On the evening of this past Tuesday, November 14th, 2017, dozens of Philadelphia’s Latino business owners and professionals, colleagues from Impact Dimensions LLC, and Puerto Rican food aficionados, gathered together to watch Chef Luis Liceaga of Loco Lucho’s Latino Kitchen strut his stuff (and his sofrito!) at Independence Live.

The event, hosted by AL DÍA News, was part of the “Meet The Chef’s Transforming Philadelphia’s Cuisine” series, which includes an intimate multimedia feature for the print and digital publications, and a free live cooking demonstration for guests who RSVP.

The space, owned by Independence Blue Cross, reached well-over maximum capacity, with about seventy guests networking, drinking, chatting, and most importantly, eating Chef Liceaga’s delicious “tailgate tapas”.

Though the chef is used to feeding humongous hoards of Eagles fans, this crowd of attendees was particularly special, as it included a longtime friend of Liceaga’s who visited specifically for the demonstration. Liceaga pointed out this friend in the crowd, and teared up from being overwhelmed by the love and the gratitude palpable in the room.

While preparing the dishes along with his crew, Liceaga joked and told tales that encompass the “origin story” of Loco Lucho’s Latino Kitchen, set to become the first authentic Latino stand (defined as a stand owned by a Latino that serves Latino food), in Philadelphia’s historic Reading Terminal Market.

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Though many of these anecdotes overlapped with last Wednesday’s cover story, some were news to all.

One in particular stood out: Chef Liceaga had been discussing with Chef Jose Garces, a prolific Ecuadorian-American restaurateur and Phoodie favorite, the possibility of opening a restaurant together in Puerto Rico. What ultimately determined the fate of this restaurant had nothing to do with a falling out (both chefs are good friends), but rather, Jose becoming the Iron Chef in 2008.

Though all of the food was outstanding, what really packed a memorable punch were the white and red sangrias, which tasted like adult "Juicy Juice" boxes. And trust me, that’s high praise.

It was one of those events where you really had to be there, but don’t fret, your opportunity to join us for another evening of “Meet The Chef’s Transforming Philadelphia’s Cuisine” is coming soon.

This November 28th, Chef Judith Suzarra-Campbell of Sazón, the Venezuelan BYOB in NoLibs, will be cooking scrumptious home-style plates (many of which are gluten-free, vegan, and/or vegetarian).

Don’t miss out, and don’t be shy for coming back for seconds.

Continue checking back on our socials, our site, our our newsletter for the invite.