June 18 / 6-8pm EDT

What do you think of when you hear the word 'masa'? Warm, pillowy tortillas? Fluffy tamales? Tacos, gorditas, tetelas? 'Masa' often refers to the kind of dough specifically made from stone-ground alkalized (aka nixtamalized) field corn. It’s the foundation of countless Mexican/Mesoamerican dishes and Jorge Gaviria, founder of Masienda and author of the cookbook “MASA: Techniques, Recipes, and Reflections on a Timeless Staple,” is here to prove it. We'll discuss the process for making fresh masa by nixtamalizing dry field corn and grinding it into a wet dough. We’ll also explore masa harina, the dried and milled flour form of fresh masa, which can be used in practically all the same ways as fresh masa, and potentially more. Jorge will tell you what to look for when buying masa harina, how to store it, how to use it to make excellent tortillas (as well as arepas/pupusas and sopes) in mere minutes, and also how to use it as an alternative baking flour. Think batters, breads, cookies, and waffles. He'll touch on the wide world of fillings for various masa applications and ways to scale all of these items for commercial purposes.

Jorge Gaviria is the James-Beard Award-winning founder of Masienda and the bestselling author of MASA: Techniques, Recipes, and Reflections on a Timeless Staple. In addition to being recognized as a Best Cookbook of 2022 by the LA Times, Food & Wine, The Washington Post, NPR and Saveur, the title was nominated for James Beard and IACP awards in the single-subject cookbook category.
Before founding Masienda in 2014, Jorge trained at top restaurants, including Maialino and Blue Hill at Stone Barns, He has been recognized by top international press outlets for his work and was awarded Forbes "30 Under 30" for food and wine.