Experience the Flavors of Tex-Mex Cuisine with Chef Sylvia Casares

Chef Sylvia Casares is bringing her kitchen to the Central Library, Jesse H. Jones on Saturday, October 10, from 11 AM to 12 PM. She'll be preparing one of her signature Tex-Mex dishes right there on the first floor in the Events Campus, so you can watch her work and hear her talk about it. It's part of the Houston Public Library's Hispanic Heritage Month series, which this year is focusing on global cuisine.

Casares is known around town as "The Enchilada Queen," and she's the chef and owner of Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen here in Houston. The name isn't just for show—she serves 20 varieties of hand-rolled-to-order enchiladas alongside other Tex-Mex favorites. She was born in Brownsville, Texas, earned a BS from the University of Texas, and opened her first location in 1998. Since then, she's published The Enchilada Queen Cookbook and launched Sylvia's Signature Sauces, which you can find locally and online. She's also been a James Beard Awards semifinalist.

This session is one of several the library has lined up for Hispanic Heritage Month. The rest of the series includes a woodwind concert by the Vela Ensemble, a Hispanic Heritage Read-In, and a Native American Heritage Month talk with local musician Aryn Ward. Along with these events, the library is highlighting its Hispanic Digital Collection, a curated resource on Hispanic life in Houston.

Registration is required for the session, and seats are currently full, though a waiting list is open if you want to put your name down. It runs from 11 AM to 12 PM on Saturday, October 10, on the first floor of the Central Library.