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Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Sharing the many layers of Mexican cuisine is Diana Kennedy’s mission

Diana Kennedy was one of the first people to document all of Mexico’s regional cuisines, from the deserts of Sonora to the streets of Mexico City.

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By Madeleine Brand • May 21, 2020 • 1 min read

Mexican food is one of the oldest and most complex cuisines in the world. British cookbook author and culinary anthropologist Diana Kennedy spent 50 years traveling the country to document all of Mexico’s regional cuisines, from the deserts of Sonora to the streets of Mexico City.

She published nine cookbooks, won two James Beard Awards, and was awarded the Order of the Aztec Eagle, Mexico’s highest honor for foreigners. She is 97 years old and lives alone in a house she built in Michoacán.

Her life is the subject of a new documentary called “Diana Kennedy: Nothing Fancy.” The film is a finalist for this year’s James Beard Awards.

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    Madeleine Brand

    Host, 'Press Play'

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    Sarah Sweeney

    Vice President of Talk Programming, KCRW

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    Michell Eloy

    Line Editor, Press Play

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    Amy Ta

    Digital News & Culture Editor

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    Elizabeth Carroll

    director of the new documentary “Diana Kennedy: Nothing Fancy”

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