Malverde Restaurant 11215 Long Beach Blvd. #1010 Lynwood, CA 90262 USA Cuisine. Contemporary, regional Mexican Executive Chef. Geno Bahena Telephone. 310 631-9177 Fax. 310 631-9173 Email.  tasteoeleg@aol.com, Connie@MalverdeRestaurant.com Website. www.malverderestaurant.com

Bienvenidos In the state of Sinaloa on Mexico’s Pacific coast, the name Malverde, pronounced mahl-behr-de, conjures up the legend of the twentieth century bandit and folk hero, Jesus Malverde. A member of Mexico’s impoverished class during the reign of Porfirio Diaz, a period filled with social anarchy that would eventually climax in the Mexican Revolution, he was a renegade, a Mexican Robin Hood. He stole from the rich to give to the poor and needy and was loved by the common people of Sinaloa. As a result, the Mexican government put a price on his head. One version of the legend has him betrayed by his compadre and best friend who cuts off his feet and turns him over to the police. Malverde’s ability to perform miracles began, according to one version, when a farmer’s lost cow was returned after he asked for Malverde’s help. To this day, the breadth of faith in Malverde can be seen in the steady stream of people who visit Malverde’s shrine on the west side of Culiacán, the capital of the state of Sinaloa. They go to pray, to ask for favors, and to thank Malverde for those favors he has granted.

Chef Geno Bahena Born in the state of Guerrero, Generoso “Geno” Bahena, grew up working on his family’s ranch and orchard. He developed a respect for the things of the earth and saw hard work and dedication transform raw ingredients into high quality foodstuffs. This is the foundation upon which Geno’s passion and love for the food of his native Mexico has grown. While still preserving family traditions, Geno and his cooking are often described as adventurous and creative, rustic, but most of all, passionate. Geno’s first restaurant, the highly acclaimed, Ixcapuzalco Restaurante in Chicago, was often referred to as “home of the moles.” At his second restaurant, Chilpancingo Restaurant, also in Chicago, Chef Geno serves the specialties of each state as he creatively combines unique ingredients and reinterprets traditional dishes in his own rustic yet sophisticated style. And now Chef Geno spreads his wings once again and embarks on a new adventure here at Malverde Restaurant. Drawing on culinary inspiration from all of Mexico’s states, from traditional restaurants and markets to Mexico City’s newest restaurants featuring contemporary Mexican cuisine, Chef Bahena brings his passion for his native cuisine here to Malverde Restaurant. Experience Chef Geno’s continued passion as he takes regional Mexican cooking to yet another level.