I want to bring in a new year of this ongoing journey with a conversation unlike any I’ve had yet on this podcast. For many, the name Silvana Salicido Esparza is synonymous with the city of Phoenix. She’s been a force of nature there for two decades at the helm of her restaurant, Barrio Cafe. Her accolades, including a few fistfuls of James Beard nominations, are too numerous to list here. She’s the OG badass behind her comida chingona. She’s a pivotal champion of muralists and painters the city over. She’s a passionate lowrider enthusiast and restorationist. And she’s a forever curious traveler, ethnographer, writer, genealogist, and collector of misfit toys like me. I love this recording so much because, if you listen closely, you can actually hear the moment when we decide to be friends.

I think the word “icon” should be specifically reserved for people like Silvana. After I stopped tape on our interview, we spent the rest of the day talking. She showed me her amazing vintage cars, her handwritten family tree, and availed me with more astounding tales of her family and life. I hope I know her forever.