In the “about” section of Bolita Masa’s website, there is a hand-drawn image of a little boy and corn. Emmanuel Galvan, the chef and founder of Bolita Masa, says this little boy is an image of his younger self, grappling with the idea of corn.
“I grew up in Napa. My parents are both Mexican. I wanted nothing but to be white,” Galvan said. “I was actively trying to assimilate and really did not see value in my culture. So part of that image is a bit of forgiveness to that boy who was trying really hard to put aside his ancestry in a way.”
Now, Galvan has embraced his ancestry through food, in particular, through masa…