Sandra Gutierrez: Why This Latin American Chef Rejects The Term 'Latinx'

The Southern Latina reflects on the importance of celebrating the differences between the 21 Latin countries and their foodways.

Sandra Gutierrez sees chipotles, tortilla and guacamole as more than the foods we love. They’re symbols of America’s cultural and culinary shift. As the former food editor of The Cary News and North Carolina-based author of cookbooks, including the award-winning “The New Southern-Latino Table,” Gutierrez has documented how Latin foods and flavors have become as American as apple pie.

Gutierrez views cookery through a sociological lens, as an expression of home, culture and connection. She was included in the 2017 Smithsonian exhibition “Gateways/Portales,” which explored the nature of Latin American community through local institutions such as the church, the media and, of course, the kitchen. She has spent three decades advocating for equality by “making waves with food.” In this edition of Voices In Food, Gutierrez teaches us how to use foodways as an agent of change.