding) a founding member of the IRC, (Independent Restaurant Coalition) and an advocate for zero-waste packaging. I am so lucky to call her my friend. A
and. . . be sure to try west-bourne’s new Avocado Oil - which I eat everyday, on everything!
THE MAIN MEAL
What is Masa Memory?
Masa Memory is rooted in tradition and storytelling. It is so important to me that we always honor Family Food Traditions, ancestral farming practices and the beautiful origin story of Maiz. We make Flower Moon Tortillas, New Moon Mole, Tamales, Morita Hot Sauce and many kinds of salsas and plant-based cremas.
Masa Memory has become such a part of who I am… it encompasses my love for photography, art, farming and cooking all in one. I feel really fortunate to have an outlet that I can pour my heart into and have it align with who I am as an artist. As we grow, I am grateful for the people we meet along the way and are fortunate to collaborate with. The farms we partner with in Mexico and the project we are growing in Oaxaca keep me inspired and busy!
As a citizen of the world: what do you love about existing in LA, Mexico City and Oaxaca? How do you stay grounded while still nomadic?
I called New York City home for 8 years. I really feel that the city raised me… moving there after college from a small town in Arizona opened the world up for me. My first year in New York influenced everything I did after that - I LOVED living there. All of my friends who I met early on working in restaurants were from all over the world. Once I started traveling to visit them and meet their families, I never stopped traveling.
When I was 26, I sold everything and left the city to travel the world. New York was the base I always returned to, but I wanted to experience more. Now Los Angeles is home for me and from here, I’ve created another one in Mexico and spend a lot of time in Oaxaca. I love existing in all three places: LA, Mexico City and Oaxaca. Splitting my time between LA and Mexico keeps me connected to myself as an artist. In Mexico, I make more art… I paint, dye fabrics and take more photos in my studio. This year we are launching something new in Mexico, that I can’t wait to share with everyone!!
Moving around keeps me grounded. Right now, I can’t imagine another way of living. Splitting my time between multiple spaces gives me a sense of belonging to something bigger. I have a deeper connection to people and myself. This feeling for me is summed up so perfectly in one of my favorite poems, “Two Countries” by Naomi Shihab Nye.
“…and thanks something larger
that there are travelers, that people go places
larger than themselves.”
Stemming from your culinary roots, what sparked the launch of Masa Memory?
I think Masa Memory has been living inside of me my whole life. Growing up, I heard stories of the Soldaderas, who fought in the Mexican Revolution. They wore dresses, fought in battle, rode horses and also cooked for the soldiers. I wanted to be like them! For me, food is not only a medicine, it is a language - one we learn from our mothers, grandmothers, elders or one we remember on our own.
I grew up in a family of restaurant owners and cooks - since I was a little girl, I always wanted my own restaurant. I opened one in Brooklyn about six years ago, and realized that with all of the other paths I wanted to explore in life, being in a restaurant full time, just couldn’t work for me.
The southwest Sonoran desert, where I grew up, has a deep connection to Mexican food. There was always something cooking on the stove at either one of my Nana’s homes or our house. When we weren’t eating at home, we were at the Mercados, which had everything! Posole, menudo, tacos, tortas, salsas and my favorite types of mole. We were in the mix of a rich food culture that I thought everyone was a part of. It wasn’t until I started traveling outside of Arizona that I realized not everyone ate the way I did growing up. Once I got a taste of other food traditions and cultures, I wanted to know more, to try everything!
I have the deepest respect for the women I grew up around who cooked every meal for all of their families. Watching my mom, nanas and women at the markets cook, opened me up to a world of possibility in the kitchen. Eating their food gave me a love and an appreciation for gathering. I realized early on that most gatherings take place in the kitchen, around a table of food and I wanted to create more of that feeling. This is what Masa Memory is to me.
What role does food play in your life, and how can readers bring more memory, tradition, and the suspension of time into their everyday lives through food?
Food plays a huge role in my life! Everything I do revolves around preparing food: either for my clients, Masa Memory customers, family and friends or for myself. Food is always at the center of my days. I truly believe in the importance of cooking food from a place of love and intention.
Food, whether realized or not, has a story attached to it - a remembering. Food holds ancestral memory. My cooking is rooted in nostalgia. I want to stretch memories and make them more tangible. Holding a pink flower moon tortilla in the palm of my hand, is also like holding: a memory of my family sharing a meal together, my nana's cooking or a southwest desert sunset. The food we eat growing up influences us throughout our lifetime and shapes a sense of self.
I think for anyone wanting to bring more memory or tradition to their food: . . . first, get into the kitchen and cook! The memory lives inside of us. I truly believe this. Muscle memory in relation to food is very real! Once you start to cook, you remember the way your mother did something or the smell coming from your kitchen reflects the same scents you experienced growing up at your grandmothers. If you do not feel a connection to the past or your own family food traditions, ask a friend to teach you about their family food traditions and cook a meal together. You can also create new traditions with your own family - these are all beautiful ways to honor your connection to the food you cook.
How does nature and caring for the planet play a role in your life and brand?
I believe that being a cook/chef comes with responsibility. It is so important to share the origin story behind food and also to source food that supports the environment and humans, always! As a cook, I know it is my responsibility to use ingredients and packaging that will not harm the planet or humans. For Masa Memory, it is always worth paying more for ingredients that are grown supporting the land, environment, earth and farmers. Regenerative farming and organic grown foods take extra care to produce. Supporting these farming practices is critical for the future of food. Farmers create the foundation that all of our work is built on. Our health is directly linked to the health of the soil and the preservation of heirloom seeds.
When I make make and press masa, I am constantly in awe of everything that goes into making one tortilla. The healthy soil that fertilizes the seeds to grow into maiz - the weather conditions that have to be just right, the farmers who are constantly on watch, the harvest, soaking the maiz, grinding the maiz into masa and then finally pressing a tortilla. It is truly incredible when you think about the steps that go into creating a meal.