Mexican Cooking Legend Diana Kennedy Will Join Washington’s - Restaurants Washington, D.C.

Restaurants Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. (August 22, 2008) —José Andrés and Oyamel Cocina Mexicana are pleased to announce Diana Kennedy, legendary Mexican cooking authority and cookbook author , will participate in Oyamel’s Day of the Dead celebration, taking place from October 27 to November 3rd. To celebrate Day of the Dead, Mexico’s famous holiday honoring the spirits of the departed, Oyamel will feature a special tribute menu celebrating Kennedy’s legacy in the world of Mexican cooking. The special dishes will be based on recipes from Kennedy’s best-selling cookbooks and priced between $8 and $14. Washingtonians will have the unique opportunity to meet Kennedy during public events (TBA) during the Day of the Dead celebration.

One of the most important holidays in Mexican culture, Day of the Dead is a three day holiday that recognizes loved ones who have passed away. During the festival, Oyamel will transform into an authentic Dia de los Muertos scene featuring a custom made altar, candles and marigolds, the flower traditionally associated with the holiday. In rural Mexico, people visit the cemetery where their loved ones are buried decorating the gravesites and giving gifts to the deceased. In the United States and in Mexico's larger cities, families build altars in their homes on October 30th and 31st, dedicating them to the dead. The altars are often covered with ofrendas or offerings of flowers, fruits, vegetables, candles, incense, statues of saints and photos of the deceased.

Oyamel is honored to be hosting Diana Kennedy and welcome her to Washington, D.C for this special event. Kennedy has spent over 45 years traveling through Mexico researching the cuisine and cooking techniques. A native of the United Kingdom, she moved to Mexico in 1957 with her husband, Paul Kennedy, a former correspondent for the New York Times. It was Craig Claiborne, the food editor of the Times in 1969 that suggested Kennedy teaches Mexican cooking classes. Kennedy has now taught classical Mexican cooking in all the major cities in the United States and Mexico including Washington, D.C.

Kennedy’s passion was put into writing with her first cookbook Cuisines of Mexico, published in 1972. The book was published at a time when knowledge of Mexican cooking was lacking. Cuisines of Mexico provided a look into the undiscovered yet highly developed Mexican culinary tradition. Two more titles followed, Mexican Regional Cooking and The Tortilla Book, cementing Diana Kennedy as a best-selling author and as the authority on Mexican food. In 2000, Kennedy combined her three books into one encompassing volume The Essential Cuisines of Mexico. Kennedy is also the author of The Art of Mexican Cooking (1989), My Mexico (1998) and From My Kitchen, Techniques and Ingredients (2003).

Kennedy lives much of the year in her ecological adobe house in Michoacan, Mexico, that serves as both her home and research center for Mexican cuisine. She has been awarded the Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest honor bestowed on foreigners by the Mexican government, by the Congress of the Republic of Mexico for her contributions to the documentation of regional Mexican cuisine.

 Named one of the best new restaurants of 2007 by Esquire magazine, Oyamel Cocina Mexicana’s small plates are inspired by antojitos and tacos, the classic street food of Mexico. Part of Chef José Andrés’ THINKfoodGROUP, Oyamel is located at 401 7th Street NW in Washington, DC. For more information including hours of operation and reservations information please visit the website, www.oyamel.com, or call (202) 628-1005.