This Thursday, community members are invited to gather at Summit Community Gardens & EATS for Comida es Cultura, the next installment of La Milpa – Born From Corn, a bilingual event centered on food, history and identity.
Thursday’s workshop event will be hosted by Irene Sanchez and Vicky Lowe from Artes de México en Utah, meant to offer more than a culinary experience, but also a journey through cultural heritage, storytelling and connection to the land.
From 1 to 2:30 p.m., the event will explore the vibrant growth in the La Milpa beds — corn, beans, squash, tomatoes, chiles and more — planted earlier this spring by members of the community.
Participants will have the chance to harvest ingredients and cook together, preparing tostadas, a fresh salad and chilate, a traditional cacao drink from Guerrero, Mexico.
The name La Milpa, which refers to a traditional Mesoamerican farming system, evokes generations of agricultural knowledge passed down through families and communities. At its heart, this workshop is about more than planting and cooking — it’s about reclaiming cultural roots and creating space for dialogue.
Helen Nadel, executive director of the gardens, said that this session of La Milpa is scheduled during the day specifically to allow youth from the Arts & Culture camp to participate.
“There’s such curiosity and interest and engagement, I mean, kids love to cook,” said Nadel. “Some kids who are participants, as with the workshops that we do at McPolin, see themselves represented in a way that feels really powerful, by language, by food, by culture, and other kids are interested to learn.”
While each of the events are family friendly and open to guests of all ages, Comida es Cultura is the perfect time to introduce little ones to the garden.
In addition to hands-on cooking and harvesting, attendees will be invited to reflect on where food comes from, how to care for the land, and what it means to honor the cultural history embedded in these meals, a theme that carries through every stage of the program.
“I think that that idea of land stewardship, that connection to the land, is a really powerful thing that I hope people walk away with, as well as full bellies,” Nadel said with a laugh. “Having had delicious, maybe different, food experiences than some have had in the past.”
The event is free and open to all, though registration is encouraged to help organizers prepare enough food. It will be conducted in both Spanish and English, ensuring accessibility and inclusion for all guests.
The final event of this years program, La Milpa Harvest, will be held on Aug. 26 from 5:30-7 p.m.
To reserve a spot, visit: summitcommunitygardens.org/la-milpa-born-from-corn-2025.