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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A day before what would have been the late Gloria Molina's 76th birthday, Los Angeles County officials Thursday held a dedication ceremony to rename a cultural space within LA Plaza de Cultura Y Artes in honor of her legacy.
At 10 a.m. Thursday, a private ceremony was held by Molina's family and friends, which included her daughter Valentina Martinez, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes CEO Leticia Rhi Buckley, Andy Carrasco, chair of the LA Plaza Board and county Supervisor Hilda Solis, who represents the First District, the same east Los Angeles communities Molina represented during her 23 years on the Board of Supervisors. Together, they renamed a 2,500-square-foot LA Plaza Cocina -- which includes kitchen facilities and audio-visual capabilities for events and programs -- as LA Cocina de Gloria Molina, reflecting the beloved public figure's love for cooking and connection with food.
"She was at the heart of founding this (LA Plaza de Cultura Y Artes) in 2011," Buckley told City News Service. "The dedication was actually decided last year before she passed, and (Molina) was actually made aware that was what the board (of supervisors) wanted to do."
LA Cocina de Gloria Molina is a teaching kitchen and flexible event space that spotlights the history, culture and influence of Mexican and Mexican American cuisine. Staff and guests hold cooking classes, talks and tastings, and cooking demonstrations in this area.
Additionally, a newly launched culinary youth training program is held in the kitchen, which aims to provide free and bilingual workforce development to young people ages 16-24.
Buckley expressed her gratitude for Martinez and how generous she's been in sharing and celebrating her mother.
Molina died on May 14, 2023, and had dedicated her life to serving her community of East L.A. She was a role model for women seeking public office and community activism -- serving as the first woman to become a L.A. County supervisor and the first Latina to serve as a member of the L.A. City Council and the California State Legislature.
Buckley emphasized that the kitchen has a cookbook and other tools that Molina used in her own kitchen. While Molina has been honored for her public service, Buckely noted that the renaming ceremony is intended to highlight her as a mom, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend.
"Very much how she connected with people, and when she wasn't that `towering' public service figure, she was about cooking and about bringing family together," Buckley said. "The flavors and traditions of Mexican cooking was such a big part of who she was, and at the heart of who she was."