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Nickel, Sandra

Nacho's Nachos: The Story Behind the World's Favorite Snack

32 pp. | Lee | August, 2020 | Trade ISBN 978-1-62014-369-8 $18.95
(2) K-3 Illustrated by Oliver Dominguez. Complex textures of Chicanx borderland aesthetics--that inventive creativity born of working-class improvisation and pizzazz--greet us on the cover of this picture-book biography. Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya, looking sharp in suit and tie, presents platters of steamy, cheesy, crunchy nachos, rendered in Dominguez's lively acrylic, gouache, ink, and colored-pencil illustration in chillante yellow-orange hues, with touches of green ornamentation. Nickel tells an engaging origin story of the humble but mighty nacho, which Anaya created in 1940. Growing up in northern Mexico, Nacho "loved to sit in the kitchen" and savor his foster mom's quesadillas; he later began working in restaurants, where his inventiveness and "special talent for making diners happy" built him a reputation. In Piedras Negras, Mexico, just across the border from Texas, Rodolfo de los Santos was launching the Victory Club, a fancy supper club, and recruited Nacho. When one day an influential socialite asked him if he could "whip us up something new," Nacho activated his making-do abilities. The result: "So spectacular!" Nacho's nachos became an instant hit and grew legendary by word of mouth. A recipe, an author's note, and a robustly researched bibliography accompany this scrumptious visual and narrative feast.
Reviewer: Lettycia Terrones | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2021

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