SONIC DISH: CASA SUSANNA x DJ WAVE
“If this dish were a track, what would it sound like?”
The modern Mexican cuisine by Executive chef Éfrén Hernández at Casa Susanna in Leeds has already caught national attention across best restaurant lists and earning the chef two James Beard nods. We paired Chef Hernández with Mexican DJ Jorge A. Bautista Morales, better known as DJ WAVE.
Chef Éfrén Hernández’s cracked sugar-glazed conchas at Casa Susanna may be as frequently photographed as a Kardashian, but it’s his masa program and house-made tortillas that continue to fill column inches, including our own. Although Hernandez was born and raised in Los Angeles, he is the son of Mexican immigrants from Guadalajara and spent many summers with his family in the Jalisco region.
We paired Chef Hernández with Mexican DJ Jorge Morales, better known as DJ WAVE, an area DJ and aspiring producer who draws inspiration from the cultural influences of Mariachi and marching bands that have surrounded his life, coupled with a love of house, harmony, rhythm and Afrohouse. Morales grew up in a small town in Mexico called Huaquechula, Atlixco, Puebla.
Photo of the tetela: Chef Éfrén Hernández on a plate by Lost Quarry.
Album art: Provided.
First, Chef, could you describe the dish?
Yes, I chose our house-made tételas that are traditional to Oaxaca and Puebla regions. It’s a corn masa tortilla folded into a triangular pocket (similar to a quesadilla) and filled with beans and cheese, but not typically printed with squash blossom flowers on the outside like ours.
What’s the backstory?
EH: So we use an heirloom bean called bayo that is butterier and we’re using an Alpine cheese mix that is not traditional to Mexican cuisine: it’s sharper and more interesting and complex in flavor than soft cheese from Oaxaca that you’d normally see — something closer to a mozzarella. Right now it has sweet corn inside instead of beans because - summer!
We also make all our masa dough in house. I knew when I opened my Mexican restaurant it needed to have a masa program (nixtamalized masa dough, ground in-house) and we needed to do it well… We make traditional tortillas, tamales, sopes, tételas, tlacoyos, tostadas, tlayudas. But all served in unexpected ways to educate people about Mexican cuisine too.
Okay, DJ Wave, you’ve seen the dish + heard the backstory. What does this dish sound like to you?
DJ WAVE: The track I chose is Yamore — (feat Cesária Évora, Benja (NL) and Franc Fala) by Salif Keita and Moblack (Roger Garciá AfroTech Remix.)
The backstory: The original song is a mix of French, Creole, English and Portugese lyrics, and Afrohouse tropical sounds that blend into a melodic, soulful rhythm that originated from the Cape Verdean (Cabo Verde) culture where funaná is played. It was originally released in Paris in 2002 by songwriter Salif Keita, who is known as "The Golden Voice of Africa," along with singer Cesária Évora, and it’s produced by Moblack, an Italian producer of Afro-House music. The track is a representation of a blend of cultures brought to the region such as West African, European and Portuguese in the Cape Verde Islands.
But the version I usually play for my sets is an AfroTech remix by Roger García, a DJ and music producer from Mexico whose style fuses Afrohouse, Latinhouse, Latintech, tribal and ancestral elements to create a spiritual and atmospheric experience.
Listen to the original track here + the Roger Garciá remix here.
For those instantly hooked like us, here’s the official music video.
The Sound: Garciá has crafted a sonic identity that connects both to the roots and the dance floor. He has a unique sensitivity for storytelling through rhythm, binding between nature, Latin American culture, and contemporary electronic music. His mission is clear: to make music that moves you, that transcends, that connects.
The inspo: The inspiration behind my song choice comes not just from the fact that Roger is a Mexican producer but the style behind his work and the main producers’ work. The blend of drums, foreign languages (English, French & Creole) represent the cultural influence that the French cuisine had in the "mixteca" region (Puebla, Oaxaca & Guerrero). Especially after the "5 de Mayo" defeat, the French culinary traits can be noticed on the tetela, which is similar to a savory crépe. This fusion of elements produces a delightful creation that can be seen in the song and the dish. Both have been modified from their original form, but the roots are still noticeable, maintaining their essence despite the new additions, twists or, in this case of this track, remixing.
DJ WAVE has been DJing for 7 years in the US and is an aspiring producer. His love of house music has led him to discover new DJs and producers creating tracks with good harmonies and Afro rhythm. | IG: @djwave347
Read our tastemaker interview with EXEC. CHEF ÉFRÉN HERNÁNDEZ. | IG: @efrencitoh | @casasusannacamptown
