FOOD WRITING · BOOK PROPOSALS · SHORT-FORM WRITING · GHOSTWRITING

“The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.”

― Terry Pratchett

“You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it….”

― Octavia E. Butler

“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”

― Anton Chekhov

I began my food writing career 10 years ago, as a top-rated columnist for the Examiner.com, followed by the publication of the award-winning cookbook Celebraciones Mexicanas: History, Traditions & Recipes, (recipes written by Adriana Almazan Lahl), and my blog: My Mission, Tastes of San Francisco. I am very excited to announce that my latest cookbook project, Convivir, Modern Mexican Cooking in California’s Wine County, is scheduled for publication in Spring 2024 (author, Rogelio Garcia/ publisher: Cameron & Co. division of Harry Abrams). With over 20 years’ experience as a chef, food historian, and recipe developer, I am ideally positioned to bring your vision to the printed page. Are you playing around with the idea of finally writing that cookbook or food memoir— the one you’ve always wanted to tackle— but feel intimated by the writing piece of the project or simply don’t have the bandwidth to take it on? I would love to help!

ABOUT CONVIVIR: MODERN MEXICAN CUISINE IN CALIFORNIA’S WINE COUNTRY

Translated literally, convivir means “living together.” For us, as chefs, it speaks to living and working in harmony with the environment, with the land and sea. It speaks to how intermingled the food we cook in our kitchens is with its sources. It starts in the fields and farms --there’s an energy and joy in the very sourcing of the ingredients, in the smell of the sea and the soil, in our friendships with the ranchers, farmers, and fishermen. In our kitchens, and at our dining tables, we honor the ingredients and the labor to bring them to market.

That being said, the literal translation of “convivir” as “living together” falls far short of doing justice to its meaning, much less its significance, in Mexico. It speaks to the energy and joy in this coming together to prepare food whether it is for a fiesta, for friends or for your family; to cook and chismear (gossip) and then to eat and drink and laugh that is at the heart of what cooking in Mexico is all about. It is also at the heart of this book.

Born in Mexico and raised in Northern California with deep connections to local farmers, Rogelio Garcia’s cooking showcases Mexican culinary techniques and locally sourced ingredients. At the age of 31, he earned his first Michelin star at Spruce, one of only a handful of Mexican chefs worldwide to do so and something he has now achieved at two different restaurants.

“Your Social Security Number has been denied and you will need to call the Social Security office.”

This is my first memory of being rejected for a job at a high-end restaurant where I really wanted to work. I felt a knot on my stomach and as I walked out of the office of Human Resources, my eyes started to water.

This memory, albeit painful, is at the heart of what has inspired me to write this cookbook. At some point, I felt compelled to tell my story and share my immigrant experience through food-- the journey of what it means to be born in Mexico and grow up in California. And that's exactly how I approach food. At the heart of my cuisine is Mexico; but the ingredients, discipline, and techniques are pure California. It is through food that I am able to translate my experiences and tell my story.

Additional Writing

Andrea Lawson Gray’s Essay “Survivor” was published in the collection Because I Said So: 33 Mothers Write About Children, Sex, Men, Aging, Faith, Race, & Themselves (Camille Peri and Kate Moses editors, Harper Collins, 2005), and ran as a feature story in MORE magazine. A short memoir, Survivor recounts Lawson Gray’s experience with losing everything and starting over as a single mother in the most expensive city in the country— and the resilience she and her three children. found coming out the other end.