[dropcap size=big]G[/dropcap]ehiser Najera never imagined himself selling petite bolillos stuffed with his mom’s traditional cochinita pibil out of his in-law’s driveway in La Puente. He had an excellent job at Universal Studios before COVID-19 forced his furlough. “I had to do something,” he tells L.A. TACO, “the bills kept coming.” His only goal was “to stay even” during the pandemic. Little did he realize those tortas de cochinita pibil would do more than just pay the bills. They’d bring him closer to his family, his community, and his passion.
Cochinita PIbil is a Christmas tradition for Najera’s family. Loydi Najera, Gehiser’s mom and proud Yucateca, makes it on Christmas Eve, “But we wait until Christmas day to eat it,” Gehiser explains. “It’s always better the next day.” This is “el recalentado,” referring to dishes like mole or certain guisados that increase in flavor after being left overnight and reheated the next day.
“Mom would buy a big box with a hundred bolillos. It was just easier to eat it that way. This is what we ate every Christmas day and only once a year; tortas de cochinita,” according to Gehiser. “I wanted to do something different than everyday tacos, and these tortas just made sense. We love them!”
Now it’s Christmas every weekend, not just for the Najera family, but for anyone unrolling this gift of a sandwich from its aluminum wrapping and revealing the Mayan Angeleno torta. The bolillo is palm-sized with a thinner profile leaving room for a higher cochinita to bread ratio. It’s almost begging you to eat a second one for the instant post-meal craving.