Oregon

Oregon ‘Latina Mamas’ cooking classes share food (and wisdom) made from scratch

Published

8 months ago

February 21, 2024

Oregon ‘Latina Mamas’ cooking classes share food (and wisdom) made from scratch

Latina Mamas cooking class Sabina Ramirez, known as one of the Latina Mamas, mixed onions, garlic and cinnamon and chiles to make Mixiote chicken steamed in banana leaves. (Janet Eastman/Janet Eastman/The Oregonian/OregonLive)

Sylvia Poareoâs Ashland kitchen was filled with the aromas of roasting ancho and guajillo chiles Thursday night. Cozying around her stove were a handful of people watching Sabina Ramirez, known as one of the Latina Mamas, mix onions, garlic and cinnamon with the chiles to make mixiote chicken steamed in banana leaves.

Poareo translated questions asked in English for the Spanish-speaking Ramirez, but Ramirezâs hands-on teaching needed no words. Soon, everyone was happily busy, pureeing homegrown tomatillos for salsa verde, smashing seasoned and soft pinto beans for refried beans and tasting the developing flavors.

More than a cooking class, Poareoâs regular gatherings honor migrant hands that tend to Rogue Valley fields and the wisdom of sharing food made from scratch.

Community members donate $35-$65 to the cooks through a nonprofit to hear how the Mamas select ingredients and prepare meals in a traditional way. Guests see their teacherâs hands rolling limewater-cured maize into a dough that will be formed into thin patties and placed on a hot comal to make fresh corn tortillas. They take turns with the steel tortilla press or practice flattening the stone-ground flour balls made with masa harina by hand.

âThe intention here is not to receive written recipes; food is medicine, and the medicine is in the coming together,â said Poareo, whose mother was a migrant worker from Mexico. âWe are honoring and featuring the women who make food, and together we are sharing our humanity.â

Anthropologists say food is a way of communicating a culture without words, and cuisines, like ingredients and cooking methods that Mexicoâs Indigenous people originated, are recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Making tortillas from maize using nixtamalization has been passed on over millennia and continues today.

Angel Medina, founder and co-owner of the Republica & Co. hospitality company based in Portland, wants his De Noche restaurant customers to be able to watch a tortilla puff up before their eyes.

âItâs not a show, itâs culture,â he said. âThis cuisine isnât meant to be easy. It takes hours, from start to finish after the corn is grown, to make a tortilla, and we present this as an art created in every house in every home in Mexico.â

The cooking classes in Ashland are fundraisers for victims of the 2020 Almeda fire that roared through the Rogue Valley cities of Talent and Phoenix, burning 2,400 structures, displacing families, and intensifying the stateâs affordable housing shortage.

At the time Poareo found herself serving as a go-between, bringing supplies from Ashland residents to many migrant workers who relocated to trailers, spare rooms and hotels without kitchens.

And yet, in the midst of having lost everything and lingering in limbo, âMamas found a way to make food for their children that provided a sense of stability, security and comfort in chaos,â said Poareo. âCare, love and devotion are communicated through nourishment, and Iâd like people to remember that.â

Ramirezâs family lost their home in the fire and when Poareo met them at a hotel, she asked them to live in her house. The Ramirezes stayed for two months before finding permanent housing.

Each morning, around 5 a.m., Sabina Ramirez made tortillas from scratch and fed her family and the Poareo family breakfast. She then packed her childrenâs lunches and then put in a full day as a farmworker.

Poareo, who grew up in foster care in Southern California and has since made a life and healing practice out of reconnection and reclamation, feels she has a foot in two cultures: The Mexican community of Phoenix and Talent, and the majority white community of Ashland where she has lived since 2019.

âPeople wanted to help (fire victims), but they didnât have the connection,â said Poareo, a trained social worker and spiritual teacher who uses Curanderismo healing practices in her work.

Her idea: Invite people to her home to learn the sacred arts of making real food from master cooks who do this as a daily practice.

The message: Food is more than nourishment to the body. Itâs reassuring, grounding and keeps families together.

All donations go directly to the Latina Mamas through the nonprofit Association for the Integration of the Whole Person that aids ministries and theaters as well as alternative and traditional spiritual work, according to aiwp.org.

âThese Mamas have a wisdom passed on by their mothers and grandmothers that they bring in the face of trauma,â said Poareo. âThey make miracles with tomatoes, chili, spices and love. To learn with my dear amigas and be fed by them is a profound gift from their heart, joy and cultural pride.â

Ramirez grew up in Oaxaca, the southern Mexico city recognized by gastronomes as a culinary paradise. She learned to cook from her motherâs generation, using staples of corn and beans, tomato and avocado, and spices like vanilla and chili peppers that Indigenous people cultivated to season fish and turkey long before the Spanish introduced dairy to make quesillo as well as domesticated cows, sheep and chickens.

