F&B LA 2019

Bricia Lopez
Co-proprietor of James Beard Award Winning Restaurant, Guelaguetza; Co-Founder, I Love Micheladas



Bricia Lopez is the Queen of Mezcal, a “Oaxacan princess,” a mover and shaker in Los Angeles’ influential gastronomic scene and, a serial entrepreneur. She has dedicated her life to bringing her culture’s food, drinks, and traditions to the world through her family’s James Beard award-winning restaurant, Guelaguetza in Los Angeles’s Koreatown. Bricia grew up among her grandmother’s artisanal cuisine in Mitla, Oaxaca. She along with her mother and siblings immigrated to the United States in the 1990s a year after her father had opened the first Guelaguetza Restaurant in Koreatown. According to the New Yorker, “many influential L.A. bartenders thank Lopez for giving them their first taste of quality mezcal.” Bricia’s vision to educate the industry about Mezcal is why Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti declared her the official “Mezcalera” of the City of Los Angeles. Bricia and her siblings continued to expand their influence into LA’s food and beverage scene through an online shop where they sell their bottled mole paste and cocktail mix, I Love Micheladas. She was invited to the White House to speak in discussions about immigration and economic issues. She has earned National recognition as an Ambassador of Oaxacan culture, mole, mezcal and is an integral figure in the gastronomic culture of Los Angeles. In 2016, she received the Cultural Ambassador award at the Los Angeles Times and Hoy 2015 Latinos de Hoy Awards. After the birth of her son in 2016, Bricia and her sister, Paulina launched a new digital venture, The Super Mamas Podcast. Bricia has been featured in several prominent press outlets, including Conde Nast Traveler, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, Forbes, Food & Wine, and The Ringer. Bricia’s and her family’s story has been featured on television and The Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, OC Weekly, Los Angeles Magazine, Brand X, Sunset Magazine, KPCC, GQ, Univision and many more. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and son.

Sessions :