On Wednesday, May 15 for one evening only, newly opened Tahona Bar in Old Town will host special guest Chef Ismene Venegas from beautiful Valle de Guadalupe for a pop-up chef collaboration alongside Tahona’s Executive Chef Adrian Villareal Mora.

 Chef Ismene runs the outdoor kitchen of the fantastic El Pinar (“The Pinelot”) restaurant at the family-owned Tres Mujeres winery in Valle de Guadalupe. As a very young girl she often helped in her mother’s kitchen, among her first culinary responsibilities being “to skate across the street to the tortilleria to buy tortillas” to ensure the family table had tortillas and avocados each day. From this upbringing she has since trained alongside many of the best chefs in Mexico and recently co-authored Plantas Nativas des Comestibles de Baja California, a book on the edible native plants of Baja California. 

At Tahona on May 15, Chef Ismene will prepare several dishes using native edible plants from Baja California and guests will be able to learn firsthand about her passion for using local flora in her cooking. We look forward to her delightful bites available for one evening only, and welcome reservations at www.tahonabar.com and Open Table.

 About Tahona: Tahona is San Diego’s newest mezcal cocktail bar, tasting room and restaurant opened November 2018 in historic Old Town next door to the historic Cemetery of El Campo Santo. Inspired by Mexican culture and traditions, Tahona’s craft cocktail menu equally takes the stage with creative cocktails such as the Whaley House Punch, named after the famously haunted house in Old Town, and Campo Santo, named after the neighboring cemetary. A menu of modern Mexican cuisine with Oaxacan influence includes gourmet tacos like Pork Belly Quemado and Chicken Tinga, a Tres Moles tasting flight, Baja favorites like Scallops Aguachile and Pulpo Negro and indulgent house-made Churro S’mores. Tahona’s rustic yet refined 2,000 square feet features oversized Spanish archways leading into its mezcal tasting room, hand painted tiles, Mexican rope seats and large rattan lights, hand troweled clay walls and more elements exuding a wanderlust-worthy aesthetic. Tahona is open daily from 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. at 2414 San Diego Avenue in Old Town. Visit www.tahonabar.com and follow along on Instagram at @tahonamezcal.