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Hampshire Dining Commons will host an evening of culinary excellence on Wednesday, Sept. 17, from 5-9 p.m., featuring a special dinner and live cooking demonstration by internationally acclaimed chef Iliana de la Vega. The cooking demonstration will begin at 6 p.m., and the cost to attend is meal plan swipe or the standard community dining rate.

De la Vega, a Mexican-born chef, restaurateur and culinary educator, has dedicated her career to the study and dissemination of Mexican gastronomy. Known for her deep work with communities cultivating rare chiles in Oaxaca, she has brought the flavors of her homeland to a global stage.

Her first restaurant and cooking school in Oaxaca, El Naranjo, earned worldwide recognition in publications such as The New York Times and Bon Appétit. The reincarnation of El Naranjo in Austin has been widely regarded as the city’s best Mexican restaurant. Before opening her brick-and-mortar location, de la Vega ran El Naranjo Mobile and Catering, a food trailer hailed by Texas Monthly as “the only real Mexican restaurant in Texas.”

A decorated chef, de la Vega was a 2019 James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: Southwest, a 2020 semifinalist for Best Chef: Texas, and the 2022 James Beard Award winner for Best Chef: Texas.

This event offers the community a unique opportunity to experience the flavors and techniques of one of today’s most influential culinary voices.

For more information about this and other upcoming UMass Dining special events, visit UMassDining.com.