Houston’s own Sylvia Casares, is putting Tex-Mex cuisine on the map with her 2016 cookbook, The Enchilada Queen Cookbook: Enchiladas, Fajitas, Tamales, and More Classic Recipes from Texas-Mexico Border Kitchens. The book was a major success at the 19th edition of the Latino Literacy Now’s International Latino Book Awards, where it won in the category for Best Cookbook, at the award ceremony celebrated on September 9, at Los Angeles, California. This award ceremony recognizes cookbooks, fiction, non-fiction and children’s books written in Spanish, Portuguese and English. Finalists were chosen from across 22 countries including the United States and Puerto Rico.
The book was published last year by St. Martin’s Press and was written by Sylvia and seasoned Dallas food editor and critic, Dotty Griffith. The book offers over 80 Tex-Mex recipes, that the Enchilada Queen inherited and improved upon, while she was growing up in a border town called Brownsville.
Sylvia is the owner and founder of Sylvia’s Ensalada Kitchen. She currently has two locations in the Houston area and has already established them as a must for any Tex-Mex cuisine aficionado, with U.S.A Today naming them as one of the 10 Great Mexican Restaurants Across the USA.
While there’s incredible Tex-Mex served across the Lone Star State, Butel singles out owner Sylvia Casares for making a royal dish out of the humble enchilada. “She believes in doing things properly. She still uses chile pods and simmers them a long, long time.” Along with familiar cheese and meat enchiladas, the menu also features calabacitas (a blend of squash and vegetables) and a special spinach enchilada with a bit of cheese
Larry Bleiberg – USA Today
The fact that this award was presented during such dire and challenging times, in the aftermath of the devastating Hurricane Harvey, is something that Sylvia has really reflected upon.
“My original intent in doing ‘The Enchilada Queen Cookbook’ was to record not just the foods that go back so many generations in my family, but also to preserve the Texas Mexican cuisine that has become known as Tex-Mex. These past few weeks in Texas and now in Florida, Mexico, and the Caribbean, have brought devastation to many people and many lives. It is a reminder in stark terms about the immeasurable value of family and traditions. To have this book recognized by the 2017 International Latino Book Awards at this time is such an honor to my family, their history and their contributions. It is made more special coming now when we are all reminded what these mean to us and how quickly so much can be lost.”
Sylvia Casares
If you want to taste the fabulous dishes of the Enchilada Queen visit her at any of her two Sylvia’s Ensalada Kitchen locations.