At his upcoming OaxaPunk Pop-up, Asheville chef Luis Martinez wants to poke fun at Cinco de Mayo.
To him, a Mexican-born immigrant, US celebrations of the holiday often feel like a “caricature of Mexican culture” — so he’s decided to put a fresh spin on the festivities with a party of his own. OaxaPunk will be at Citizen Vinyl on Friday, May 5 from 6 to 9 p.m.
It will feature punk rock Latin American music, Oaxacan food, and desserts from pastry all-star Camille Cogswell. The event will also be educational, highlighting Luis’ fair-trade initiative Tequio Foods, along with other organizations working to improve health care and quality of life for WNC’s Latino population.
As for the menu: expect smoked beef tacos, mole tamales, tostadas, and Luis’ signature pozole. And for dessert, rice milk custard pie and chile-spiced carrot cake. Ay dios mio, we cannot wait.