During the Feb. 22 class, Ramirez will teach the complex process Mexicoâs Indigenous people developed that uses water, heat and limewater to turn maize into hominy for life-sustaining, nutritious tortillas and tamales. Participants will practice the process of nixtamalization, an Aztec word for âlime ashesâ and âcorn dough,â as corn kernels are made into stew, a MichoacÃ¡n-style posole.

Despite the stress and fear facing migrant workers, the Mamas want to share their skills and have fun, and guests want to connect and learn. Throughout last Thursdayâs three-hour class, Ramirez was smiling, encouraging participants to take part in food preparation techniques not included in most cookbooks.

Last Thursdayâs session was the second class Lua Maia of Ashland has joined and sheâs signed up for this weekâs class on posole with fresh nixtamal.

âThere are not many cooking classes offered in Ashland, and none led by someone born in Oaxaca who learned to cook as a child,â she said. Last week, âI saw how to soak a raw, organic chicken in vinegar and sea-salt to clean it and other meticulous details.â

The cooking classes are more like a dinner party with new friends. Strangers chat and make connections while learning. Donna Jones of Ashland signed up for the series of classes because she wanted to study Mexican cooking, but sheâs discovered so much more.

âGrowing up, my mom, like most moms, made dinner in the kitchen and I missed out,â said Jones last Thursday. âI want my children to know how meals are made, and now I have more to share.â

When the mixiote chicken, refried beans, salsa verde and tortillas were ready, participants sat at a long dining table and were asked to join in expressing gratitude. They each spoke from their heart, thanking Poareo for opening her home to them and Ramirez for teaching them.

One participant told Ramirez in English, âyour food needs no translation.â

Ramirez quietly accepted the compliments, then it was her turn to speak. In Spanish, she thanked each participant for taking the time to see how much goes into making a meal, from planting seeds to serving.

She added: âThank you for helping my family and may you be abundantly blessed with good health and finances.â

After a meal of vegetarian enchiladas in January, participants were asked to remember that every ingredient on the table â fruits, vegetables, grains â came to them through largely migrantsâ hands. The husband of one of the Mamas pointed to the Mexican cheese and gently added that âitâs not just the milk that made the cheese, but people who milked the cow, fed the cow, grewâ¨the corn or hay, and cleaned the stalls and so on.â

In the U.S, the majority of agricultural workers were foreign born, most often in Mexico, according to 2023 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic report. The USDA in 2021 found 28% of farmworkers are women. Some of these workers travel and work throughout the U.S., serving the trillion-dollar agricultural industry, reports the National Center for Farmworker Health.

Poareo said migrant people experience stigma and mixed messages between groups that welcome migrants and those that scapegoat them.

âThey are living under the feeling of animosity so witnessing them being honored makes me so happy,â she said. âThey deserve to be honored.â

In the U.S., financial success is celebrated, but thereâs a lack of honoring essential earth-based and ancestral skills that are healing for people, Poareo said. Sheâs hoping to change that, one dinner at a time.

Poareo knows people can be relaxed together under one roof, sharing their cultures through music, art and food. Her hosted cooking class can be replicated, she said.

âAnyone who has relationships can find ways to bridge communities and make people feel honored,â she said.

â Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072

jeastman@oregonian.com | @janeteastman

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Oregon

Live updates: Michigan State trails Oregon 31-7 in fourth quarter

Published

2 hours ago

October 5, 2024

Press Room

Live updates: Michigan State trails Oregon 31-7 in fourth quarter

MSU closes gap in waning seconds

A nice drive by Tommy Schuster puts points on the board for the Spartans. 31-10 looks like the final with 25 seconds to play. I’m sure there many out there that were more interested in that field goal than others.

Defense gets a stop, Chiles’ day is done

Tommy Schuster enters for the Spartans with six minutes and change remaining. Looks like the rest of the starting crew is still out there.

Touchdown, MSU!

In year one of a new coaching staff, and against teams that are probably in a different weight class, little things like getting on the scoreboard matter. A 75-yard drive ended with a Kay’ron-Lynch Adams one yard scoring run, and it’s 31-7 late. Chiles found a few receivers, including two first downs to Jack Velling, and a 35-yard strike to Montorie Foster. 8:27 remains to close the gap further.

Score blown open after long Oregon TD drive

After holding the ball for over eight minutes, the Ducks hit paydirt on fourth and goal from the two. For the second week in a row, there are just too many weapons for Michigan State to keep up with. 31-0 Oregon is your score now.

