Cinco de Mayo cooking demo/Big City Ball/Cultural Treasures

by Brian White

For Mexican Americans, Cinco de Mayo is not just a day to guzzle Corona and margaritas (something an Irishman on Saint Patrick’s Day can raise a Guinness to). Nor is it the Mexican Independence Day (which is really Sept. 16), as it is often called here in the U.S. of A. The celebrations on the fifth of May commemorate the victory of a ragtag army of Mexican Indians over an invading French army in 1862. The holiday is more widely celebrated by Chicanos in the U.S. than their counterparts in Mexico, as is true of many cultural holidays in our melting pot of a nation.

There are many Cinco de Mayo events over the next week; here are three that are neither Corona bingefests nor actually on May 5.

For those in search of a celebration for beginner foodies, a cooking demonstration, led by Kathy Gold, hopes to awaken the spirit of culinary adventure. Gold, chef and owner of the Custom Cuisine Cooking Company, plans to demonstrate the making of a traditional Cinco De Mayo feast, complete with salsas, grilled shrimp and a dessert with plantains (that’s like a banana for you gringos).

This year’s ninth annual Big City Ball, benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern Pennsylvania, will have a Mexican theme to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, with music by Don’t Call Me Francis and spicy, traditional food to conjure some south-of-the border style.

Meanwhile, the city’s nexus of Latino arts, dance and music, the Asociación de Músicos Latino Americanos, plans to host "Cultural Treasures," an overview of Latino culture with Juan Gutierrez and Joseph Gonzalez, including an in-depth presentation of Tejano conjunto, a music form created by Mexicans in Texas.

Cinco De Mayo cooking demonstration, Thu., May 1, 6:30 p.m., $70, The Promenade at Sagemore, Marlton, N.J., 856-797-6568. Big City Ball, Sat., May 3, 9 p.m., $75, Curtis Center, Sixth and Walnut sts., 215-790-9220, ext. 314. Cultural Treasures, Tue., May 6, 7:30 p.m., $10, Escuela de Artes, 2726 N. Sixth St., call 215-223-3060, ext. 16 or 17.