Casa Vega Celebrates Mexican Food Culture Past & Present

On May 7, Christina Vega, owner of the beloved landmark restaurant Casa Vega, gathered a talented team for a progressive dinner celebrating deeply-rooted Mexican food culture, past and present. Dishes from the tasting menu held unique and significant ties to Tijuana’s prohibition era, such as Christina Vega’s Sonora Tamale, which was the only Mexican dish on the menu at the Agua Caliente Casino and Hotel in 1927, despite being a Mexican resort. One of Javier Plascencia’s featured dishes was a Caesar Salad, which was invented in Tijuana during the prohibition by Caesar Cardini—an Italian Mexican who owned Hotel Caesar, where both Plascencia and Vega’s grandfathers were employed.