Fourth quarter looms with Oregon in control

Oregon has really slowed the pace and is taking a bunch of time off the clock while moving the ball. The Ducks are threatening again, as the end of the third quarter arrives. MSU’s defense needs the breather, they are getting leaned on right now. Let’s see if they can keep the end zone clean.

Ducks add field goal, 24-0 score

Well, it could be worse. A promising Oregon drive stalled out, and it was a nice job by Michigan State to force a 50-yard field goal, especially with an iffy Ducks kicking game. The attempt was good, and now Michigan State takes over on offense, still trying to put some points on the board.

Oregon takes over after empty possession

Michigan State’s offensive line is breaking down, and Chiles is doing his best to scramble around. Oregon’s defensive line is a handful for anyone. Jaron Glover had an opportunity to haul in a big play inside the red zone, but had the ball punched out at the last second. Still 21-0 early third quarter.

Lead extends to 21-0 going into half

That’s huge. Oregon marches right down the field, eats up the rest of the clock, and scores a touchdown. Gabriel throws his 135th TD pass and now the Spartans have dug quite a first half hole against a top 10 team for the second week in a row.

MSU gives ball back at two minute timeout

A few sacks derailed a drive that started off strong. Michigan State will get the ball to begin the second half, so this upcoming drive for the defense will be crucial to get a stop.

Ducks punch one in to go up 14-0

It is becoming clear that there isn’t much Spartan resistance for the Oregon ground game tonight. Oregon back Jordan James is up to 133 rushing yards on 14 carries, with the team up to 174. There is still 5:26 left in the half. Offense needs to put some points up quick.

Second quarter starts another turnover

Plot twist, this was NOT another Michigan State turnover. Charles Brantley is on an interception hot streak, and he just got the second red zone pick of the night for the Spartans. In a game with three drives that got inside the five, it is 7-0 Oregon with 11:17 left in the first half.

Gabriel runs in late first quarter score

The Ducks have gotten to at least the one-yard line in their last two drives, but no turnover this time. A couple big plays were capped off by a nine-yard touchdown run by Gabriel, and it’s 7-0 Oregon. End of the first quarter in Eugene.

Three-and-out for MSU, Ducks takeover

Nice decision from Chiles to not force anything on a third and a million. A nice punt from Ryan Eckley and another play by Spencer flips the field.

Oregon returns the favor; Spartans pick off Dillon Gabriel

Call it even! Fresh off of forcing a turnover at their own one yard-line, Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel throws an interception at the Spartan one. Malik Spencer made a very athletic diving catch to secure the pick, and Michigan State takes over after the touchback.

Chiles fumble at the 1 squanders golden scoring chance

This is getting ridiculous. Yet another drive where Michigan State marches the ball right down the field ends with a turnover. This one is an Aidan Chiles fumble as he was reaching into the end zone. The most frustrating thing for Spartan fans is how good Chiles also looks. Multiple great throws, including a deep bomb to Nick Marsh that set the Spartans up at the two, set up the scoring chance. But one step forward has been followed by a step back too many times so far to hang with the big boy teams.

Hello Defense!

Michigan State won the toss and gave the Ducks the ball. That turned out to be a good choice. The Spartans force a three and out and the offense has an early chance to punch ahead.

Let’s get this party started

Nice surprise on this late-night for Michiganders. Tigers’ announcer Jason Benetti is on the call in Eugene for Fox. 3-2 Spartans and 4-0 Ducks on deck.

The Spartans continue the meat of their schedule with a trip across the country to face unbeaten and No. 6-ranked Oregon on the national stage.

Coming off a 38-7 home loss to Ohio State, Michigan State faces another top-10 team, but this time it’s on the road. The Spartans moved the ball well against the Buckeyes, and did not look physically outmatched for most of the night, but costly turnovers and mistakes proved too much to keep up with Ohio State.

Those mistakes will need to be limited, as the Spartans head into one of the most hostile environments in the country. However, Oregon has let opponents hang around in home games so far. The Ducks needed a late score to put away FCS Idaho in Week 1 and only beat Boise State out of the Mountain West by a 37-34 score. Oregon is coming off a pair of dominant road performances the last two weeks, with a 49-14 rout at Oregon State and 34-13 win at UCLA.

Follow along here for live updates from Detroit News contributor Griffin Beers.

Michigan State at Oregon

▶ Kickoff: 9 p.m. Friday, Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Oregon

▶ TV/radio: FOX/760 AM

▶ Line: Oregon by 24½

▶ Records: Michigan State 3-2, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 6 Oregon 4-0, 1-0 Big Ten

▶ Series: Oregon leads 4-3 (Last game: Dec. 31, 2018 (Redbox Bowl, San Francisco) ― Oregon 7, Michigan State 6)

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Oregon

Dan Lanning weighs impact of familiarity with Jonathan Smith, Aidan Chiles on Oregon-Michigan State game

Published

10 hours ago

October 4, 2024

Press Room

Dan Lanning weighs impact of familiarity with Jonathan Smith, Aidan Chiles on Oregon-Michigan State game

After a rough first two weeks of the season, during which Oregon struggled with FCS Idaho and then brushed with defeat against Boise State, the Ducks have found their groove. They’ve done so versus familiar faces, starting with an unusually-early game against the Pac-12’s Oregon State in Corvallis. Then they went to the Rose Bowl and took care of Pac-12-turned-Big Ten foe UCLA.

Although head coach Dan Lanning and his sixth-ranked Oregon squad will take its first real Big Ten plunge Friday night against longstanding conference member Michigan State, the Ducks will, again, get a taste of their old league in the process.

That’s because the Spartans are coached by Jonathan Smith and quarterbacked by Aidan Chiles, both of whom were previously at Oregon State.

“Yeah, I think it probably gives a benefit to both teams,” Lanning said Friday afternoon on ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” when asked about the familiarity he has with Smith.

“Jonathan runs an unbelievable program. He’s done a really good job there. He continues to be aggressive and gives you pictures that are different from some other teams you’re going to see. But then he has that same thing that he’s going to see with us. So there’s a little bit of give and take where you can prepare for each other. But he’s got a new team, and we have a different team here as well.”

Smith posted a 25-13 record, including a 16-11 mark in Pac-12 play, over his final three seasons at Oregon State. That stretch included a 38-34 win over Lanning’s Ducks in 2022.

Chiles, however, didn’t start a game in his lone season at Oregon State. He arrived as the On3 Industry Ranking’s No. 12 quarterback in the 2023 class and sat behind then-Beavers starter DJ Uiagalalei. That said, Chiles threw completed 24-of-35 passes with four touchdowns and no picks, plus three rushing scores, in nine games of action as a true freshman.

He followed Smith to Michigan State, where he became QB1 and has experienced a roller coaster start to his sophomore campaign. The Spartans are 3-2 with a Big Ten road win over Maryland under their belt. But Chiles has already thrown eight interceptions, as opposed to just five touchdowns, while completing only 56.3% of his passes. He’s been up and down, at times flashing great passing ability downfield, not to mention his three additional rushing touchdowns so far in 2024.

“Well, he’s a talented player, and he probably throws the ball down the field as well as anybody right now in college football,” Lanning said Friday, when discussing Chiles on “SportsCenter.”

“And he’s really elusive with his feet. What we have to do is try to be advantageous when the ball’s in the air, take advantage of some of those opportunities when they do throw it and try to go attack it.”

Michigan State is coming off a 38-7 loss to Ohio State. Oregon will face the Buckeyes next week — that’s when the Ducks’ run of strong Pac-12 ties will come to an end.

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Oregon

Oregon men’s basketball adds Ukrainian wing Oleksandr Kobzystyi

Published

18 hours ago

October 4, 2024

Press Room

Oregon men’s basketball adds Ukrainian wing Oleksandr Kobzystyi

Oregon men’s basketball has made a late addition to its roster.

The Ducks landed Oleksandr Kobzystyi, a 6-foot-7 wing from Ukraine, who arrived at UO this week. Kobzystyi most recently averaged 2.3 points for Mega MIS in the Adriatic Liga ABA and also played for the Ukrainian under-20 and under-16 national teams.

Oregon coach Dana Altman said Kobzystyi’s agent reached out to find a potential landing spot for the college season and UO’s late start to the fall quarter presented an opportunity.

“We brought him in on a visit, really impressed with him, his mother,” Altman said. “Got a really good feel for the game, been well coached. He’s older, he’s only got a year left. He’s someone that we’re hoping we can get up to speed, because the guys have been there for eight weeks in the summer, so he’s way behind. Hopefully we’ll avoid injury, but if we don’t he’s someone that can really add to our depth.”

It’s not immediately clear how Kobzystyi’s addition fits into Oregon’s scholarship allotment, as the Ducks appeared to be using all 13 scholarships in 2024-25, though there could have been a change. Regardless, he adds further depth to a team that’s seen a high rate of injuries the past three seasons but has a healthy roster as it opens practice this preseason.

“I wanted to make sure that he understood (it) was an uphill climb because he was so far behind,” Altman said. “But I told him about our injuries the past seasons so he had to get ready and development was big to him. He’s like, ‘Well if I got a gym and I can get better.’ I think he’ll be a good addition. He’s only been to one practice; we just got him in school and got him cleared. I don’t know what he can do for us as a player but he sure is a nice young man and I look forward to working with him.”

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